The gym I belong to and haven't been to in many, many months, remodeled while I was away and has an oxygen bar now. I didn't want to seem stupid and ask them what in the hell it is for but I don't mind asking the question here So what is one? Oh, they also now have a room with a projector and you can watch movies while doing cardio workouts, that's kind of cool.

Oxygen. It was / is some sort of health fad. Enhanced performance, breathing highly concentrated oxygen. It is supposed to do all kinds of wonderful things for you - sharper thought, etc. After a workout, it makes a little more sense - if you are really tired or burned out, breathing highly concentrated oxygen is (theoretically) a quicker way to get more oxygen to the muscles to releave cramping and the burning from anerobic respiration.

Did that help? I personally do not think very much of it, but then I haven't tried it, either...

That helped, thanks. I'm not sure I want to try it or not. My lungs aren't used to too much oxygen, I would probably overdose and pass out

I wouldn't worry about that one too much. It does make sense in the extreme athlete case - you will always see oxygen at professional sports matches & such. If you get really out of breath from a workout, perhaps it would help get rid of that feeling slightly faster. That's about it, though...

Breathing pure oxygen does create a somewhat euphoric feeling (I had the chance while a ski patroller). It's fun to try once or twice, and certainly doesn't hurt you.

-Zeke

There's the school of thought that believes in using oxegen as a recovery technique and there's the one which believes in oxegen starvation for recovery.
I think that in order to get clients coming back sooner, they serve oxegen to replenish muscles. Using altitude training techniques, muscles are starved of oxygen, forcing them to work more efficiently.

Oxygen starvation is an advanced training technique and should be done with trainers. It usually involves living in a hypobaric chamber and all sorts of stuff.

having oxygen after a workout wont do any harm. less harm than inhaling helium from a party balloon. But dont smoke after it.

But dont smoke after it

I knew there was a reason to stay away from it.

Am I the only one who pictures a dystopian sci-fi movie when the words "oxygen bar" are uttered? I'm seeing a crowded bar full of a menagerie of aliens. Dark, lit with neon from below the plexiglass floor panels. Various species of aliens are inhaling oxygen from cones attached to the ends of long flexible tubes. The bouncer (who has eight arms) has to throw out a customer who got belligerent because they don't serve Methane. Our protagonists enter the bar just as the bouncer is brushing the dust from his hands and turning to go back inside.

Nah, it's probably just me.

Am I the only one who pictures a dystopian sci-fi movie when the words "oxygen bar" are uttered?

Maybe, but I picture Mel Brooks in "Spaceballs" drinking air from a can.