Cool Tone for a Hot Summer Body
I decided to up my summer bod game to give myself a little bit of that extra edge going into swimsuit season, and I’ve gone back and forth about how I feel about this particular body treatment. Keep reading to find out my final thoughts on whether Cool Tone was worth the investment.
I want to start by saying the Cool Tone is a very big investment in every sense of the word, it’s an expensive treatment, it is a minimum commitment of 4 hours over two weeks, and honestly, it’s been an emotional investment as well waiting to see what the results will turn out to be.
I had looked into EmSculpt a few years ago and because I had a body treatment at this facility previously that didn’t work I was skeptical to spend so much money on another body treatment at this particular Medspa. At the time I was looking into Emsculpt this particular location was the only one to have a machine anywhere near where I lived as it was still very new.
I decided to go with Cool Tone instead of the Emsculpt because it was made by Allergan, a power player in the Aesthetics world, think Botox and Coolscuplt. I’m very familiar and comfortable with this company and know how and that their products work, so I decided to try Cool Tone over EmScuplt for this reason.
I knew this was a treatment that I wanted to try so I have many medspas and doctor’s offices that I visit and follow via email and social media so I just knew that if a promotion came around at one of my preferred places I would give Cool Tone a try. The opportunity presented itself in October and while the weather is mostly warm where I live and we are in our swimwear year-round I felt like waiting until Spring/Summer were upon us would be a better time to try it out.
Let's start with what Cool Tone is, exactly.
Cool Tone is a noninvasive muscle toning technology that firms abs, buttocks, and thighs. It uses Active Magnetic Pulse™ to strengthen, tone, and firm muscles from the outside in. It’s FDA approved and was developed by science muscle experts. The Active Magnetic Pulse™ patterns are designed to warm up, tone, firm, and strengthen muscles while also providing active recovery. Cool Tone delivers targeted pulses to muscle tissue to stimulate muscle contraction.
I was told that because your muscles contract and your body views this as “exercise” you are also burning calories and fat in the process. I will note that I did not lose any weight (pounds-wise) during the 3 weeks I was having this treatment, however, this was not my goal for trying the body contouring procedure.
Now I'll walk you through the process…
First, I went in for my initial consultation where we discussed the areas I wanted to treat and what I was looking to achieve. I was already at my ideal weight and size so this seemed like a good time to give myself that little extra something for definition and for those reasons I was an ideal candidate. You have to have a minimum of 4 sessions in 2 weeks to see any type of result. It was suggested to me that I purchase 6 treatments per area and complete them over 3 weeks with 2 treatments per week. I was also allowed to “try” the machine for 5 minutes to see how it felt.
I then came back to start my treatments. The first treatment was the only time I did not go to 100% power on my buttocks. I was able to get to 100% power for every abdominal treatment, and the last five glute treatments.
When you go in, you cannot have any metal on or in your body. Metal on your pants or the strap of your bra can cause a burn, so if you have any on, it has to come off before treatment. You then lay down on the bed and a paddle or two depending on your size and the area being treated is laid on top of the treatment area and held in place by a neoprene belt and velcroed in place.
The machine is then turned on, it starts with a tapping feeling to warm up your muscles and then a contracting feeling. The first 5 contractions are a little jarring, but not painful and then you get used to it and forget it’s even happening. The tapping continues in between each contraction period to help break up the lactic acid your body is producing from the muscles working and eliminate soreness. The treatment is 30 minutes per area and a member of the spa staff was with me at all times to make sure I was doing okay.
I had about 30 seconds of soreness in my abdominals when I woke up the morning after my first treatment that immediately went away as soon as I got up and started moving around a bit, and after the 5th session on my glutes, my hamstrings experienced a little soreness possible due to a small difference in the placement of the paddles.
Overall the treatments were very easy, the biggest part is finding the 2 hours a week three weeks in a row to get over to the medspa and remembering to not wear metal so I didn’t have to take clothes or jewelry off.
Now, did it work…?
I’ve gone back and forth and back and forth. The thing is, I was expecting to be like a 6 pack turtle tummy by the end of this. I’m not trying to brag, but my stomach was pretty flat (thanks to being plant-based) and I did have some noticeable definition in my stomach prior to treatment. Genetically having a butt isn’t really in the cards for me and I was just hoping for a little lift and definition.
By the fourth session, I was feeling really sad about the whole thing if I’m telling the truth. I saw little to no difference and I was expecting to see something the way the pictures on the website showed after the 4th session.
By the sixth session, I could see a slight difference depending on the way I moved or flexed but I don’t know that anyone else would have ever noticed which is disappointing.
A week after the last (6th) treatment I’m starting to see muscles coming out. I’m cautiously optimistic to see where we are 2 weeks from the final treatment and have considered some self-tanner to see if that helps define things.
At the two-week mark post treatments, I was definitely seeing more muscle and lift in my glutes, and my abdominal muscles were slightly more toned, but I wouldn’t say they were more obviously defined.
I took my final result pictures 4 weeks after my last treatment. I feel like you have to give your muscles a few weeks to build up following treatment the same way you would with traditional exercise. I feel at this point that I see a bigger difference in my glutes, they look lifted and rounder especially on the sides. Genetically glute muscles are something I am just not inclined to have naturally and I’m happy with how this treatment enhanced my glutes in a natural way. I feel like the treatment was worth the investment in my glutes because it’s somewhere I've never been able to increase size and muscle and it was enough to give me confidence in my bathing suit this summer and it looks appropriate for my overall body type.
While my stomach is definitely toned and tight, I didn’t experience the results I was expecting and hoping for following the Cool Tone treatment. My understanding is that if this treatment was going to work, I was the ideal candidate. I was expecting to have a defined six-pack or at the very least an outlined abdominal “box” if you will. While I can sometimes catch a glimpse of a muscle shadow when I twist or otherwise engage my ab muscles, the truly defined look isn’t ever-present as I had expected, therefore I stand by my assessment that for me personally, the Cool Tone Treatments are not worth the investment in the abdominal area.
If you are looking to have the feeling of a tighter stomach then maybe Cool Tone is the right procedure for you, but if you expect to have abs on abs, on abs that just isn’t going to happen from this machine. Maybe not from any machine for that matter.
2 weeks after the 6th treatment
The whole point of this blog and being a beauty educator is for me to share my experience with you and give you honest reviews and feedback. It’s not always fun when the procedure doesn’t meet expectations and I have to share that with all of you. I have to say that Cool Tone would not be a do-over for me. While I purchased my sessions during a promotional offer period it was still very expensive and I can’t tell you how upset I would be if I had paid double. I think to achieve the results that I had in my head would have taken at least 4-6 more sessions if not more, and the downside to this is that you do have to go in for maintenance sessions as well.
The time is another big issue for me, 6 hours over 3 weeks is a lot of time to commit, especially to something that I wasn’t completely thrilled about the results of.
I was told that two weeks following my last treatment is when I would see the full results. After doing some online research, I think that after four weeks that will be the end result. I went in for a two-week follow-up and while I did see a difference and some increased muscle tone, the results did not meet expectations. Setting realistic expectations is so important when it comes to any beauty product or procedure, and unfortunately, sometimes even different practitioners within the same facility can tell you two different things. Also, no two people and bodies are the same, so no one can predict how your body will respond to treatment. I think the important thing to remember and consider is that there is no substitute for healthy eating and hard work.
Final Thoughts
At the four-week mark following these treatments I continue to stick to my conclusion of this not being a do-over for me. If you are looking for a small change, then maybe Cool Tone is the right treatment for you, but I think another important consideration is the current state of your body because this treatment is most effective for patients who are at or very close to their ideal weight and size, if fat reduction is a concern then Coolsculpting would be a more appropriate treatment. The primary purpose of the Cool Tone is to build muscle.
I will say that I think the difference in my glutes is more notable for me when I see myself in a bathing suit, there has definitely been a lift and I see a new roundness on the sides I like, but again no one would ever notice anything was different.
Cool Tone Treatments range from $250(the lowest promotion pricing) to $750 per session and you need at least 4 treatments per area. I have to say for the cost and the time necessary and the minimal results this would not be an investment I made again. I think there are a lot better beauty treatments I would rather make the investment in.
While I’m disappointed to report that Cool Tone wasn’t everything I wanted it to be and more, I am glad that I can share my experience with all of you so you can save your money and time for something else.
Peace, Love, and Building muscles
XX,
Jenna
