HybO2: Review of Winchester's Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber

I will confess that going into the session, I only had a basic understanding of what I was getting myself into, in my head, I was under the impression that I was going to get into a metal pod and breathe some fresh air.

In fact, there was a lot more to it than that.

Essentially, before I bore you with all the sciencey stuff, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy involves getting into a pressurised chamber and wearing a mask that allows you to inhale 95-97 per cent pure oxygen for an hour, which goes into your blood cells and (funnily enough) oxygenates them.

It is a therapy which is used to hasten healing processes with various health issues, but as operations manager Stephen Bridgewater explained to me, isn't a "cure".Stephen Bridgewater (Image: Matt Rooks-Taylor)

Many undergo the therapy, which Stephen said can benefit "almost any condition, but isn't medicine.

"It's the body that heals the conditions, all we do is hyper-oxygenate the body, which then goes on to heal at a much greater rate.

"Healing is generally faster, scarring is reduced and regular therapy increases collagen which makes the skin more elastic meaning wrinkles will start to disappear."

HybO2 House is designed to prioritise the comfort of visitors, the aesthetic is very homely and made me feel calm, the thought of going into a chamber can be unnerving and it is clear the company has taken this into consideration.

Before I got in, I removed my shoes, rings and my watch as they could, according to Stephen,  "create a spark potential", which, in an oxygen-rich environment, would not exactly be ideal for me.HyBO2 Chamber (Image: Matt Rooks-Taylor)

I'm glad I'm not claustrophobic, as squeezing my six foot two inch self into the not-so-spacious pod wasn't an easy feat.

I was in the chamber for 70 minutes, including my 'descent', or, compression, which took roughly five minutes, and my 'ascent', or, decompression, which took the same amount of time.

When I descended, my ears would not stop popping, much like how they would do on an aeroplane, but a lot more.

SEE ALSO: Winchester HybO2 brings oxygen tank to Glastonbury festival

I was under two-bar absolute pressure, which means I was under the same amount of atmospheric pressure as I would be if I was 10 metres underwater, it was pretty noticeable, and my arm movement felt heavier.

Breathing through a 'BiBS' - Built in Breathing System - I had to make sure I was breathing diaphragmatically, which was a strange thing to do at first, but as time went on it became more natural.

The pod was rather warm, and there was a button I could press to turn on a fan, blasting the unit until it was like I was laying down in a fridge - I did that twice.

The chamber itself, with all the pipes and machinery doing its thing, was fairly loud. But that wasn't distracting, it was more like white noise once I got used to it.HyBO2 mask (Image: Matt Rooks-Taylor)

My breathing, however, sounded just like Darth Vader, in fact, the whole experience was very Star Wars-like.

The chamber itself reminded me of the bacta tank in the Disney plus series 'The Book of Boba Fett', which, rather fittingly, was also something that also helps recovery.

I felt very comfortable inside it, I was checked on by Maurice every 15 minutes, each time I would give him a thumbs up to let him know I was okay.

You can watch a video of my experience here:

@hampshire_chronicle Come and try a hyberbaric oxygen therapy chamber with me at HyBO2 House in Winchester #hyperbaricchamber #hyperbaricoxygenchamber #hyperbaricoxygentherapy #starwars#CapCut ♬ Take My Breath Away (Love Theme from "Top Gun") - Berlin

So what did I do for 70 minutes?

I would love to say I was productive, reading a book or writing an article, but I wasn't.

My only window to look out of was covered up with a towel, by my own request, as the Sun was particularly bright that day and was determined to blind me.

There was an iPad attached to the top of the pod above my head, which I used to watch my favourite episode of Doctor Who (Series One, Episode Six: 'Dalek', for those who are interested).

Throughout my time in the chamber I could feel the effects of the oxygen in my body, my fingers felt tingly, but not in an uncomfortable way. More so in an energetic way, like when I'm playing football, it's an odd sensation to describe.

When my time was up, I slowly clambered my lanky frame out of the chamber, in what was definitely not a graceful movement, and I sat down on a chair.HyBO2 Chamber (Image: Matt Rooks-Taylor)

I was very light-headed, and thirsty.

I was told this is part of the 'O2 high' that I would experience for the next few hours.

Once I hydrated myself, I thanked the staff and went on my way back to work at the Chronicle office.

I was hungry, incredibly hungry. I demolished my packed lunch but that wasn't enough. I'm not ashamed to admit that I went to the fine establishment known as Greggs and devoured two pastries and a Belgian bun.

I'm not sure if that is a normal side-effect, but it was a delicious one.

That night, I was so tired and when I got home I crashed out and slept like a baby. I was pre-warned that I would have "vivid dreams", and that certainly was the case.

I will say, I felt very refreshed the following morning and full of life.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy feels like something from Star Wars, it's a less well-known form of therapy with potentially life-changing health benefits.

HybO2 did a fantastic job of accommodating me, the staff are friendly and explained everything in depth, I didn't feel nervous at all.

I believe this form of therapy will become a lot more mainstream as time goes on, while the technology may be in its youth right now, I expect it won't be too long before the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy becomes more widespread.