INTERVIEW: Queer Brighton-based Breathe® founder and proud KatyKat, Matt Sparkes on HBOT, wellness, red light therapy and his dream Brighton Pride headliner
"Breathe came from my own health journey, living with Crohn’s disease since my teens."
Ladies and gentleman, theys and thems, welcome to the Brighton & Hove residents' community corner series celebrating our city’s bold drag artists, boundary breaking performers and a new category unlocked for 2026: Brighton & Hove based queer/LGBTQ+ owned businesses. In 2025 I decided that I wanted to create a series that goes beyond the glam with our legendary, local queer performers (and now queer owned businesses too) so we can all get to know them more because like Lady Gaga said on ARTPOP, "Do you wanna see the girl who lives behind the aura?" so erm, why not?!
This week, we’re joined by the lovely Matt Sparkes, founder of Breathe Hyperbarics, based at the Lady Bee Enterprise Centre in Southwick and the UK’s first hyperbaric healing club, making advanced recovery a way of life.
If this is your first time stumbling across my centrestage series and you want to catch up on previous interviews, don't panic hun-catch up HERE.
If you’re looking to put your hard earned money where your queer mouth is then you’re in the right place. I think supporting queer/LGBTQ+ owned businesses is a statement of solidarity. These businesses often operate at the intersection of creativity, resilience and community, bringing fresh perspectives while navigating unique challenges. Their success strengthens our community economically and helps pave the way for future queer entrepreneurs. Beyond LGBTQ+ History Month or Pride month, these businesses deserve our ongoing support all year round. Their vision and innovation enrich our lives and challenge the status quo and Breathe is an exceptional queer owned business that deserves your attention
Next week I'll be yakking with drag artist and performer, award winning activist, and creative director Lady Red Velvet but it's all eyes on Matthew Sparkes right now so let's dive in head first!🤿🌊
DALEYPOP: Oh heyyy Matt, can you take our readers through a day in the life as the founder of the UK's first hyperbaric healing club?
MATT SPARKES: Hey Daley! My day always starts peacefully. As soon as I wake up, I put my Therabody eye goggles on for a temple massage, then try to see the sunrise before looking at any screens. We’re lucky to live somewhere with gorgeous walks right on the doorstep. Then I’ll come home, meditate or stretch, head to the gym, eat as much as possible and go to work. That’s where the peace stops. I don’t think it’s possible to run a wellness brand and fully embody wellness all day. From the moment I walk into Breathe, I’m spinning twenty plates, answering emails, solving problems and suddenly it’s 7pm. Then I head home and cook. I love cooking. I talk a lot on social media about my low-UPF diet and cooking with ingredients my great-grandparents would recognise. I try to sleep early, but running a business means your brain never really switches off.
DALEYPOP: I can only imagine, for our readers who might not have heard of Breathe or what HBOT actually is, can you introduce Breathe and tell us what you offer?
MATT SPARKES: We’re a wellness brand called Breathe, and our mission is to help regulate the nervous system using therapies like Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Red Light Therapy, brainwave stimulation, breathwork, IV therapy and blood testing.
Humanity feels anxious, tired and overstimulated right now.
HBOT has been around for centuries and is grounded in gas laws and science, much of it developed through deep-sea diving research. We’re an oxygen-dependent species, and modern life often leaves parts of the body under-oxygenated, which is linked to inflammation, fatigue and poor recovery. In HBOT, you enter a pressurised chamber where oxygen dissolves more efficiently into the blood plasma, allowing oxygen to reach areas where circulation is poor and support recovery processes.
DALEYPOP: Oh wow, is HBOT safe and are there potential side effects?
MATT SPARKES: HBOT is very safe when delivered correctly by trained professionals. The industry in the UK isn’t fully regulated yet, so anyone can technically buy a chamber and operate one, which is why standards matter. While most people can use HBOT safely, there are conditions where it isn’t suitable, which is why consultations are so important. Our team are trained through the International Board of Undersea Medicine and we operate with strict protocols. The most common issues relate to pressure changes affecting ears or lungs, usually if someone already struggles with pressure when flying or diving. These are things we screen for beforehand. Overall, HBOT is low risk when done properly and tailored to the individual.
DALEYPOP: You founded Breathe with your partner Joe, right?! What’s it like working with your other half?
MATT SPARKES: Joe is my partner in life and business. Some days I don’t know how we do it, other days it feels like our biggest strength. We’ve been together nearly four years. Running a business together brings pressure and tension at times but we still end most days smiling together.
Breathe grew much faster than we expected so it’s all felt like a bit of a whirlwind. We previously ran an online business together which gave us the freedom to travel and felt a lot easier, whereas Breathe is very physical and hands on but it’s incredibly rewarding. The stories we hear and the people we meet make it emotional at times. We’ve built a really beautiful community.
DALEYPOP: What inspired you to launch Breathe?
MATT SPARKES: Breathe came from my own health journey, living with Crohn’s disease since my teens. Hyperbaric Oxygen dramatically changed my life, but everywhere I found in the UK charged £80-£150 per hour which isn’t realistic when therapy needs to be consistent. That pricing meant HBOT was mostly used by elite athletes or wealthy clients. We came in with memberships that brought sessions down to around £25 an hour, which was a huge gamble at the time. People told us it wouldn’t work, but we’re now over 15,000 members later with expansions underway and franchising launching.
I essentially built the place I needed when I was sick. I’m autistic, and the sensory environment plays a huge role in healing for me and many others. Hospitals have incredible staff, but healing is hard in harsh lighting, plastic chairs and clinical spaces. Breathe is the opposite. Plants, natural light, calm spaces, somewhere you feel seen and cared for.
DALEYPOP: Sounds gorgeous, can you tell us more about Red Light Therapy?
MATT SPARKES: I could talk about Red Light Therapy all day! It pairs beautifully with HBOT and is especially useful in the UK where we lack sunlight. Our cells need energy, and mitochondria, the energy producers in our cells, drive almost everything in the body. Red light therapy supports those systems. At Breathe we have a photobiomodulation bed called Spectrum with over 42,000 LEDs and multiple wavelengths to support muscle recovery, skin health and nervous system regulation. It’s like getting a safe, restorative sun boost in 15 minutes.
DALEYPOP: Changing the subject for a second but I have to say I’m so sorry about Jimmy, he was so clearly loved! Do you think you'll ever get another dog?
MATT SPARKES: Thank you. Jimmy was huge in every sense. Not just physically, but in personality. He felt like an old soul. He was with us everywhere, at meetings, dinners, bedtime. He was our child. Losing him nearly destroyed us and I still get upset about it every day. Grief doesn’t disappear. I can’t imagine getting another dog yet because he wasn’t just a dog, he was our whole world. One day though we’d love to run a dog orphanage somewhere with lots of street dogs. There will definitely be dogs in our future, just not yet.
DALEYPOP: I know you’re a fellow KatyKat, what are your thoughts on bandaids and are you going to any of her (Katy Perry's) summer shows this year?!
MATT SPARKES: Huge fan. I followed Katy back on MySpace just before I Kissed A Girl came out, so it’s been wild watching her career unfold. I love bandaids. It nods back to the sound that made me fall in love with her music. I’m hoping to catch her at a European festival this year although time isn’t on my side. I did catch the Lifetimes Tour though and despite what social media says, it was a blast.
DALEYPOP: I hope you catch her this year! Riiiigiht back to Breathe, I know you're passionate about supplements and what we put in our bodies, do you have any recommendations for someone aka me preparing and training for the Brighton Half Marathon?
MATT SPARKES: Data matters. The supplement market is overwhelming right now, and people often take things they don’t need while ignoring deficiencies they actually have. Testing first makes sense. Many people in the UK are low in vitamin D, and iron or calcium can also be common issues, but ideally, get blood work done or speak to a specialist for personalised advice. Food, hydration and sleep still matter most. For marathon prep, focus on long lasting energy, recovery and electrolyte balance.
DALEYPOP: Brighton (& Hove) has such a strong food scene, are there any local restaurants you would always recommend?
MATT SPARKES: This question hurts because I stopped eating out at the start of the year but Brighton has incredible restaurants. I’m a simple guy, I love grilled meats, garlic, salt, olive oil and roasted vegetables. So places like Embers, Kindling and Burnt Orange are favourites. I still eat out as a treat but constantly asking what oil food is cooked in does get you funny looks after a while.
DALEYPOP: I love asking this one, who’s your crush of the day?
MATT SPARKES: Only one celebrity crush since 2006: Zac Efron. Always.
DALEYPOP: Oh you've got taste, Matt! What was the last thing you Googled?
MATT SPARKES: I was planning a driving and hiking trip through the Big Sur in Northern California for next year. Morbidly, the last thing I checked was how many people have been killed by black bears along those trails. I like to travel prepared.
DALEYPOP: As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I'm keen to know what Pride means to you?
MATT SPARKES: I’ll be honest, pride is something I struggled with growing up because I never quite saw myself reflected in the scene. I moved to Brighton in 2022 and went to my first pride in 2024 and it ended up being one of the best days of my life.
Pride to me means confidence in who you are and celebrating individuality, even when life hasn’t always been easy.
I also think a lot of us, myself included, sometimes look confident on the outside while still figuring things out internally and being honest about that feels important. Pride, for me, is about creating space where we can be both joyful and real at the same time.
DALEYPOP: Who would you loveee to see headline Brighton Pride?
MATT SPARKES: For a headliner I’d secretly love to see Hannah Montana take over Preston Park.
DALEYPOP: Before I let you go, do you have anything else you’d like to share with our readers?!
MATT SPARKES: If you fancy popping into Breathe and feel like we might be able to help you, mention Scene Magazine and we’ll throw in a little extra treat! (Nothing dodgy, promise).
@breathehyperbarics What does a diagnostic consultation look like at Breathe?🌿 This is where your Hyperbaric journey starts. We’ll run a series of checks to understand your baseline health date, so we can build the safest, most effective protocol for you. And yes - there’s an upgrade coming very soon (the one a lot of you have been asking for)🩸 Get yourself booked in now at: https://breathe-hbot.com #fyp #viral #health #wellness #hbot ♬ Deep Meditation Music (528 Hz Meditation Waves) - Oleksandr Chukhlib
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