So you hit contrast therapy on the regular and you’ve been known to enjoy a cheeky cryo, if you’re all about sports recovery—or just relaxation—you might just like to throw hyperbaric oxygen therapy (aka HBOT) into your rotation.
Originally a tool used medically to treat certain conditions and by elite athletes to keep them firing on all cylinders—think reduced fatigue, improved endurance and enhanced overall performance—HBOT hasn’t quite gone mainstream….yet. But, like ice baths, it’s soon to become part of everyday wellness. So you bet I was interested when I learned that We Bliss You offers inflatable HBOT chambers for home hire.
That’s how I ended up sitting in an HBOT chamber in my garage. But before we get into that, what exactly does the HBOT do? The idea is that our bodies can only absorb a set amount of oxygen from the air under normal conditions, even if we were breathing 100% oxygen. In increased air pressure, however, our lungs absorb more oxygen than usual which can prompt the growth of new blood vessels, boost immunity, reduce inflammation and improve healing.
So, back to my garage. The HBOT was dropped direct to my house. The set-up is pretty minimal with a chamber and two boxes that get plugged directly into your mains. One powers the HBOT and the other cools the oxygen which I’d say is essential for the summer months.
The team recommends using the HBOT for 90 minutes each day which, given it’s large enough to create a mini workstation inside, is totally achievable if you work from home. The chamber’s super easy to use, too. You switch on both boxes, climb inside and double-zip yourself in, pick a breathing apparatus and wait for the chamber to pressurise which takes about six minutes and might make your ears pop like they would on a plane. Top tip: Take a partially filled drink bottle in with you.
From there, all that’s left to do is kick back and just breathe, take a nap, swipe through the apps or whip through some emails if that’s more your vibe. The machine takes care of everything, hissing occasionally to re-calibrate when the internal pressure fluctuates and sometimes makes popping noises too.
When it’s time to get out you reach up and slowly release an internal valve and when the pressure gauge reaches zero and the walls of the HBOT have relaxed, you can return to the world.
What does it feel like to be inside an HBOT? It depends. My flatmates revelled in the isolation—90 minutes of uninterrupted me time? Hell to the yes. The peak of my own HBOT experience, conversely, consisted of discovering that I’m capable of developing temporary claustrophobia. (Guess it's back to the ice baths for me which, as luck would have it, We Bliss You has too.)
After an HBOT session you might feel normal, a bit sleepy or energised—the experience varies from person to person.
If you’d like to try HBOT you can at We Bliss You’s Glendowie studio. A 90-minute session costs $129 and there are concession cards available too. If you dig it you can hire or purchase a chamber through them too. Naiiiiice.
Like all wellness treatments, HBOT isn’t suitable for everybody and you’ll be guided through a list of contraindications at the time of booking.
Main image credit: We Bliss You | Website.