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Start your journey to better health. Select your location below.
Start your journey to better health. Select your location below.
Important: Hocatt sessions at Beyond Rest are wellness-focused and educational, not medical treatment. If you are managing a sports injury or medical condition, consult your GP or sports medicine specialist first.
Training breaks the body down. Recovery is where adaptation happens. Most athletes understand this in principle, yet recovery still gets treated as whatever is left over after training, work, and life have taken their cut. The Hocatt chamber at Beyond Rest combines infrared heat, CO2 bathing, transdermal ozone, PEMF, and photon light into a single 30-35 minute private session designed to support the recovery window between training loads.
HOCATT stands for Hyperthermic Ozone and Carbonic Acid Transdermal Therapy. A private enclosed chamber where you sit with your head outside while the chamber delivers: infrared heat, CO2 carbonic acid bath, transdermal ozone (not inhaled, not intravenous), PEMF, photon light therapy, and steam. Sessions run 30-35 minutes. Because your head remains outside, there is no risk of inhaling ozone. Beyond Rest is not a sports medicine clinic and makes no claims about treating injury or disease.
Infrared radiation penetrates beyond the skin surface, elevating tissue temperature directly. The primary recovery mechanism is vasodilation: as core and peripheral temperature rises, blood vessels dilate and cardiac output increases, driving greater blood flow to exercised muscles and accelerating clearance of metabolic byproducts including lactate. Elevated temperature also promotes muscle relaxation at the fibre level. Mooventhan and Nivethitha (2014) documented cardiovascular and circulatory adaptations consistent with these mechanisms (PMID: 24926444). For athletes, a post-training infrared session supports the clearance phase that typically runs for hours after exercise.
When the chamber fills with CO2-saturated steam, some carbon dioxide is absorbed transdermally. Elevated tissue CO2 triggers the Bohr effect: haemoglobin releases oxygen more readily as CO2 rises in tissues. CO2 bathing has been studied in cardiovascular and circulatory contexts where it consistently produces measurable vasodilation and improved peripheral oxygen delivery. For athletes in recovery, post-exercise muscle tissue has elevated oxygen demand for repair and glycogen resynthesis. The CO2 phase runs first in the Hocatt, priming circulation for subsequent modalities.
Ozone contacts the skin surface and is absorbed through the skin - not inhaled, not IV, not rectal. The mechanism involves a controlled, low-level oxidative challenge that triggers upregulation of the body's own antioxidant defences. Bocci et al. (2011) reviewed ozone's modulation of oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory signalling effects (PMID: 19890812). For athletes, intense training generates reactive oxygen species as a normal byproduct of metabolic activity. Transdermal ozone is proposed to modulate this balance, supporting resolution of oxidative stress without short-circuiting adaptive signals. This is promising but not yet definitive for athletic populations specifically.
Low-level light therapy (photobiomodulation) uses red and near-infrared light to influence cellular function via mitochondrial photoreception. When chromophores in the mitochondrial respiratory chain absorb photons in the 630-850nm range, ATP production increases and inflammatory cytokine activity reduces. Avci et al. (2013) reviewed evidence for photobiomodulation across musculoskeletal applications, finding evidence for reduced DOMS, improved muscle performance, and anti-inflammatory effects at the cellular level (PMID: 24049929). Photon light in the Hocatt is most relevant in the 24-72 hour window after demanding training.
One of the genuinely distinctive things Beyond Rest offers is Hocatt sessions combined with PNOE metabolic testing at the same centres. PNOE is a medical-grade metabolic analyser measuring VO2 max, resting metabolic rate, and fat oxidation curves during a graded exercise test - direct measurements, not estimates. For athletes, PNOE adds a data layer that makes the protocol measurable: track VO2 max changes across training blocks, identify fat oxidation curves for training zone prescription, and measure resting metabolic rate for nutrition periodisation. PNOE is available at Prahran and Collingwood in Melbourne, and East Perth. Pricing from $147 entry to $297 for the Complete Metabolic Picture. See Performance Diagnostics Melbourne and Performance Diagnostics Perth.
Club and amateur athletes: Triathletes, marathon runners, AFL players, rugby athletes, and CrossFit competitors. The 30-35 minute session fits into a post-training or rest-day schedule without adding mechanical load. Post-event recovery is another common use case - the 24-48 hour window after a marathon or competition when soreness and fatigue are highest.
FIFO workers and the shift-labour athlete: FIFO - fly-in, fly-out - workers represent a category of physically demanding labour that is routinely under-recovered. A typical FIFO roster involves 8-14 days of physical demands, extended shifts, noise, heat, and disrupted sleep. Circadian disruption suppresses melatonin, elevates cortisol, and impairs deep sleep stages where physical repair is concentrated. Several Perth-based FIFO workers use the Hocatt at East Perth and Wembley specifically during the transition week between rosters. The sequenced protocol addresses the physical accumulation of on-site work in a format that does not require further physical exertion. See Hocatt Perth and contrast therapy Perth.
Can I use the Hocatt the day after a race? Yes - this is one of the most productive use cases. The 24-48 hours post-event when inflammatory markers are highest is when infrared vasodilation and CO2-enhanced oxygen delivery are most useful. If you have an acute musculoskeletal injury from the event, consult your sports medicine practitioner first.
How does the Hocatt compare to an ice bath for recovery? These modalities work through different and complementary mechanisms. Cold water immersion causes vasoconstriction and is best suited to same-day or within-hours recovery after training. The Hocatt works through vasodilation - better suited to the 24-48 hour recovery window when you want to drive blood flow and clearance. Some athletes use cold immediately post-training and heat-based recovery the following day.
Is the Hocatt safe if I train the same day? Generally yes, with timing in mind. A Hocatt session works better post-training than pre-training, since deep muscle relaxation can reduce power output if done immediately before intense exercise. Allow several hours between a Hocatt session and training.
How often should I use the Hocatt for recovery? Athletes in high-volume blocks often use it 1-2 times per week. Those using it for post-event recovery might use it 2-3 times in a short window. The Beyond Rest team can discuss frequency at your first session.
Hocatt from $119 intro session. Melbourne: Hawthorn East and Prahran. Perth: East Perth and Wembley (6am Mondays). Book at beyondrest.com.au. Also see Hocatt Melbourne and Hocatt Perth.