Walk into any premium gym or recovery studio in Australia and you'll see some combination of the same four things: an infrared sauna, a cold plunge, a red light panel and, increasingly, a hyperbaric chamber. They're often lumped together as "recovery tech", but they work in completely different ways, cost very different amounts, and suit different people and spaces.
This guide compares a hyperbaric chamber, red light therapy, a cold plunge and an infrared sauna side by side, so you can work out which ones fit your routine, your home or your business.
The quick comparison
| Hyperbaric chamber | Red light therapy | Cold plunge | Infrared sauna | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Raises air pressure while you breathe concentrated oxygen | Shines red and near-infrared light on the skin | Immerses you in cold water | Heats your body with infrared heaters |
| Typical session | 60 to 90 min | 5 to 20 min | 1 to 5 min | 20 to 40 min |
| Typical home cost (AU) | About $15,000 to $30,000 for a complete soft system; about $80,000 to $120,000+ for a fully equipped hard shell | About $250 to $4,000 | A few hundred dollars (no chiller) to about $3,000 to $10,000+ (with chiller) | About $2,000 to $10,000 |
| Space | About a single-bed footprint (soft), more for hard shells | A wall or stand | A tub plus chiller | A cabin, 1 to 3+ people |
| Power | Standard power point (soft); dedicated circuit for larger hard shells | Standard power point | Standard power point for most chillers | Standard power point for most smaller cabins |
| Feels like | Lying or sitting quietly; ears pop like a plane landing | Warm glow, nothing dramatic | A shock, then calm | A deep, gentle sweat |
Prices are indicative ranges from Australian retailers in October 2026.
Hyperbaric chamber
How it works
A hyperbaric chamber raises the air pressure around you, usually to between 1.3 and 2.0 ATA, while you breathe concentrated oxygen from an oxygen concentrator. Under pressure, more oxygen dissolves directly into your blood plasma than when you breathe normal air at sea level. That's basic gas physics (Henry's law), and it's why hyperbaric is different from every other tool on this list. Our How it works page has an interactive chart that shows the effect of pressure on oxygen.
What a session is like
You lie down or sit in the chamber, it pressurises over a few minutes (your ears feel full, like a descending plane), then you breathe through a mask or headset and relax for most of the hour. Many people read, listen to podcasts or nap. Read more in your first hyperbaric session.
Why people choose it
It's the longest and calmest session of the four, and the only one that changes the oxygen side of the equation. In medicine, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used in hospital units for a specific list of conditions. In wellness settings, people build it into recovery and wind-down routines.
Downsides
It's the most expensive of the four to buy, sessions take the longest, and it isn't suitable for everyone. People with certain ear, sinus or lung conditions, or who are pregnant, should talk to a health professional first.
Red light therapy
How it works
Red light therapy, also called photobiomodulation, uses LEDs that emit red light (roughly 630 to 670 nm) and near-infrared light (roughly 810 to 850 nm). You stand or sit near a panel and the light is absorbed by the skin and tissue beneath it. It's been widely studied, particularly for skin and muscle recovery, and some devices sold in Australia are registered with the TGA for specific uses.
What a session is like
Uneventful, in a good way. You stand in front of a panel for 5 to 20 minutes. It feels gently warm, and you'll want eye protection for some panels.
Why people choose it
It's affordable, quick and fits on a wall. It's by far the most searched of the four in Australia: red light therapy gets roughly seven times as many Google searches as hyperbaric chambers.
Downsides
Output varies hugely between devices, and cheap panels can be much weaker than their marketing suggests. Look for independently measured irradiance (mW/cm² at a stated distance) rather than wattage.
Cold plunge
How it works
A cold plunge, or ice bath, is a tub of cold water, typically somewhere between about 3 and 15°C. You immerse yourself up to your neck for a short time. Basic setups use ice; dedicated cold plunges use a chiller to hold the water at a set temperature.
What a session is like
The first 30 seconds are a shock: rapid breathing, tingling skin, an urge to get out. Then your breathing settles. Most people stay in for one to five minutes. Afterwards, many describe feeling alert and energised.
Why people choose it
It's fast, it's intense, and it's become a staple of athletic recovery and morning routines.
Downsides
Cold water immersion triggers a cold shock response, which is a real risk for people with heart conditions or high blood pressure. Never plunge alone if you're new to it. Chiller units also run continuously to hold temperature, so expect higher ongoing power use than a sauna or red light panel.
Infrared sauna
How it works
Traditional saunas heat the air to around 70 to 100°C. Infrared saunas use carbon or ceramic heaters that warm your body more directly, at lower air temperatures of roughly 45 to 60°C. You still sweat, but many people find it easier to tolerate for longer.
What a session is like
You sit in a timber cabin for 20 to 40 minutes, gradually warming up and sweating. It's quiet, warm and relaxing.
Why people choose it
It's familiar, social (most cabins fit two or more people), and it's cheap to run. Australian retailers estimate around $10 a month in electricity for three sessions a week.
Downsides
It takes up a corner of a room and needs good ventilation. Heat isn't suitable for everyone, including during pregnancy or with some heart conditions.
Which one should you choose?
If you want the lowest-cost place to start
A good red light panel. It's the cheapest way to start a recovery routine at home.
If you want something quick and invigorating
A cold plunge. Five minutes, done, and you'll feel it.
If you want to relax and sweat
An infrared sauna. Great for winding down, and you can share it.
If you want something none of the others can do
A hyperbaric chamber. It's the only tool on this list that changes the pressure and oxygen you're breathing, and it gives you an uninterrupted hour to switch off. It's a bigger investment, so it suits people who'll use it regularly or share it. See our hyperbaric chamber price guide for what that investment looks like.
Can you combine them?
Yes, and many recovery studios do exactly that. A common approach is contrast therapy (sauna then cold plunge), with red light and hyperbaric on separate days or at a different time of day. If you're stacking tools:
- Hydrate well, particularly around sauna sessions
- Give your body time to return to normal temperature before a hyperbaric session
- Don't plunge or sauna alone if you're new to either
- Talk to a health professional about your own circumstances, especially if you have a heart, lung, ear or blood pressure condition
For gyms and recovery studios
If you run a facility, the question is less "which one" and more "what's missing". Saunas, cold plunges and red light are increasingly common. A hyperbaric chamber is still rare enough to set a studio apart, and a two-person seated chamber like the Seat Duo doubles the members you can serve per session. Read our guide to hyperbaric chambers for gyms and recovery studios or visit HyperRecovery for Business.
Frequently asked questions
Is a hyperbaric chamber better than a sauna?
They do different things. A sauna heats your body; a hyperbaric chamber raises pressure while you breathe concentrated oxygen. Many people use both.
Can I use a hyperbaric chamber after a cold plunge or sauna?
Many people do, but give yourself time to rehydrate and return to a normal body temperature first, and follow your chamber's manual.
What's the cheapest recovery tool to start with at home?
A red light panel, which can start at a few hundred dollars. A basic ice-bath tub is also inexpensive if you're happy to buy ice.
Which is easiest to fit into a small home?
Red light therapy, by a long way. A soft hyperbaric chamber needs about the footprint of a single bed, a cold plunge needs space for a tub and chiller, and a sauna needs a cabin.
The bottom line
Red light is the easy entry point, a cold plunge is the quick hit, an infrared sauna is the social sweat, and a hyperbaric chamber is the long, calm session that does something the others can't. The right mix depends on your space, budget and routine. If hyperbaric is on your list, compare our chambers or talk to our team.
Prices are indicative ranges from Australian retailers as of October 2026. General information only, not medical advice.
