Lahore bar gives Pakistanis breath of fresh air
With its velvety sofas and soft lighting, Pakistan's first bar looks and feels like it could be in any western city, with prices to match.
The Oxygen Bar, in a suburb of Pakistan's cultural capital, Lahore, is the first public bar since alcohol was banned in 1977, in a country where most socialising is done behind closed doors and where alcohol is - legally at least - unavailable.
For £4.50 a hit, well-heeled Pakistanis insert a neon cannula up their nostrils, hit the button and stretch back for a 10-minute oxygen rush, in aromas ranging from cinnamon to spearmint.
"It's like a natural high," said Irfan Khan, 31, a biomedical engineer turned lounge-lizard entrepreneur. "You feel refreshed because your cell reactions are faster, and the free radicals are taken care of."
But for Mr Khan, the bar represents Pakistan's less publicised but equally valid urbane, sophisticated side. Down the street stands a new BMW dealership, a McDonald's and several trendy clothes boutiques.
Elsewhere male beauty parlours have sprung up offering pedicures, manicures and facial massages.