What To Expect In The Chamber
From the first phone call to walking out afterwards — here is how a hyperbaric session actually goes.
Before Your First Session
Nobody gets in a chamber on day one without a conversation. It starts with the free callback: we ask what is going on, how long it has been going on, and what you have already tried. We also screen you, because the chamber is not right for everyone and that matters more than filling a slot.
If it is a fit, we book you at whichever clinic has the chamber that suits you — the sit-up chamber in Chula Vista or the modular chamber in Kearny Mesa.
The Session Itself
1. Getting settled
You climb in and get comfortable. Both of our chambers are soft-shell — inflatable, built around an internal frame, and closed with a triple-zip seal rather than a heavy metal door. The one at Kearny Mesa has a large door you can walk straight into or transfer into from a wheelchair or a seat. Oxygen comes through a mask or a nasal cannula, and we bring the pressure up gradually while we stay right there with you.
2. Equalising
As the pressure rises you will feel it in your ears, like the descent of a flight. Yawning or swallowing clears it. If it is uncomfortable we slow the rate down; there is no reason to push through it.
3. Settling in
A session runs 60 to 90 minutes at pressure — 1.3 ATA at Chula Vista, 1.4 ATA at Kearny Mesa. Where you land in that range depends on what we are working on. Once you are there you are breathing oxygen and there is nothing to do. People read, nap, answer email — you can see one of our clients working on a laptop in the chamber on our homepage.
Coming back down and heading home
We bring the pressure back down slowly, and your ears equalise the same way in reverse. Most people walk out and get on with their day; some notice they sleep unusually well that night. Drink water afterwards, and tell us what you noticed — it shapes how we run your next one.
Room to actually sit up
Most chambers in this industry are shaped like a cylinder, which is exactly why people say they feel closed in. Ours is triangular, so the walls open out as they go up — there is head room, shoulder room, and enough space to sit cross-legged rather than lie flat with your nose near the ceiling.
You choose the position before you get in, and a team member helps you climb in and fits the oxygen mask so the flow is right. Grab bars are within reach the whole time.
Or stretch out and sleep through it
Plenty of people lie back with a pillow and are asleep before the pressure has finished coming up. Others read, listen to something, or answer email.
The chamber has its own air conditioning, so it stays cool rather than stuffy, plus a reading light and a walkie-talkie so you can reach whoever is on the floor without raising your voice.
How Many Sessions It Takes
One session is a nice afternoon. It is not a protocol. The changes we are actually after build up through consecutive days rather than occasional visits, so a course usually runs 20 to 40 sessions, five or six days a week.
Something acute can need far fewer — sometimes three to twenty. Something chronic can run longer. Improvement is rarely a straight line either; it is common to feel tired early on and to see steady change somewhere around the fifteenth to twentieth session. We will give you a real number after we have talked, not before.
Consistency is the part people underestimate. Four sessions a week is the floor, and on a longer protocol every missed session costs you a little of the result. If your schedule will not take five days a week for a stretch, tell us on the call — it changes what we recommend.
It Is Not Right For Everyone
Some people should not use a hyperbaric chamber at all. The list is longer than most people expect. Uncontrolled heart rhythms or heart failure, COPD or emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, untreated sleep apnea, uncontrolled asthma, a history of a spontaneously collapsed lung, an uncontrolled seizure disorder, uncontrolled diabetes or blood pressure, severe claustrophobia, a fever, active smoking, chemotherapy, and recent dental or facial surgery all have to be screened first. We do not put pregnant clients in a chamber, and never at eight months or beyond. A controlled condition is often fine with clearance from the doctor treating it. That screening is part of the callback, not an afterthought, and if we do not think you are a candidate we will tell you and point you somewhere more useful.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy at our clinics is used to support recovery and general wellness. It is not a substitute for medical care, it does not create a doctor–patient relationship until you are formally evaluated, and it is not appropriate for every patient.
Not Sure If The Chamber Is Right For You?
Ask for the free callback. We will ask what is going on, what you have already tried, and tell you honestly whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy fits — including if it does not.