Bryan Johnson’s 90-Day Hyperbaric Oxygen Experiment: The $100,000 Gamble That Paid Off

Bryan Johnson just spent 90 days locked in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber for 90 minutes at a time.

The man who’s famous for spending $2 million annually to reverse aging decided to test whether breathing pure oxygen under pressure could actually turn back his biological clock.

The results?

• His inflammation dropped to zero.
• His telomeres (the protective caps on chromosomes that shorten with age) grew by 300 base pairs, roughly equivalent to reversing a decade of aging.
• His skin transformed across his entire body, with UV damage improving by over 10%.

“Is this an important therapy or is this some other overblown longevity therapy that doesn’t deliver results?” -Johnson asked himself before starting.

After seeing his biomarker improvements, he called HBOT “the most efficacious longevity therapy I’ve done since starting this endeavor.”

The Science Behind the Chamber

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy works by saturating your body with pure oxygen under increased pressure. At 2 atmospheres (= equivalent to being 33 feet underwater), your blood plasma can carry up to 15 times more oxygen than normal ^[1].

This flood of oxygen triggers a cascade of biological responses: stem cell activation, new blood vessel formation, and cellular repair mechanisms that typically slow with age.

The therapy isn’t new.

Scuba divers use it for decompression sickness. Stroke patients rely on it for brain recovery. Elite athletes swear by it for performance gains.

Michael Jackson famously slept in a hyperbaric chamber in the 1980s, believing it would help him live to 150.

But using it specifically for longevity with rigorous biomarker testing? That’s where Johnson’s experiment breaks new ground.”

His protocol was aggressive:

• 60 sessions over 90 days, each lasting 90 minutes.
• The pattern involved 20 minutes breathing pure oxygen, a 5-minute break on regular air, then repeating.

This oxygen cycling – going from high O2 to low O2 – mimics the beneficial stress response that triggers cellular adaptation.

The Installation Nightmare

“I knew if it was at some local clinic where it took a 15 minute drive to get there, I would never be able to spend the 5,400 minutes doing that,” – Johnson explained.

So he installed a medical-grade chamber in his home clinic.

But damn if it wasn’t complicated.

The first oxygen concentrator only reached 92% purity when he needed 100%.

Johnson had to source medical-grade oxygen canisters and retrofit the entire system. The investment? While he doesn’t specify exact costs, professional-grade home chambers run between $20,000 to $100,000, plus installation and oxygen supplies ^[3].

“A lot of my friends couldn’t even get inside the chamber. They’re too claustrophobic,” – Johnson admitted.

The mask creates breathing resistance. The pressurization takes two minutes to reverse in an emergency. Living in earthquake-prone California, he wondered: “What if something goes wrong?”

The Mental Battle

By day 5, Johnson was questioning everything. By day 30, he nearly quit.

“My days are incredibly busy. I’m running four different companies. I have various therapies throughout the day. And I’m producing content to share the results with the world,” – he said. “Can I really see this thing through?”

The breakthrough came when he realized he could bring electronics inside. Since the chamber maintains 21% oxygen (same as regular air), it’s safe for laptops and phones. Suddenly, those 90-minute sessions became his most productive work time.

“It became part of a daily ritual that I actually look forward to every day, where I could work and focus on my most important things and be doing the therapy at the same time.”

The Shocking Results

After 90 days, Johnson’s biomarkers told a story that even surprised him:

• Inflammation: His high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) showed no detectable levels of systemic inflammation. Zero. “Inflammation is oftentimes the biggest culprit of problematic disease and dysfunction inside the body,” – Johnson noted. “HBOT took inflammation in my body to zero.”

• Blood Vessel Growth: VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) increased by 300%. This protein signals new blood vessel formation. With over 60,000 miles of blood vessels in the human body, Johnson wondered: “How many miles of blood vessels did I lay down track for?”

• Gut Health: His Akkermansia levels (a beneficial gut bacteria linked to metabolic health) increased by 1,000%. “I had been taking an Akkermansia supplement for two months, and it was still undetectable even before HBOT,” – he explained. The therapy dramatically improved his body’s absorption.

• Brain Health: PTAL127, a specific Alzheimer’s disease marker, declined by 28.6%. He was already below the risk threshold, but the additional improvement was significant.

• Skin Transformation: This was the most visually dramatic change. Studies show HBOT can increase collagen fiber density by 12.8%, elastic fiber length by 144%, and blood vessel count by 40.9% ^[2]. Johnson’s UV damage improved by over 10% according to multi-spectral imaging.

“To see those variables take place in my own skin across my entire body, it just transformed the health of my skin across my body,” – he said.

The Telomere Question

You think telomeres are just another biomarker?

Not quite. These protective chromosome caps are like the plastic tips on shoelaces = they prevent genetic material from fraying. We lose 20-40 base pairs annually as we age. Johnson gained 300.

His telomeres measured 11.4 kilobases before HBOT, 11.7 after. That 2.6% increase represents roughly a decade of aging reversed. For context, his telomere length matches that of a 10-year-old.

The study Johnson referenced showed older adults (65+) experiencing up to 38% telomere elongation. His more modest gains make sense given his already optimized baseline.

(Ed. note: Most 47-year-olds would kill for 10-year-old telomeres.)

The Dark Side Nobody Talks About

While Johnson’s results paint a rosy picture, HBOT isn’t without risks. Common side effects include ear pain from pressure changes, temporary vision changes, and in rare cases, oxygen toxicity or lung collapse ^[1].

Claustrophobia affects many users = Johnson mentioned several friends who couldn’t even enter the chamber.

The therapy is contraindicated for people with certain lung conditions, recent ear surgery, or those taking specific medications. Some users report fatigue, headaches, or sinus pressure during initial sessions ^[1].

“Before you do HBOT, make sure you consult your doctor as what you may do may be unique to your certain conditions,” – Johnson emphasized.

The Money Question

“So what’s this going to cost me?”

Clinical sessions typically run $200-500 each. Johnson’s 60-session protocol would cost $12,000-30,000 at a clinic. Home chambers range from basic soft-shell models around $5,000 to medical-grade hard chambers exceeding $100,000 ^[3].

Add oxygen supplies, maintenance, and electricity = you’re looking at a serious investment.

Johnson’s building something called Blueprint Quantified to certify clinics that take an evidence-based approach.

The idea? Measure biomarkers before therapy, complete the protocol, measure again. No more guessing whether treatments work.

“This is going to improve healthcare. It’s going to improve outcomes,” – he said.

The Maintenance Mystery

Now that Johnson’s completed his initial protocol, the question becomes: What’s next?

“Currently, the thought is 20 sessions every three months might be appropriate,” – he explained. “You’re trying to prime the body just enough, but not too much.”

The optimal maintenance dose remains unknown. Too little and benefits fade. Too much and you risk diminishing returns or potential side effects. Johnson’s experimenting with different schedules and promises to share results.

Should You Try This?

HBOT shows promise for multiple conditions beyond longevity. Studies demonstrate benefits for wound healing, radiation injury, carbon monoxide poisoning, and certain infections ^[2]. Athletes report improved recovery and performance. The therapy’s anti-inflammatory effects could benefit various chronic conditions.

But it’s not magic. Results vary based on individual health status, protocol adherence, and specific goals. Johnson’s dramatic improvements came from an aggressive protocol most people can’t replicate = both in terms of time commitment and financial investment.

“People oftentimes make the mistake where their sessions are spread out too far apart,” – Johnson warned. “They need to be within some kind of constrained timeframe for the benefits to accumulate.”

The Bigger Picture

Johnson’s experiment represents something larger than personal optimization. He’s systematically testing longevity interventions with rigorous measurement, sharing both successes and failures publicly. This transparency challenges the wellness industry’s tendency toward unsubstantiated claims.

“Are we the first generation who won’t die?” – Johnson asks.

Maybe that’s hyperbolic. But if therapies like HBOT can reverse specific aging markers, extend healthspan, and improve quality of life, we’re certainly the first generation with tools to meaningfully slow biological aging.

The real question isn’t whether HBOT works = Johnson’s biomarkers prove it can.

The question is whether the benefits justify the cost, time, and commitment for your specific situation. As HBOT centers proliferate and technology improves, accessibility should increase.

Until then, Johnson’s 5,400-minute experiment provides the most comprehensive personal case study we have. Zero inflammation. Younger telomeres. Transformed skin. For a man spending millions to reverse aging, calling HBOT his most efficacious therapy yet speaks volumes.

“I hope that as HBOT increases in popularity, more centers open, systems become cheaper, and more people have greater accessibility,” Johnson concluded.

Given his results, that hope might soon become reality.

Bryan’s video on YouTube