I Tried

From the plethora of health and wellness treatments comes something unusual: a gassed-up treatment that promises to heal and reinvigorate. We went ahead and tried ozone sauna therapy at Expand Health to scope out the vibe.

What is ozone sauna therapy?

Simply put, it’s a chamber that emits steam and ozone. The steam opens up the skin’s pores, making it possible for ozone to enter the body and be absorbed, so that the benefits can be felt. Your head is never inside the ozone chamber, since ozone is toxic to breathe in (kind of like the ozone in the sky we’re trying to combat).

Patients are given an oxygen mask to breathe in, so that the ozone doesn’t enter the lungs and cause damage and the chamber should be sealed off at the head.

While ozone is toxic if breathed in, it’s believed there are other benefits to be gained from having it seep through your pores. Anecdotally, it’s used to treat skin lesions, fight viral infections, activate the immune system and even boost digestion. Many of the benefits, per studies, are yet to be proved scientifically, and researchers are working to gain a greater understanding of ozone therapies.

Per the little research that exists, ozone therapy could:

Boost your immune system, since the flood of oxygen in the body stimulates immunity.

Improve circulation, as fresh oxygen travels to your cells, organs and tissues.

Protect from foreign invaders, as a boosted immunity halts growth of bacteria and viruses and limits their survival.

Reduce oxidative stress, since oxygen brings in new life to cells. It could in this way calm inflammation and chronic disease.

I tried ozone sauna therapy

I went to Expand Health in Cape Town to try their ozone sauna. They have a range of treatments on offer, from red light therapy to cryo-chamber and oxygen therapy. I opted for the ozone sauna, not entirely because of the cold, but because it’s one of the treatments I had yet to try.

After dispatching of my garments and donning a towel, I climbed into the sauna chamber and sat on the sterilised seat, while my therapist closed up the machine to let the ozone in. It felt steamy and warm and smelled a bit like chlorine, but not in an overwhelmingly bad way. The ozone seeped through my pores for twenty minutes at varying heats, starting from a balmy 38º Celcius. I promptly fell asleep and felt blissful. After my session, I felt remarkably clean and dewy. I also felt refreshed.

My therapist and practice manager, Carmen Heunis, tells me that the really revitalising effects are felt from coming to regular sessions – which makes sense, since most therapies need to be done often to see results. Overall, I felt it was a really lovely and passive way to take in something with rejuvenating effects.

Before your ozone sauna therapy

Make sure you have a qualified practitioner administering the treatment

Make sure you never breathe in the ozone as this can be toxic

Make sure you use a proper machine that never opens during the treatment

You should have oxygen throughout so that you never breathe in the ozone

Before you leave the machine, you should wait for the ozone to be suctioned out of the machine before opening

For peace of mind with this kind of treatment, make sure your facility is part of the South African Association of Health And Skincare Professionals More