By Louisa Lee, FMCHC · Updated June 2026
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) means breathing oxygen-enriched air inside a pressurised chamber, so your lungs take in more oxygen than they could at normal pressure. In a wellness setting it is used to support recovery, energy, and healthy ageing. At Avantir Wellness in Singapore, sessions run in a gentle 1.5 ATA soft-shell chamber, and are wellness-focused rather than a medical procedure.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is breathing oxygen-rich air while inside a chamber pressurised above normal atmospheric pressure. The higher pressure lets more oxygen dissolve into your blood plasma, so more reaches your tissues for a given breath. Medical-grade HBOT at hospitals uses hard chambers at higher pressures for specific clinical indications. The hyperbaric oxygen therapy in Singapore offered at Avantir is a wellness application: a milder 1.5 ATA soft-shell chamber chosen for comfort and general support rather than acute medical use.
It works by changing the physics of how oxygen travels in the body. Normally most oxygen rides on haemoglobin in red blood cells, which are close to full even at rest. Under pressure, extra oxygen dissolves directly into the plasma, the liquid part of blood, which can carry it into areas where circulation is limited. The body uses oxygen for almost every repair and energy process, so the rationale is to make more of it available while you rest in the chamber. Early controlled research is promising but small: in a 2024 crossover study of 12 university athletes, mild hyperbaric oxygen at 1.25 ATA was associated with significantly faster clearance of muscle-fatigue markers such as creatine kinase and lactate than a control condition (Qu et al., 2024). The underlying idea, that mild added pressure raises the oxygen dissolved in plasma, is set out in a 2024 review of mild-pressure hyperoxia (Cannellotto et al., 2024), though individual responses vary.
A soft-shell session is designed to be calm and undemanding. You recline inside an inflatable chamber that is gently pressurised to about 1.5 times normal atmospheric pressure, roughly what you would feel a few metres underwater. You breathe normally, often reading or resting, for a set period. The main sensation is fullness in the ears during pressure changes, similar to a flight or a lift, which settles by swallowing or yawning. Wear comfortable clothing, arrive well hydrated, and let us know beforehand if you have a cold or blocked ears, since clear ears make the pressure changes easier to equalise. Because the pressure is mild, a soft-shell wellness session is gentler than the hard-chamber HBOT used clinically, and most people leave feeling calm rather than tired.
People usually explore HBOT when they want extra support around recovery, training, or general vitality. Common reasons include recovering from intense exercise, managing everyday tiredness, or adding a restful practice to a longevity-minded routine. It pairs naturally with other recovery-focused approaches; many of our clients also use it alongside efforts to support recovery after surgery or general training loads. HBOT is not a quick fix, and benefits, where they occur, build over a series of sessions rather than a single visit.
The honest answer is that the evidence is promising in places and still maturing in others. Clinical HBOT has well-established uses for specific medical conditions, but the wellness use of mild 1.5 ATA pressure for energy and recovery has a smaller, growing research base: the largest randomised studies in the 1.3 to 1.5 ATA range have so far enrolled only around 22 to 47 healthy adults, and a 2021 systematic review of 42 HBOT studies concluded that larger, better-designed trials are still needed (Marcinkowska et al., 2021). Some studies do report changes in markers linked to circulation and cellular ageing, such as a 2020 trial that found longer telomeres and fewer senescent cells after repeated sessions, although that work used a higher 2.0 ATA pressure in a clinical setting rather than mild wellness pressure (Hachmo et al., 2020). Others call for larger, longer trials. We share this openly so expectations stay realistic.
For most healthy adults a mild soft-shell session is generally well tolerated, but it is not for everyone. The most common effect is temporary ear pressure; a 2023 systematic review of 24 trials found that at pressures below 2.0 ATA, side effects were mostly mild and no more frequent than in control groups (Zhang et al., 2023). Even so, HBOT may not be suitable if you have certain lung conditions, an untreated pneumothorax, specific ear or sinus problems, or if you are unwell with a fever, and pregnancy needs individual advice (Gawdi et al., 2025). This is why we ask about your health history first. Always speak with your doctor before starting, especially if you have an ongoing medical condition.
Different recovery tools do different jobs, and they are not mutually exclusive. Many people in Singapore combine a mild HBOT session with red light therapy and good sleep as part of one recovery routine, rather than choosing only one. The table below is a quick orientation, not medical advice.
| Approach | At a glance | Often chosen for |
|---|---|---|
| HBOT (1.5 ATA) | More oxygen dissolved in plasma while you rest | Recovery support, energy, longevity routines |
| Red light therapy | Light energy at the skin and cells | Recovery, skin, and red light therapy and longevity |
| Rest and sleep | The body’s own baseline repair | Everyday recovery, no equipment needed |
A typical wellness session lasts around 60 to 90 minutes, including the gentle pressurise and depressurise phases. Most people simply rest, read, or listen to something during that time. Your exact duration is set during your assessment.
There is no single answer, because it depends on your goals and how you respond. Many people try a short series and review how they feel rather than committing to a fixed number up front. We will talk through a sensible starting plan together.
No. The main sensation is mild ear fullness as the pressure changes, much like a flight or a lift, and it eases with swallowing or yawning. The mild 1.5 ATA pressure is chosen for comfort.
No. Wellness HBOT at Avantir complements, and does not replace, medical care. If you have a health condition, keep working with your doctor and let us know your history so we can advise safely.
There is little to prepare. Eat normally, stay hydrated, and avoid coming in with a heavy cold or blocked sinuses, as clear airways make the gentle pressure changes more comfortable. Afterwards you can carry on with your day as usual, and many people simply notice a calm, rested feeling.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a gentle, restful way to make more oxygen available to the body, and many people in Singapore explore it to support recovery, energy, and healthy ageing. The wellness evidence is still growing, so we keep expectations realistic and your safety first. To see whether it suits you, book a consultation at Avantir Wellness in Katong and we will talk it through.
Louisa Lee is the Founder of Avantir Wellness and a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach (FMCHC). She champions the philosophy “Breathe Right, Sleep Well, Live Long”, helping people optimise their healthspan through sleep, airway health, lifestyle change, and science-backed wellness technologies. Read more on her author profile.
