A 25-year-old journalist has tested biohacking treatments at a central London wellness lab, reporting improved mood, energy and skin after trying red light therapy and a pelvic floor muscle trainer.
Biohacking in the spotlight
Billionaire Bryan Johnson, 48, has brought biohacking – also known as lifestyle optimisation – into the limelight with his quest for immortality. His efforts have included magic mushrooms, swapping blood plasma with his 19-year-old son, and sleeping with a sensor on his penis to monitor night-time erections.
To find out whether such treatments work, Star journalist Joshua Whorms visited BIOGENA Store and Longevity Lab on Regent Street in central London. The wellness firm claims to provide everything needed to become a new, superhuman self, including a range of supplements and high-tech, non-invasive treatments at its “biohacking stations”.
Treatments on offer
Manager Klaudiusz Urbanski, 50, said customers have flocked to the spa-like facility since it opened in early August, all looking for the latest “longevity treatment”. The options include an altitude training mask and a compression suit designed to squeeze fluid from tissues back into the bloodstream.
“We offer touchless and also passive well-being treatments done by specialized equipment because we believe that this is the future,” said Urbanski. “It's all about quality of life. It's about your mental and physical performance.”
Urbanski, who has Lyme disease, said red light therapy and IHHT (Intermittent Hypoxia-Hyperoxia Training) have improved his quality of life, alleviating symptoms such as tiredness and muscle and joint pain. “I feel great and it doesn't really affect my daily life when it comes to brain fog, joint pain, or energy level. So I can say I'm just having a normal life.”
Testing the treatments
Whorms tried red light therapy, which involves wearing goggles and lying in a sunbed-style “cabin” to soak up LED rays. After 15 minutes, he said his mood was elevated, his brain fog had vanished, and his skin was glowing. According to studies cited, red light makes blood vessels dilate and improves circulation, allowing more oxygen and nutrients to reach tissues.
He also tried a pelvic floor muscle trainer, a favourite of Bryan Johnson. This involves sitting on a chair with a Tesla coil underneath, producing an electromagnetic field that causes pelvic floor and lower body muscles to contract. After a few zaps, Whorms got used to it and stood up after 15 minutes feeling like he had had a good workout, without the usual soreness or fatigue.
“Has it made me any younger? I’m not sure about that. But I’m certainly tempted by the thought of skipping leg day every week,” he wrote.
