Hyperbaric Chamber: Guide to Avoiding Scams (Inflatables Are NOT Real HBOT)

Hyperbaric chambers are the treatment category with the highest rate of outright scams in the Spanish market. The reason is simple: there's an ENORMOUS difference between a medical hyperbaric chamber and a 'mild' inflatable one, and many clinics don't bother to clarify it.

Medical HBOT vs 'mild' hyperbaric: the CRITICAL difference

Real medical HBOT uses a rigid steel or acrylic chamber, reaches pressures of 1.5 to 3.0 ATA, delivers 100% pure oxygen, requires mandatory medical supervision, and costs €80–€200 per session. 'Mild' or 'soft' chambers are inflatable nylon cabins, reach a maximum of 1.3 ATA, use COMPRESSED AIR (not pure oxygen), require no medical supervision, and should cost €20–€40 per session at most.

Why the difference matters

At 1.3 ATA with compressed air, the increase in dissolved blood oxygen is MINIMAL — roughly 20–30% above baseline. At 2.0 ATA with 100% O₂, the increase is 10 to 15 TIMES baseline. The vast majority of HBOT scientific evidence refers to the medical version (1.5–3.0 ATA, 100% O₂). Extrapolating those benefits to inflatable chambers is, at best, misleading.

Fair prices

Medical HBOT (1.5–3.0 ATA, 100% O₂): €80–€200 per session is reasonable. Mild inflatable (1.3 ATA, air): paying more than €40 per session is a significant markup. If a clinic charges €150 for a session in an inflatable chamber, they're charging medical-HBOT prices for a service that isn't one.

3 questions you must ask

First: what pressure does the chamber reach, in ATA? If they say '1.3 ATA', it's an inflatable, not medical HBOT. Second: do you use 100% pure oxygen or compressed air? If it's compressed air, the benefit is very limited. Third: is the chamber rigid (steel/acrylic) or inflatable? If you can fold it up, it's not a medical chamber.