It was not until the early nineties that the concept of the bar as a spa or substitute for a cocktail bar came into being and today the air cocktail is still thriving. It might be that before people could not see the value in paying for flavored air.

Now oxygen bars exist in major cities all over the world. A silent oxygen generator filters ambient air from the room – which only contains about 21 percent oxygen – creating air that is 92 percent pure oxygen. The user inhales the oxygen through sanitary disposable nose-hoses (called cannulas) for 10-30 minutes. Offerings of organic foods, juices, smoothies, nutraceuticals and beauty treatments often accompany this dose of flavored oxygen.

The idea behind the oxygen bar is a fairly simple one: clients sit on a stool, at a counter, as though they were about to order their favorite cocktail. Instead, they receive something even more invigorating, and a whole lot healthier – a 5- to 20-minute dose of 9 percent pure oxygen, inhaled through a series of tubes much like one would get in a hospital. Some oxygen bar also feature lounges or private rooms complete with massage treatments and comfortable recliners.

Since oxygen bars were introduced in the United States in the late 1990s, customers are bellying up to bars around the country to sniff oxygen through a plastic hose inserted into their nostrils. Many patrons opt for the “flavored” oxygen produced by pumping oxygen through an aroma en route to the nose.

The appeal of this novelty that became all the rage and the popularity extends to all classes of citizens, from the ecologically minded non-smoker who is concerned about health, to the well-heeled yuppie who simply wants to tell her friends that she has tried the latest flavor of air to the aging matron who is looking for a way to rejuvenate her skin.

Supplemental oxygen may also help those who suffer from migraines, bronchitis or who are simply hoping for a fast cure for a hangover!  In fact, many oxygen bars owe their success to the O2’s reputation for curing a hangover.

Oxygen bars have manifested in as many forms as there are salons and restaurants. Some oxygen bars boast a very futuristic, utilitarian decor that is more reminiscent of a doctor’s office. Others are part of a homeopathic or naturopathic practice or located within a spa that also offers oxygenated facial treatments.

Visiting an oxygen bar can be an interesting experience if you have never been to one. Why not explore this as beautifying treatment and take some time out to breathe!