Tweet

A little bit of jogging at the beach, a little bit of tennis at the club, a little bit of exercise at the gym and a little bit of oxygen at the oxygen parlour..

Hold your breath! While the first three are always possible, a new way of getting high on health fads has hit Chennai last week. It`s not a pill or an exercise regime that will do the trick, but a shot of oxygen-enriched air. Welcome to India`s oxygen parlours (the first one`s in Bangalore).

A concept that was developed by a practising holistic doctor in the US in 1997, it has proved so popular that oxygen parlours have popped up all over America, Europe and a few countries like Japan and Hong Kong in Asia. It has been said that a shot of pure oxygen once in two days for about 15 to 20 minutes can have a revitalising effect on one`s body. "It acts as an anti-ageing agent, besides enhancing the energy and stamina levels in the body. Periodic relaxation at the parlour will result in clear skin, shiny hair and a rejuvenation of the mind and body.

At oxygen parlour, the therapy sometimes include, in the form of value addition, aroma therapy and music therapy, too.

But why would anyone want to buy oxygenated air? A holiday at a not-so-polluted hill station would be more in order, wouldn`t it?

Apparently the air we now breathe carries external toxic substances from industries, asphalt paving, vehicle exhaust, chemical plants and also pesticides and chemical fertilisers. Ultimately, this has deprived the circulating air of its full quota of oxygen. The tragic reality therefore is that, whether it`s clean or polluted air, we have no option but to breathe whatever air is there.

You can catch your breath back for around Rs.75-100 for a shot of oxygen for 15-20 minutes.