Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Hard Shell vs Soft Shell Hyperbaric Chambers
The two chamber types are built differently and run at different pressures. Here is the difference explained plainly, without a sales pitch attached to it.
Hyperbaric chambers come in two broad forms. Hard shell chambers are rigid, usually acrylic and steel, and are rated for higher operating pressures. Soft shell chambers are flexible fabric shells over a frame and operate at lower pressures. Construction, pressure rating and how oxygen is delivered are the three real differences.
The difference at a glance
- Hard shell construction
- Rigid acrylic and metal, sealed door, fixed shape
- Soft shell construction
- Flexible fabric envelope over an internal frame, zipper seal
- Pressure
- Hard shell chambers are rated for higher operating pressures than soft shell chambers
- Pressure units
- Measured in ATA, atmospheres absolute. Ordinary air at sea level is 1.0 ATA
- Oxygen delivery
- Varies by chamber and by operator. Some deliver oxygen by mask or hood, some pressurize with an oxygen enriched supply
- Our chamber
What does the shell actually change?
The shell is a pressure vessel. Its construction determines how much pressure it can safely hold, and that pressure rating is the single most meaningful difference between the two categories. A rigid acrylic and metal chamber is engineered for higher internal pressure than a fabric envelope, which is why hard shell units are the format used where higher operating pressures are called for.
Everything else follows from that. Hard shell chambers are heavier, are permanently installed, and cost considerably more to buy and to run. Soft shell chambers are portable, cheaper and easier to site, which is why they are far more common in gyms, studios and mobile setups. Neither of those facts makes one of them correct and the other one wrong. They are different equipment with different pressure envelopes.
Why pressure is the number that matters
Pressure inside the chamber is expressed in ATA, atmospheres absolute. Standing outside on an ordinary day you are at 1.0 ATA. Soft shell chambers commonly operate modestly above that. Hard shell chambers are rated to go higher. When you see the phrase mild hyperbaric, or mHBOT, it is describing the lower pressure end of that range.
If you are comparing providers, the useful question is not which shell they have. It is what pressure the chamber is operated at during a session, and how oxygen is supplied inside it. Those two numbers describe the actual session. A provider who cannot answer them directly has not given you enough information to compare anything.
Until that specification is confirmed in writing, this page describes chamber categories in general rather than making a claim about our own equipment. Ask us on the phone at (317) 979-1234 and we will tell you exactly what we operate.
Questions worth asking any hyperbaric provider
- What make and model of chamber do you operate?
- What pressure, in ATA, is a normal session run at?
- How is oxygen supplied inside the chamber?
- Is an operator present and in contact with me for the whole session?
- How long is a session, and what is the published price?
- Is this a medical service or a wellness service?
Which one should you book?
We are not going to answer that with a slogan. Both formats are in use across Indiana, in gyms, in wellness studios, in clinics and in hospitals, and the settings differ as much as the equipment does. What we would say is that the honest comparison is made on specifications and on setting, not on adjectives.
Wellness Origin is a day spa. Hyperbaric time here is a wellness service, it is not medical care, and we do not diagnose or treat anything. Sessions are 60 or 90 minutes, published at $187 and $280.50, and a consultation is required before your first one. If you want a medical hyperbaric program, a clinical provider is the correct place to go and we will say so plainly on the phone.
Questions
Common questions
Is a hard shell chamber better than a soft shell chamber?
Better is the wrong frame. They are rated for different operating pressures and built for different settings. A hard shell chamber is a fixed installation engineered for a higher pressure envelope. A soft shell chamber is portable and operates lower. The right comparison between two providers is the actual session pressure and how oxygen is delivered, not the material of the shell.
What does mild hyperbaric or mHBOT mean?
It refers to sessions run at the lower end of the pressure range, modestly above the 1.0 ATA of ordinary air. The term describes operating pressure rather than a brand or a technique. If a provider uses the phrase, the follow up question is simply what pressure, in ATA, their sessions actually run at.
What chamber does Wellness Origin use?
We will not publish a specification we have not verified in writing, and we will not repeat a competitor style exclusivity claim we cannot stand behind. Call (317) 979-1234 and our team will tell you what we operate and at what pressure our sessions are run.
Does the chamber type change the price?
Our published rates do not vary by chamber type because we publish rates for our own sessions: $187 for 60 minutes and $280.50 for 90 minutes, with 3, 10, 20 and 40 session packages. Across the market generally, equipment cost does influence what providers charge, which is worth knowing when you compare quotes.
How do I compare two hyperbaric providers fairly?
Ask each one the same four questions: chamber make and model, session pressure in ATA, how oxygen is supplied, and whether the service is medical or wellness. Then compare published prices for the same session length. Anything less specific than that is marketing rather than information.
No account needed
Request an appointment
Tell us what you are after and when suits you. We will check the book and come back to you with times. If you would rather talk it through, call (317) 979-1234.
Reception is open Monday to Friday 10:00am to 7:00pm and Saturday 10:00am to 5:00pm. Requests sent outside those hours are answered the next business day.
Reservations
Book a treatment in Carmel
Call the front desk and a person will answer, or send the form and we will come back to you with times that fit.