How to calculate the return on a hyperbaric chamber in a hotel or a spa
"How long until it pays for itself?" is the question that decides the purchase, and it has an arithmetic answer. What has no generic answer is what the equipment costs, so here is the whole formula and you supply the numbers.
The formula, no mystery
Three steps, and none of them has a catch:
- Monthly revenue = sessions per day × price per session × days of use per month
- Monthly profit = revenue × your margin, meaning what is left after the cost of running the session
- Months to payback = investment ÷ monthly profit
The variable that decides is occupancy
Look at the first line: the three factors multiply, so in percentage terms they all weigh the same. Raising the price by 10% raises revenue by 10%. Going from three sessions a day to six doubles it.
The difference is how much room to manoeuvre you have on each one. The price per session is capped by your market. The days of use per month are capped by the calendar. Sessions per day are the only part that depends on how you build the service: opening hours, booking, who offers it to the customer and at what point in their visit.
That is why the useful question is not "what do I charge?" but "how many of the hours I am open will I actually be able to fill?".
The costs people tend to forget
The margin in this calculation is not the gross margin of the business: it is what is left of each session after running it. Four things go in there that fall out of optimistic estimates:
- The consumable. On cryotherapy, 3 to 5 kg of liquid nitrogen per session, with its supply contract
- The staff running the session, even part-time
- Equipment maintenance and, when it is due, periodic inspection of pressure vessels
- The square metre: the room the unit occupies is a room not earning from something else
Hotel, spa or gym: same equipment, three different businesses
In a hotel the session is sold as an add-on to the stay and competes with the rest of the property's services. Volume depends on occupancy and on somebody offering it at reception or in the spa, not on it merely being listed.
In a spa it slots into a circuit and sells itself more easily, but it shares time slots with what you already have running.
In a gym or performance centre it works as a recovery package with recurring clients: less revenue per session and many more sessions. It is the model that fills the hours best.
Filled hours are what pay for the equipment. That is why it is worth deciding the sales model before the chamber model.
Try your own numbers
Change the three variables and watch the payback period move. The reference investment is indicative: the real price depends on the model and configuration, and we send it to you in writing.
Estimated results
Estimated monthly revenue
15.000 €
Estimated gross profit (70%)
10.500 €
Approximate payback period
8 months
Indicative estimate: results depend on your specific case and do not constitute a promise of profitability.
Frequently asked questions
What does a hyperbaric chamber cost?
It depends on the model and the configuration, which is why we do not publish a figure on this page: whatever held for a single-person soft-shell would not hold for a 2.0 ATA aluminium hard-shell. We send you a written quote for the model that fits your project.
How long does it take to pay for itself?
It comes from dividing the investment by the monthly profit, and the monthly profit comes from the sessions you fill. That is why the calculator on this page lets you move all three variables: the number that matters is yours, not an industry average.
What do venues charge per session?
Each venue sets that according to its market and positioning, and we are not going to publish third-party prices as though they were a benchmark. What you can do is try several prices in the calculator and see from which one the numbers work for you.
Does it make sense in a property that is not luxury?
The arithmetic does not discriminate by category: it discriminates by occupancy. A venue with many sessions at a moderate price can pay back sooner than one with few sessions at a high price. What has to be estimated honestly is how many hours you will fill.
Shall we look at your actual space?
Tell us the floor area, the storey and the intended use, and we will tell you what fits and what does not. No commitment, and a reply from a person rather than a form.
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