I Got Into a Hyperbaric Chamber to Speed up the Healing Process—Here’s What Happened

What does a hyperbaric chamber do? Watch the video to find out. 

We know a thing or two about recovery here at Well+Good. We've tried everything from gymnast-led stretching classes to cold compression cuffs. In the latest episode of What the Wellness, host Ella Dove dives into a hyperbaric chamber for the ultimate recovery.

A hyperbaric chamber is a big tube that kind of looks like a tanning bed, but instead of harmful UV rays, this machine floods your body with oxygen. What does a hyperbaric chamber do? "They speed up every biochemical healing process," says Johnathan Leary, PhD, a chiropractor and CEO and founder of Remedy Place. "It doesn't matter if its expedited recovery after surgery, recovery after a long fight or a late night out, this does everything."

Remedy Place is a social wellness club in West Hollywood dedicated to recovery. In addition to the hyperbaric chamber, the club offers an infrared sauna, a cryotherapy chamber, a meditation room, compression boots, IV drips, and movement therapy. Dr. Leary says the hyperbaric chamber is the most powerful tool their arsenal.

"Fully saturating the body with oxygen, it just helps in speeding up every biochemical healing process," he says. "Think of it as every single reaction in the body to maximize recovery is just being enhanced."

For the claustrophobic among us, the door is glass so you can see out. And for people who feel like they might have a hard time breathing in tight spaces,  the chamber "only helps you breathe because you're getting more oxygen," says Dr. Leary.

Was getting in the chamber weird or worth it? Watch the video above to hear what Dove has to say. And for more videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Did you catch the latest episodes of What the Wellness? If not, it's time to catch up. Watch Dove take a Wim Hof Method class that ends with an ice bath, and get a $220 ‘royal jelly’ facial fit for a queen.