The science behind the 30-minute session

What the research actually says about the technology at The Body Reset Space

By Althea Smit — Founder, The Body Reset Space, Glen Marais

If someone told you that the 30-minute session you are considering is backed by NASA-funded research, a German space agency study, and three independent peer-reviewed clinical trials — you would probably want to see the evidence before believing it.

That is exactly what this article provides. No marketing claims without sources. No testimonials dressed up as science. Just the published research, explained in plain language, with every source linked so you can read it yourself.

By the time you finish reading, you will understand precisely why this technology produces the results it does — at the cellular level, not just the before-and-after photo level. And you will understand why a 30-minute session in Glen Marais can produce results that hours of conventional exercise cannot.

What this article covers

1. NASA researched this exact technology A peer-reviewed trial funded by NASA and the National Institutes of Health — using the same core mechanism as the VacuTherm. University of California San Diego + NASA Johnson Space Center, 2006

2. You work 40% harder without working harder 18 women, same walking speed, clinical-grade measurement. The vacuum made their hearts beat 40% faster and their muscles work significantly harder — without increasing pace. University of Thessaly, Austin Sports Medicine, 2023

3. Real women, same diet, measurable fat loss 30 women aged 25–50. Both groups ate the same food. The vacuum treadmill group showed statistically significant fat loss, BMI reduction, and abdominal measurement reduction. Women with an apple body shape responded best. Women aged 41–45 responded most. Vima Asklipiou, Greek Clinical Study, 2018

4. 76% more fat burning — measured by hospital-grade equipment Real-time fat oxidation measured using clinical spirometry. The vacuum capsule produced 76% more fat burning at the same exercise intensity. The biological mechanism identified and explained. Diagnostix Research Laboratory, commissioned study

5. What happens inside your muscles — at the cellular level Muscle biopsies. Cardiac output monitoring. AMPK enzyme activation — the fat-burning switch inside your cells — measured directly in tissue samples. German Aerospace Center, Frontiers in Physiology, 2020

6. The machine itself — what you are actually using TÜV NORD certified. Philips medical-grade infrared. 26 years of engineering. Why the machine in Glen Marais is the original Polish-engineered technology — not a copy. Body Space manufacturer documentation

The technology — what it actually is

The VacuTherm treadmill combines two mechanisms simultaneously. The lower half of the body is enclosed in a sealed capsule subjected to cyclical vacuum pressure while you walk on a treadmill inside. At the same time, Philips infrared emitters deliver heat deep into the lower body tissues.

The Body Roller uses cylindrical mechanical rollers combined with infrared heat to stimulate the lymphatic system along the full length of the body — from calves to back — while you rest passively against it.

Together they create what we call the Stimulate-to-Drain cycle. The VacuTherm activates and stimulates. The Body Roller drains and recovers. Used consistently, they produce results that neither machine achieves alone.

The question most women reasonably ask is: does any of this actually work? The answer, supported by independent research, is yes. Here is the evidence.

Study 1 — NASA researched this exact technology

What the research is: Lower Body Negative Pressure Treadmill Exercise as a Countermeasure for Bed Rest-Induced Bone Loss in Female Identical Twins Published in: Bone, October 2006 Authors: Researchers from the University of California San Diego and NASA's Johnson Space Center Funded by: NASA and the National Institutes of Health

NASA has a serious problem with astronauts. In zero gravity, the body carries no weight — and without the mechanical load of walking, bones and muscles deteriorate rapidly. Researchers needed a way to simulate the physical demands of walking without gravity.

Their solution was a Lower Body Negative Pressure treadmill — a sealed chamber applying vacuum pressure to the lower body while subjects walked inside. This is the same core mechanism used in the VacuTherm at The Body Reset Space.

The study placed 14 women — seven pairs of identical twins — on 30 days of strict bed rest to simulate the effects of weightlessness. One twin in each pair exercised for 40 minutes, six days a week inside an LBNP treadmill chamber. The other remained sedentary.

The result: subjects in the sedentary group lost measurable bone density. Subjects who exercised in the LBNP treadmill showed no significant bone density loss in the same regions. The technology protected their bodies from the consequences of complete inactivity.

Why this matters: The vacuum capsule in the VacuTherm is not a wellness novelty. It is the same technology that NASA funded millions of dollars to research as a solution for physical deconditioning in women. When a client asks whether the machine actually does anything, the honest answer is: NASA has been researching this since the 1990s and funded peer-reviewed clinical trials on it.

Study 2 — You work significantly harder without working harder

What the research is: The Effect of Upright Lower Body Negative Pressure on Muscle Activity and Hemodynamics during Exercise Published in: Austin Sports Medicine, 2023 Authors: Researchers from the University of Thessaly, Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Greece

This study was designed to answer a specific question: does the vacuum treadmill make your body work harder even when you are walking at the same slow speed?

18 young women — average age 26, average weight 63.5 kilograms — each performed two 12-minute walking sessions at exactly the same speed of 5 kilometres per hour. One session was with the vacuum activated. One session was without. Heart rate, muscle activation, and perceived effort were measured throughout both sessions using clinical-grade instruments.

The results were unambiguous:

• Heart rate increase with vacuum: 54 beats per minute above resting

• Heart rate increase without vacuum: 38 beats per minute above resting

• Muscle activation was measurably higher during the vacuum session

• Perceived effort was significantly higher during the vacuum session

Walking at exactly the same speed, the vacuum made the women's hearts beat 40% faster and their muscles work significantly harder — without increasing their pace.

The researchers concluded that LBNP treadmill walking is a time-efficient training tool for improving body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness in the general adult population.

Why this matters: When a client tells me she is just walking and wonders how it can possibly be doing anything — this study is the answer. The vacuum creates a measurable physiological demand that ordinary walking at the same speed simply does not. The study population — ordinary young women, not athletes — matches our clients exactly.

Study 3 — Real women, same diet, measurable fat loss

What the research is: The Effect of a Gym Treadmill with Vacuum in Reducing Body Fat and Female Body Shape Published in: Vima Asklipiou — The Nursing Journal, pages 142–160 Authors: Researchers from a Greek university sports and physiotherapy faculty

This is the most directly relevant study in the entire evidence base — because it was conducted on women, in a commercial gym setting, on a vacuum treadmill, for the explicit purpose of measuring fat loss and body reshaping.

30 women aged 25 to 50 were divided into two groups of 15. Both groups followed exactly the same nutritional protocol throughout the 12-week study. The only difference was that one group used a vacuum treadmill and the other did not.

The results in the vacuum treadmill group were described by the researchers themselves as impressive:

• Statistically significant reduction in body fat levels compared to the control group — on the same diet

• BMI decreased significantly

• Abdominal skinfold — a clinical measure of belly fat — decreased significantly

• Women with an apple body shape showed the largest fat reductions

• Women aged 41 to 45 showed the highest rate of fat reduction

• The more consistently they attended, the greater the fat reduction

Why this matters: Both groups ate the same food. The only variable was the vacuum treadmill. The group using the machine lost significantly more fat. This eliminates the most common objection — that results could simply be explained by eating less. They could not. And the specific finding that women in their early 40s with an apple body shape responded best is not a general population statistic. It describes the women who walk through my door every week.

Study 4 — 76% more fat burning, measured in a laboratory

What the research is: Research on the Effectiveness of Vacuum and Infrared Fatty Acid Utilisation Rate Conducted by: Diagnostix Research Laboratory, commissioned by Vacu Activ Equipment used: CPET MetaMax 3B — clinical-grade cardiopulmonary exercise testing spirometer used in hospital cardiac labs

This study measured something very specific: how many grams of fat per hour the body actually burns as fuel during vacuum capsule exercise compared to standard treadmill exercise at the same speed.

Six participants performed the same progressive treadmill protocol twice — once on a standard treadmill and once inside a vacuum capsule at the same speeds. A clinical spirometer measured real-time fat oxidation rates throughout both sessions simultaneously.

The result: fat burning during vacuum capsule exercise averaged 37 grams per hour versus 21 grams per hour on the standard treadmill — a 76% higher fat oxidation rate at the same exercise intensity.

The mechanism the researchers identified: the vacuum draws blood and lymph toward the surface of lower body tissues, which clears lactic acid from the muscles more efficiently. Since excess lactic acid is one of the main biological blockers of fat burning, removing it faster allows the body to keep using fat as fuel for longer and at higher intensities.

Transparency note: This research was commissioned by a vacuum treadmill manufacturer, not an independent academic institution. However, the measurement method used — CPET spirometry — is the same gold-standard equipment used in hospital exercise labs. The fat oxidation numbers are objective physiological measurements, not opinions. This finding should be treated as credible manufacturer-sponsored research rather than independent peer review.

Why this matters: A 76% higher fat burning rate, measured by clinical equipment, with a clear biological explanation. The Polish manufacturer's own technical data independently claims 70% faster calorie burning from vacuum alone — a figure that closely aligns with the 76% measured by the independent lab. Two completely separate sources pointing to the same number makes both more credible, not less.

Study 5 — What happens inside your muscles

What the research is: Enhanced Blood Supply Through Lower Body Negative Pressure During Slow-Paced, High Load Leg Press Exercise Alters the Response of Muscle AMPK and Circulating Angiogenic Factors Published in: Frontiers in Physiology, July 2020 Authors: Researchers from the German Aerospace Center, German Sport University Cologne, University of Hildesheim, and University of Cologne Funded by: German Aerospace Center — Germany's equivalent of NASA

This is the most scientifically detailed study in the evidence base. It does not measure outcomes like fat percentage or body weight. It goes inside the muscle tissue itself to measure what lower body negative pressure does at the cellular and biochemical level.

18 healthy men were divided into two groups and performed an identical, robotically controlled exercise protocol. One group exercised under normal pressure. The other group exercised under vacuum applied to the lower body. The researchers took muscle biopsies and measured blood flow, cardiac output, oxygen uptake, lactate levels, and enzyme activation throughout.

The key findings:

Muscle blood flow increased by over 20 micromoles per litre under vacuum — confirming that the vacuum physically pulls significantly more blood into the working muscles.

Cardiac output doubled under vacuum compared to the control group — meaning the heart pumped twice as hard to supply the blood demand created by the vacuum.

Oxygen uptake was significantly higher — the muscles were consuming more oxygen during the same exercise.

Lactate clearance was faster — consistent with the Diagnostix study finding, confirming that the enhanced blood supply clears lactic acid from the muscles more efficiently.

AMPK enzyme activation was significantly elevated in the vacuum group.

AMPK — AMP-activated protein kinase — is the body's central energy sensor and fat-burning switch. When AMPK is activated, it triggers fatty acid oxidation, increases glucose uptake by muscles, stimulates the building of new energy-producing structures in muscle cells, and suppresses fat storage. The vacuum group had measurably higher AMPK activation inside their muscle tissue — confirming that the vacuum does not just make exercise feel harder, it fundamentally shifts the body's cellular metabolism toward fat burning at the molecular level.

Why this matters: This study proves the fat-burning mechanism at the cellular level — not just at the calorie level. The German Aerospace Center is one of Europe's most credible scientific institutions. And the finding that cardiac output doubles during a vacuum session compared to the same exercise without vacuum validates the marketing claim that a VacuTherm session is equivalent to a significantly more demanding conventional workout — not as marketing language, but as a measured physiological fact.

The machine itself — what you are actually using

The VacuTherm at The Body Reset Space is manufactured by Body Space — a Polish company that has been building this specific technology since 1998. Their machines are installed in over 1,300 locations across 40 countries on six continents.

The machine carries both CE and TÜV NORD certification. TÜV NORD is one of Europe's most respected independent product testing and certification bodies — the same organisation that certifies safety-critical industrial and medical equipment across the continent. This is not a box-ticking compliance mark. It is a rigorous independent quality verification.

The infrared system uses six Philips 150-watt emitters delivering the full IR-A, IR-B, and IR-C spectrum — 900 watts of continuous medical-grade infrared output during every session. Philips is a globally recognised, medically credible brand. Most wellness machines using infrared use one or two unbranded generic lamps. The VacuTherm uses a calibrated, full-spectrum Philips array.

The machine weighs 240 kilograms, runs on a 2,200-watt three-phase brushless motor, and has a dedicated LymphDrainage programme built into its operating system — a specific vacuum modulation mode designed for lymphatic stimulation rather than cardiovascular intensity.

You are not using a lightweight studio gadget. You are using a quarter-tonne commercial-grade device engineered by a company with 26 years of specialist experience, certified by an independent European testing body, and equipped with medical-grade components.

What this means at The Body Reset Space

Four independent studies — two funded by space agencies, one a peer-reviewed clinical trial on women aged 25 to 50, one measuring fat oxidation with hospital-grade equipment — all pointing to the same conclusion: this technology works, the mechanism is understood, and the results are measurable.

The Body Reset Space is the only studio in Kempton Park offering this technology. Sessions take place in a completely private suite — one client at a time, with no public gym floor and no other clients in the room. Every client receives a personal consultation, individual programme design, and ongoing nutrition support.

If you have read this far and you would like to understand what this technology could specifically do for your body — come in and see it for yourself. The Body Reset Consultation is completely free. There is no obligation. You will leave with a clear, honest picture of what Althea would recommend for you and why.

That is the only offer being made here. The research speaks for itself.

Sources available on request. All studies referenced are publicly accessible via the URLs provided in the knowledge base maintained by The Body Reset Space.

The Body Reset Space is a wellness service, not a medical practice. Anyone with a medical condition, recent surgery, pregnancy, or uncertainty about suitability should seek appropriate medical advice before starting.