Is a hyperbaric chamber safe?

A hyperbaric chamber is a comfortable capsule in which the pressure is higher than atmospheric. You go in fully dressed, you sit or lie down, and the pressure rises gradually over a few minutes. Most people describe the feeling as similar to a plane taking off – blocked ears that clear when you swallow.

Throughout the session you stay in contact with a member of staff and you can ask to finish at any moment. The capsule is glazed, so there is none of the cut-off-from-the-world effect that people with a fear of enclosed spaces ask about.

Before a first visit we ask you to fill in a short health questionnaire. It is not a box to tick – the answers decide whether the session happens at all.

This is the point that surprises people most. As the pressure changes, air has to move freely through the Eustachian tube and the sinuses. A blocked nose makes equalising the pressure in the middle ear difficult and unpleasant.

So if you wake up on the day of your visit with a cold, just let us know. Moving the appointment costs nothing and makes far more sense than forcing it.

If any point on the questionnaire applies to you, that is not an automatic refusal – some situations only need the consent of your treating doctor. We settle this before the visit, not on the day.

It also happens that after a conversation we suggest a massage or a terahertz session instead of the chamber. Not because we have to sell something, but because you will get the same unwinding with no question marks attached.

With no contraindications, a hyperbaric session is a safe form of recovery. All the caution comes down to one thing: an honestly filled-in questionnaire before the first visit.

Our services are relaxation, recovery and wellness services. If you are being treated for anything long-term, discuss using the chamber with your own doctor – we do not replace that conversation.