In the weeks leading up to the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, a little out-of-the-box beauty prep is to be expected. Models typically cite the usual treatments: body scrubs, extra facials, massages, baths, maybe a spray tan here and there. (Doesn't sound half bad, no?) But Gigi Hadid, who is walking in the show for the first time this year, went a step further and locked herself in a freezing-cold chamber for three minutes.
"I did cryotherapy yesterday, which is freezing-cold, but it's really good for blood circulation. And, you know, after having two workouts a day for a week, it's really good for healing your muscles and feeling fresh and having good energy," she tells Refinery29 backstage. (We, too, can attest to its healing properties — even if it requires exposing yourself to -160 degrees Fahrenheit for what feels like an eternity.) "I did it once before, and my mom does it a lot. I wanted to do it before the show, and it’s great," Hadid says.
Her other, more relaxing pre-show rituals? Listening to Disney songs and wearing Acqua di Gioia perfume. "I love it, and it just calms me a little bit," Hadid says of the scent. "And having my friends around [backstage] makes me calm."
The model, who "started crying, and cried all day every time someone called me to say congratulations" when she booked the show, was in a bright mood backstage. "I didn’t get the show last year, but everything happens for a reason and the timing feels really right," she says. "It's something I've dreamed about my whole life." We just hope she gets to cozy up under a warm blanket when it's all over tonight.
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