Oxygen bar opens at Salon LaRoc

Clients at Salon LaRoc in Rehoboth Beach have been breathing easy since Memorial Day.

The thriving Rehoboth Avenue hair and nail salon has added an oxygen bar, which features 14 different ways to breathe oxygen.

“Just 15 minutes of inhaling the scented or unscented purified oxygen can provide the user an uplifting, refreshed feeling, as well as increased energy, detoxification and a general overall good feeling," Salon LaRoc owner Peter DiRocco said.

The salon uses equipment that includes an oxygen concentration machine that filters nitrogen, argon and other trace gases out of the ambient air, which typically contains about 21 percent oxygen.

This process is used to produce fresh, purified oxygen – typically 90 percent to 95 percent pure oxygen, which is then inhaled through the nose.

Treatments cost $1 per minute, with sessions beginning at a minimum of 15 minutes, co-owner Lauren Lewandowski said.

Clients may chose any of 14 different treatments to breathe during their session and buy a nostril tubes for 50 cents, which they may take and reuse, Lewandowski said.

Standard aromatic treatments offer purified oxygen scented with natural aromatics such as peppermint, vanilla or grapefruit, known  for their homeopathic qualities.

Premium oxygen blends offered at the salon include Lady Zandras Protection, made with the scent of ambergris, basil and honeysuckle, which the menu says has the potential to relieve fatigue, strengthen subconscious and protect the home, self and space.

Other premium aromatics include more conventional scents with well-known properties.

"Our Cold and Sinus uses cypress, wintergreen and peppermint," she said. "It clears congestion."

One of the most popular blends, the owners said, is their Bend Over hangover treatment oxygen, which blends rose, vetivert, frankincense, honeysuckle and rosemary aromas. The menu says these scents combine to heal the hangover and boost spiritual and physical energy.

Although owners of the Oxygen Bar at Salon LaRoc maintain it is a nonmedical oxygen bar, oxygen treatments have become an effective, if controversial, form of alternative therapy in recent years, according to researchers from Vanderbilt University and other sources.

But DiRocco promises little more than a new experience and a temporary pick-me-up.

"An oxygen bar is not intended for any medical purpose, such as treating,curing, preventing or diagnosing any illness or disease," he said. "However, a 15-minute session of inhaling either the scented or unscented purified oxygen can provide a fun experience and an immediate uplifting and revitalized feeling.”

The Oxygen Bar at Salon LaRoc is at 310 Rehoboth Avenue. For more information and daily hours of the oxygen bar, search Salon LaRoc on Facebook or contact the salon at 302-227-5276.