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Oxygen spa for business travellers

Business travellers facing another elbow-to-elbow day breathing air at 33,000 feet that never seems as fresh or un-recycled as the airlines claim it is, may be headed for some relief.

A Canadian company that nearly a year ago opened an "oxygen spa" at the Calgary International Airport--offering trawlers a chance to breathe nearly pure oxygen for a few minutes to recharge their system--says the idea has been a hit and will likely expand to other locations.

"Our goal is to be in all the major hub airports in the world," said Suzanne Letourneau, president and chief executive officer of Toronto-based Oraoxygen.

The next location will be at the new mid-field terminal at Detroit’s Metropolitan Airport when that building opens at the end of 2001, she said. Negotiations are under way on an expansion beyond North America, she added.

"We also hope to have some strategic locations beyond airports," added Letourneau, a former flight attendant for Air Canada. She declined to specify where those might be.

The Calgary shop features six lounge chairs where customers relax while breathing oxygen through tubes.

The charge is C$15 ($10) for 15 minutes or C$18 (about $12) if aroma therapy is combined with the oxygen. The spa also offers massages and other services designed to unwind the coiled spring that today’s travel sometimes produces.

"It’s very exciting to see the reaction of our customers," Letourneau said, adding that some of them inquire about franchise possibilities or want to be kept in touch on whether she will be opening similar shops elsewhere in the world.

The No. 1 selling service at the Calgary shop remains the oxygen, she said, noting that one frequent traveler arranges her itinerary so she can stop at the shop between connections for an oxygen infusion.

"It took me a long time, 4-1/2 years, to research and find the proper products and services," she said. "But it seems like the timing was just perfect. Air rage is on the rise, stress is very high."

Greg Graves, assistant manager at the Calgary location, said the shop is seeing a lot of repeat customers and probably could have used more chairs to accommodate the demand during the heavy Christmas travel season.

"People feel a lot more relaxed afterward," he said. "They can think more clearly."

Patricia Young, a physician and travel medicine specialist at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, tells us that there is a lower percentage of oxygen in aircraft cabins than at ground level but that only people with lung problems really need a boost while in flight.

Airlines generally allow passengers who need supplemental oxygen to bring it on board.

She suggested that the appeal of the post-flight oxygen dose probably comes from the "stop-the-world, relaxation effect" involved for those taking the break, rather than from any medical necessity.