Richard Cook catches his breath at an Oxygen bar.
Where: Oxyvital, 39C, Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: 2899-2090. Beyond the frosted double doors, which keep Central's nasty air out and Oxyvital's lovely air in, is an ultra-modern, shiny, stainless steel, day-glo world. A big, mellow, vibe-inducing tropical fish tank sits in the brightly coloured wall above the oxygen bar. Two private rooms at the back are empty except for shiny, black leather recliners and frosted glass walls that, at the flick of a switch, fill with glowing fluorescent lights. It's Star Wars meets the Teletubbies.
Why: Why not? The average level of oxygen in our environment is 22 per cent, says bubbly shop manager Jenny Pun, and with Hong Kong's high level of pollution, that may drop to about 16 per cent. Suck on a tube at Oxyvital and your lungs fill with close to 99.99 per cent oxygen. Although there's debate about the medical benefits of breathing almost-pure oxygen, it makes a sweet change from the downtown carbon monoxide-filled gunk.
Who: You breathe in yourself - either sitting at the bar, where you can close your eyes, watch the kaleidoscope of fish or flick through a glossy mag - or in a private room, where you can lie back on the leather, listen to mellow tunes, look at mellow colours and float far, far away. Michael Jackson apparently gets a dose of the pure stuff every day ... and look what it has done for him. Jenny says young executives are the main practitioners in Hong Kong. And tai-tais like it too ... although they complain about the walk up the hill.
What: There's more to Oxyvital than oxygen, says Jenny. Aromatherapy oils can be added: just tell one of the smiling assistants how you feel - stressed, hungover, jet-lagged, pre-menstrual - and they will knock up an appropriate mixture. In the private rooms, you can choose the wall colour to meet your needs: blue if you're tired, green if you're nervous, yellow or red if you need energy. Then lie back, stick on the headphones to listen to the soothing, slightly sickly New Age combo of classical musical, sea shores, waves, birds and streams - and breathe the clean air.
What happens next? Rest assured (excuse the pun), you will go straight to sleep. Twenty minutes later you will be woken up, given a glass of juice, and feel better than you did.