Valentine’s season is fraught for many people — or at least it used to be. The pressure of finding the right gift or snagging a table at a favorite restaurant can be challenging for those in romantic relationships, but for people who are single — especially those who are actively seeking partnership — Valentine’s Day has often felt particularly lonely.
Enter Galentine’s Day: a gift from the sitcom Parks and Recreation that has grown into a cultural phenomenon since its introduction in 2010. A portmanteau of “gal” and “Valentine,” it began as a celebration of female friendship, often observed on February 13th (today!). Over time, the concept has expanded — and thankfully so.
For those of the male persuasion, there are now celebrations of “Malentines”/“Bro-entines”/“Guy-entines.” It goes beyond fun, some advocates of “Malentine’s Day” hope the practice of celebrating men' s platonic friendships will help combat the male loneliness epidemic. Still others celebrate “Palentine’s Day,” which covers everyone!
In this spirit, we’d like to focus this week’s blog on some alt-Valentines — love that is non-traditional, platonic, but still deeply important: friends, self, and pets. (Please note: no couples were harmed in the making of this article — and yes, all advice still applies to people in romantic relationships.)
While we’re focusing on alternative expressions of love this Valentine’s season, we’ll also explore a different kind of gift — one that can’t be seen, but can absolutely be felt. Clean indoor air is a quiet, powerful form of care that supports health, comfort, and quality of life for anyone, regardless of relationship status.
Yes, it’s last minute but it’s arguably OK if a present isn’t present when you gather to celebrate. (Delivery times vary.) You can just announce your intentions or put a note in a card. Instead of stressing, some of you reading this can wait to get input from the recipient on their preferred color.
Clean Air as an Act of Care
We spend roughly 90% of our time indoors, where air can be significantly more polluted than outdoor air.1 It is filled with particles and pollutants we rarely see but constantly inhale: dust, pollen, pet dander, smoke, and other irritants that place a steady burden on the body.
Scientific research shows that indoor air quality affects nearly every system in the body — from respiratory illnesses and cardiovascular issues to pregnancy/post-partum health and even neurological function. In that context, improving the air inside someone’s home isn’t indulgent. It’s practical. It’s protective. And yes, it’s deeply caring.
Gifting an air purifier to a friend might feel unexpected — maybe even a little decadent. It’s not a bottle of wine or box of chocolates, it’s a steel appliance that is built to last for decades. But for many people, it turns out to be a genuine game changer they never knew they needed.
We hear this again and again from Austin Air customers: skepticism at first, followed by surprise, then appreciation once the difference becomes impossible to ignore. (Read one customer’s story here.)
For people with asthma or allergies, improvements can feel immediate and unmistakable: easier breathing, fewer nighttime symptoms, less irritation. For others, the benefits are subtler at first. Sleep becomes deeper. Morning congestion eases. Headaches occur less frequently. The body feels less strained.
Over time, what began as a quiet shift becomes undeniable: the air feels lighter. The home feels better. And so does the person who has been given the Austin Air.
Beloved friends who have chronic respiratory issues like asthma, allergies, or COPD aren’t the only candidates who can benefit drastically from improved indoor air quality. A clean-air upgrade will be monumental for:
-
A carpenter’s workshop
-
A fitness-focused friend’s home gym
-
A mechanic’s garage
-
An artist’s studio
It’s also an especially meaningful gift for friends who live in wildfire-prone regions, where smoke events have become more frequent and more intense. Helping someone prepare before smoke season hits is one of the most thoughtful, preventative gifts you can give.
Of course, showing care isn’t just an act for one day of the year. If Galentine/Malentine isn’t your thing, keep it on your radar for future events like weddings or baby showers.
Self-Care on a Cellular Level
Valentine’s season is also a natural moment to talk about self-care — and not just the bubble-bath, candle-lit kind.
Six weeks into the new year, many people are likely wrestling with resolutions meant to improve health. In that vein, physical fitness remains the most common goal for resolutions but February is when motivation often starts to slip. Exercise and eating right absolutely support long-term health — but exercising and meal prep are time-consuming, physically or financially demanding, and emotionally loaded with guilt when life gets in the way.
So here is a gentle reminder that self-care, at its best, also includes self-compassion. Instead of stressing about missed workouts or feeling bad about enjoying the chocolates in the break room, consider another path to better health — one that works with your body, not against your schedule.
This is where the idea of passive improvement comes in.
Unlike most non-medical health-focused purchases, an Austin Air purifier doesn’t demand action. There’s no routine to follow, no habit to build, no willpower required. You don’t have to change your behavior to benefit.
You plug it in, and it works quietly in the background.
It’s self-care at a cellular level, employing air purification to steadily reduce the burden placed on your lungs and immune system. Cleaner air reduces the steady exposure to particles and gases that contribute to, among other ailments, oxidative stress and systemic inflammation — processes that affect far more than just the lungs. Over time, reducing that burden supports overall health, not just breathing.2
There is something profound about improving health without pressure — no performance, no self-optimization. Just an environment designed to support your body rather than challenge it.
For the Other Loves of Your Life (Pets)
Our relationships with pets are emotional, intuitive, and deeply personal. They comfort us, ground us, and improve our wellbeing in measurable ways. In return, we take care of them — feeding them well, exercising them, and watching closely for signs something isn’t right.
Pets can’t exactly tell us when the air is bothering them. There may be cues — shortness of breath, sneezing, lethargy — but interpreting symptoms isn’t always straightforward.
Pet dander is a well-known allergen for humans, but poor air quality can also affect animals directly, contributing to respiratory irritation and stress. They breathe the same indoor air we do — often closer to the ground, where heavier particles settle before being stirred back into circulation.
Veterinary experts note that dogs, in particular, can be vulnerable during periods of poor air quality or wildfire smoke exposure.3 Short-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds, like Boxers and Bulldogs, may be especially sensitive. Older animals are also more likely to be impacted by poor air quality, the same way seniors are a vulnerable group among humans. Lest we forget, animals can also suffer from asthma, bronchitis, and allergies.4
Of course, cleaner indoor air supports the entire household — human and animal alike. But because pets rely on us to shape their environment, improving indoor air quality becomes an act of care they can feel, even if they can’t name it.
Valentine’s Day gifts for pets are already a tradition for many households. Clean air may not come in a heart-shaped box, but it supports something far more lasting: comfort, safety, and health.
Love, in All Its Forms
Whether you’re celebrating friends for Galentine’s/Malentine’s Day, practicing self-care, spoiling your pets, or — gasp: planning a romantic weekend — the gift of clean air is one of the most inclusive and practical expressions of care there is.
For more than 35 years, Austin Air has built air purifiers designed not for trends or seasons, but for lasting health. Long before indoor air quality became a mainstream conversation, we were focused on one simple mission: improving lives through better air.
This Valentine’s season — and in every season — consider a gift that works quietly in the background, year after year. Because love, at its best, is steady. And so is clean air.
REFERENCES
1 Indoor air quality. (2026 January 28). National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/indoor-air.
2 Air quality, energy and health. (2025 July 24). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/air-quality-energy-and-health/.
3 Dog safety during poor air quality alerts or wildfire smoke. (2025 December 23). Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/riney-canine-health-center/canine-health-topics/dog-safety-during-poor-air-quality-alerts-or-wildfire-smoke.
4 Lin CH, Lo PY, Wu HD. (2020 January 3). An observational study of the role of indoor air pollution in pets with naturally acquired bronchial/lung disease. Veterinary Medicine and Science. doi: 10.1002/vms3.231.
