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Season 2: Escape
Opening Scene
He enters the spa after work. He’s not here to relax or exercise, but to breathe better. For thirty minutes, the air filling his lungs will be cleaner, purer, more “correct” than the one waiting for him outside.
The city goes on unchanged: traffic, smog, constant noise. But inside, each breath promises something different. Not wellness, but control. Breathing ceases to be automatic and becomes a curated, measured, and exclusive experience.
Origin
From Shared Air to Curated Oxygen
For most of the 20th century, clean air was just something we expected. It was a public health thing invisible and, at least in theory, the same for everyone. If you lived in a city or the country, you just breathed what was there.
But things started shifting around the late 90s and early 2000s. With cities getting bigger and pollution getting worse, clean air stopped being a given. People started realizing that not everyone was breathing the same quality of oxygen anymore.
That’s when the wellness industry stepped in. You started seeing it in high-end spas, private clinics, and even fancy hotels. Suddenly, "breathing better" became a service you could actually buy.
By the 2010s, this went totally commercial. We started seeing oxygen bars and even canned "premium" air sold as a lifestyle product. It’s pretty crazy how something so basic became a status symbol.
Nowadays, it’s not just about surviving or staying healthy. For a lot of people, paying for curated oxygen is just another way to stand out from the crowd.
The Phenomenon
In super polluted cities like Beijing, Delhi, or Mexico City, oxygen spas and breathing bars popped up as a way to cope. They are basically indoor spots where you can escape the smog for a few minutes. In those places, you aren't traveling to breathe, you’re just breathing to survive the city.
The real shift is happening now that air itself is becoming the destination. Countries like Iceland, Switzerland, Canada, and New Zealand are using their clean air as a major selling point. They are turning "low pollution" into a luxury asset.
Now, you’ll find resorts and wellness centers offering "air experiences." They promise pure alpine oxygen or environments specifically designed for controlled breathing. It’s a complete flip. People are now choosing exactly where to go based on how good the air is.
It’s not exactly a mass-market thing yet, but it’s definitely growing. We’re seeing hyperbaric oxygen therapy in Dubai, breathing retreats in the Alps, and high-tech oxygen spas in Las Vegas or Tokyo.
This is a massive sign of the times. When clean air becomes scarce, even the invisible stuff starts to have a price tag.
Adventure curated by the brands you trust
REI Co-op and Intrepid Travel have teamed up to take you somewhere extraordinary.
Hike Nüümü Poyo, also known as the John Muir Trail, one of America's most iconic multi-day treks, while forming lasting bonds with like-minded adventurers.
Set up camp each night with iconic backdrops and get to know your fellow travelers over dinners prepared by your local trip leader, who handles all the logistics so you can focus on the adventure.
This trip is part of a curated collection of small-group adventures across 85+ destinations worldwide. And right now, REI Co-op members save 15% on this REI Exclusive trip.
For T&Cs and more info, click here.