Who knew even filtered air could be commodified? Entrepreneurs have seized on Delhi’s smog-filled skies to open some of the city’s first ‘oxygen bars’, which charge around $4 to $7 for a 15-minute inhalation of filtered air. One establishment, OxyPure, even throws in a choice of luxury fragrances: lavender, eucalyptus and lemongrass.
OxyPure’s individualistic business model is a response to toxic levels of smog in India’s cities in recent months. New Delhi in particular saw around 20 times the air pollution levels deemed safe by the World Health Organization. Making fresh air the preserve of the rich looks ever more dystopian when considering a 2018 study that linked 10,000 to 30,000 annual deaths in the city to air pollution.
