Before you decide

The BAROKS chamber is the largest multiplace medical hyperbaric chamber in Slovenia, with 11 seats. The interior is air-conditioned, lit with ambient LED lighting and equipped with four TV screens. It is designed for comfort and space, and its rectangular shape further reduces any feeling of confinement.

You are not alone during the session – our staff are with you in the chamber, and the session is also monitored by cameras.

If you are worried about feeling confined, mention it at the consultation or assessment. In cases of severe claustrophobia, the doctor decides whether the therapy is suitable.

The number of sessions is determined by the doctor at the initial assessment – based on your health, your goals and how you respond to the therapy.

The effects of hyperbaric oxygen build up gradually. Better oxygen supply to the tissues begins during the session itself, while processes such as the formation of new small blood vessels develop over several weeks and require a series of consecutive sessions.

As a guide: the studies we summarise in our knowledge base used protocols of roughly 20 to 60 sessions – for example 40 sessions in a study on athletes and 60 sessions (five per week) in a study on brain ageing; late effects of radiotherapy often require 30–60 sessions. Patients who have shared their experience with us mostly completed between 10 and 30 sessions.

Example protocol: a study on healthy brain ageing (in Slovenian)(opens in a new tab)

A session in the chamber lasts 90 minutes. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early: we check how you feel, you change into clean cotton clothing and we carry out the safety procedures.

• Start: the pressure in the chamber is raised gradually. You feel pressure in your ears similar to when a plane is landing.
• During the session: once the prescribed pressure is reached, you breathe 100% medical oxygen through a mask. You sit comfortably, with four TV screens to watch.
• End: the pressure is gradually lowered back to normal.

Trained medical staff monitor how you feel and control the pressure and oxygen concentration throughout. Because it is a multiplace chamber, all patients start and finish the session at the same time.

As the pressure rises at the start of the session, you feel pressure in your ears – similar to when a plane is landing or when diving. You equalise it by swallowing, yawning or gently blowing out with your nose pinched. The staff will explain how to equalise the pressure before your first session; if equalising does not work, tell the staff immediately.

The most common complication of hyperbaric therapy is mild pressure-related injury to the middle ear (barotrauma).

That is why you should always tell us before a session if you have a cold, a blocked nose or an ear infection – in that case we reschedule the session.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a medical procedure, so nobody enters the chamber without a prior medical assessment. The doctor reviews your health and medications, discusses your goals, rules out any contraindications and sets the protocol – the number of sessions and the pressure. Before the assessment you fill in a health questionnaire.

HBOT is not possible, for example, with an untreated pneumothorax, an acute upper respiratory infection, severe middle-ear disease or treatment with certain chemotherapy drugs. In cases of epilepsy, severe claustrophobia, serious cardiovascular disease, pregnancy, poorly controlled diabetes or after recent surgery, the doctor decides whether it is suitable.

The assessment is included in the price of every package.

Sessions take place in a clinic licensed by the Slovenian Ministry of Health, in a medically certified BAROKS chamber, under the supervision of a doctor and trained healthcare staff. Before the first session the doctor rules out contraindications, and during the session staff monitor your well-being, the pressure and the oxygen concentration.

In properly selected patients, side effects are mostly mild. The most common is ear pressure or mild ear barotrauma. Serious complications are very rare.

Source: Turning back the biological clock (knowledge base, in Slovenian)(opens in a new tab)

• Arrive at least 15 minutes before the session starts.
• Wear clean cotton clothing.
• Do not use make-up, oily creams or hairspray.
• You must not take electronic devices or batteries (e.g. a phone or smartwatch), jewellery, lighters or cigarettes into the chamber.
• If your health has changed (a cold, fever, ear infection, new medication), let us know before the session.
• Please notify us of any change or cancellation of an appointment at least 24 hours in advance.

The free consultation is an informal, no-obligation conversation by phone or via the form: we explain the therapy, answer your questions and help you decide whether it makes sense to book a medical assessment. It does not commit you to a purchase.

A medical assessment is mandatory before your first session. A doctor checks whether the therapy is suitable for you and sets your protocol – a final decision is only possible after this assessment. With any package, the assessment is included in the price.

If you bought a package in advance and the doctor finds that the therapy is not suitable for you because of contraindications, we refund the purchase price, minus only the cost of the medical assessment.

If you have to interrupt a package you have already started for health reasons confirmed by a doctor, we refund the unused part of the package in accordance with the terms of business.

Terms of business (SL)(opens in a new tab)

A package is valid for one year from purchase; the sessions must be completed within six months of the first session. The package is tied to your name and is not transferable.

If you have to pause your sessions for health reasons, the package can be put on hold on presentation of a medical certificate – the period of use is extended by the length of the pause.

Treatment at our clinic is self-funded and charged according to our published prices. You don’t need a referral – just call us or send an enquiry.

With a package, the price per session drops to as little as €60, and customers in Slovenia can also pay the total in instalments.

Yes – customers in Slovenia can pay for session packages in instalments through Leanpay, with no down payment.

• Let us know at the clinic that you’d like to pay with Leanpay.
• You receive a secure link by SMS to enter your details.
• You get a decision within moments and can start your sessions straight away.

You can check your limit free of charge before your visit.

Terms and procedure: Instalment payments with Leanpay (in Slovenian)(opens in a new tab)