Dialogue: Life's ultimate luxury is time

Twenty years ago commercial photographers still roamed restaurants, busy capturing everyone's big night out. Family archives are full of photographs in nifty cardboard holders of smiling tables of diners.

Back then, dining out was still a luxury: bookings were made in advance, we would dress up, and the whole affair would extend over about four hours.

Now we throw cheap chow down in an hour so we can make it to the movies on time, and if we do go upmarket the thought of capturing the moment on film is inconceivable.

Dining out is not a luxury but a commonplace necessity for most.

In fact, dining-in is more of a luxury for some. And it doesn't just mean fish and chips - there is everything available from affordable exotic Thai food to full roast dinners with no cleaning up.

It's the same with hotels.

Once upon a time, luxury hotels were the domain of rich American tourists or travelling rock stars, but now even ordinary folk are encouraged to spend their hard-earned cash staying at a fancy hotel in their own city for a weekend, complete with champagne.

Recently, friends on a way-home-from-work-whim even holed up overnight at the Sky City hotel. Luxury? No, just a bit of fun.

Our concept of luxury and what we aspire to has done a 180-degree turn.

Luxury used to be a ride in a jet aircraft.

I remember our whole family going to Sydney in 1972. We were decked out from head to toe in new outfits, including matching airline bags and jaunty hats. It was important to honour the luxury of travel. But today even the first-class passengers look scungy and air travel is simply a means to an end.

Not only do we have higher disposable incomes, but there is also universal accessibility to basically anything one wants.

What used to be out of reach for the average person is now available in scaled-down, cheapo versions for all to enjoy.

Let's take cars. Once we aspired to luxury car travel and the imagined lifestyle that accompanied it. But nothing is exclusive any more.

We can import older models of top brands for a snip of what they used to cost, and to buy a new car is actually affordable thanks to some of the newer Asian brands like Daewoo.

Even Mercedes has shifted down a gear and brought out a shopping trolley and a four-whee-drive urban Land-Cruiser version to suit middle-class urbanites.

Imagine if Rolls-Royce decided to bring out a nifty hatchback. It would be comfortable, but oh too practical and everyday.

Furthermore, we no longer admire or envy people with lots of money.

Often they actually give luxury a bad name - turning class into crass.

Let's take stretch limousines. The fact that pubescent teenagers on the way to the school ball and millionaire rap artists with unnecessary entourages frequent the stretch limo scene has certainly taken the appeal out of that method of travelling in supposed style.

So what happened to real luxury lifestyle, and what do we think of as luxury now?

There are two types of modern luxury. First there is the retrospective romance of luxury. While bigger is not necessarily better, older often is.

Sometimes the new and latest thing just doesn't have the class, style or sheer opulence of a classic - be it classic cars, classic architecture or classic design.

Second, when we use the term "luxury" we are often referring to small indulgence items of a personal nature. Usually these items have something to do with taking time out.

For instance, last month as luck would have it I was treated to a pedicure and a facial at a day spa. While these experiences are relatively affordable, the time they take up is harder for me to justify than the cash.

Another memorable luxury moment was being offered a piece of praline-filled fine white Belgian chocolate, which must have cost about 50c a segment. I am still dreaming about it.

Recently, a minor injury had me laid up in bed. It was raining heavily, my cellphone batteries were flat and there was a power cut which rendered the landlines inoperable.

So I lay in silence for about an hour with absolutely no disturbances.

Now that was luxury.