Lightbar, Heliotherapy Bar In Portland, Oregon, Aims To Treat Seasonal Affective Disorder

We can already see Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein acting out a Portlandia skit here.

Portland, Ore., is getting its very own heliotherapy bar called "Lightbar." The establishment, slated to open June 1, gives customers the opportunity to bathe in fluorescent light while they munch on vegan snacks and drink alcohol.

Lightbar's LED lights are designed to alleviate the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a medical condition that leaves people depressed and sluggish during the winter months, partly because of the lack of sun. In the famously rainy city of Portland, as many as 9 percent of residents suffer from SAD, according to the Portland Mood Disorders Clinic.

Lightbar, which plans to open in hip southeastern Portland, aims to fix that.

The "European-style bistro" will have 20-foot high, south-facing windows in addition to a wide array of full-spectrum lights, including "LED wall washes," whose color and brightness correspond to the time of day, according to a statement released by the restaurant's owner, Alex Carlson.

Carlson told The Huffington Post in an email that Lightbar will also be serving Vitamin D and b12 supplements "in liquid form" at the bar. And (because this is Portland, after all) the restaurant will serve vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes and will have "light-based art installations" as decoration.

Somewhat ironically, the restaurant will have a full bar, Carlson said. (Did no one tell him alcohol is a depressant?)

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(h/t The Oregonian)