How 45 Minutes In A Salt Cave Transformed My Body
Salt does the body good.
Mila Supinskaya Glashchenko / Shutterstock I first saw the term, ‘salt cave’ when I was running errands. A promotional sign on the side of the road caught my eye.
It had a picture of a pink Himalayan salt lamp and was letting everyone know that it was open for business. I made a mental note to investigate this mysterious salt cave once I got home. When I got a hold of my laptop, I started to research salt therapy.
What Is A Salt Cave?
A salt cave is an indoor, man-made room filled with salt vapor and Himalayan sea salt. Natural salt caves were used for centuries to cure respiratory ailments, skin irritations, and mental lethargy. This is often referred to as Halotherapy or Salt Therapy. Over the past few years, salt caves offering Halotherapy have become extremely popular in the health and wellness community.
How Does Halotherapy Work?
Halotherapy works when salt cave visitors breathe in the saline air. It travels through the lungs, sinuses, and respiratory tract, dissolving bacteria and unclogging pollutants from the system. This process acts as an anti-inflammatory for the lungs, thins out mucus, and opens the nasal passages.
Which Ailments Does Salt Therapy Help?
Salt therapy is helpful for people suffering from:
- Asthma
- Bronchitis
- Smoker’s cough
- Respiratory/seasonal allergies
- Eczema
- Tonsillitis and more
What is a Salt Cave Like?
After reading up on Halotherapy I was extremely interested in giving it a try. Months had passed since I saw that sign but last week, a friend asked if I’d be interested. We settled on a salt therapy double date and visited the Salt Cave at Doylestown.
The building was perfect as it was technically a basement property under another business, helping to create a cave-like atmosphere. Once inside, the little lobby was filled with Himalayan salt lamps, salt-laden beauty products, and soothing music.
We were asked to fill out waivers, making sure that we didn’t have any medical conditions.
Then we put our shoes in plastic bins, hung our coats in the closet, and stashed away our purses. The owner showed us to the ‘cave’ which was dimly lit by salt lamps and stalactite-shaped lights hanging from the ceiling. The floor was a sea of pink salt crystals that felt like gravel on our bare feet.
There were two rows of lounge chairs, almost like the ones you’d find on a pool deck. We took our seats and were told what to expect.
Once the door was closed, the salt machine was turned on, pumping saline aerosol into the room. The soothing music came on, we stopped talking, and leaned back in our chairs.
I stayed upright just enough to keep my toes in the salt and covered myself with the soft blankets that were provided. We were told to breathe deeply, so I did the breathing technique I had learned in a meditation class.
About five minutes in, I could feel my nostrils opening up. My face felt slightly tingly, and my arms became extremely relaxed.
Most of the time I kept my eyes closed, but when I opened them, it was to look at the lights changing colors on the ceiling.
My friends were meditating in the pink glow of salt lamps, and I could hear the rustling of salt crystals as my boyfriend dug his feet into them.
It felt like a spa treatment, a trip to the beach, and a yoga class piled into one experience.
After 45 minutes, the salt air was turned off and we were let out of the room. We all agreed that we felt relaxed and slightly invigorated. After chatting with the owner, we found out that the salt cave had only been open for five weeks but had been bringing in quite the crowd.
From children with chronic diseases to people attending company meetings, the salt cave had been providing relief and an interesting experience for the community.
I definitely felt my sinuses clear, and when I left, I felt a lot of energy and mental clarity. If I kept going back, perhaps my skin would clear up, too.
I can now cross Halotherapy off my bucket list. But, it’s definitely something that I would try again!
Shannon Ullman is a writer who focuses on wine, culture, and online shopping. She has been featured on MSN, Huffington Post, and more.