For more than 200 years people have flocked to the salt caves of Poland and Russia and to the Dead Sea to help cure respiratory disorders and skin ailments. In the last decade, the popularity of salt cave spas has exploded worldwide. Salt cave spas can be found in Poland, Pakistan, Israel, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Finland, Austria, Germany, the UK and the USA. Salt cave spa guests can recline in chairs in cavernous rooms or enjoy the privacy of their own hermetically sealed room, breathing healing ions.
Medical Benefits of Salt Therapy
A 1990 Russian medical article described a study showing the effects of salt cave therapy (speleotherapy) on external respiration in 20 subjects with asthma. Speleotherapy was conducted in 24-day courses in the salt caves of Chon-Tuz (2100 m above the sea level) with subjects exposed to approximately 160 hrs of salt therapy. Speleotherapy was found to initiate positive shifts in the external respiration function.
Salt therapy works by restoring the body’s ionic balance, loosening mucus, clearing congested lung passages and reducing inflammation. Salt caves are especially beneficial for eczema, psoriasis, asthma, allergies, bronchitis, sinusitis, colds, digestive system diseases (Crohn’s disease, colitis, gastric and duodenal ulcers), hypothyroidism, hypertension, rheumatic diseases, stress, and cardiovascular diseases. Contraindications include hyperthyroidism, tuberculosis, kidney disorders and claustrophobia. However, if these conditions are medically controlled, salt therapy can be used with physician approval.
Natural Salt in Salt Caves
Salt cave spas, which are reported to have a bacteria-free atmosphere, are modeled after Europe’s natural salt caves and caverns. They’re made of blocks of imported sea salt. Sea salt is made from the evaporation of sea water and contains numerous minerals, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, aluminum, iodine, selenium, chlorine, bromine, and sulfur. These elemental ions permeate the atmosphere of salt caves. Studies show that most people are deficient in the elements present in sea salt although they commonly have excess amounts of sodium chloride.
Table salt, which is a synthetic chemical mixture, contains sodium chloride with aluminum added to prevent caking. Table salt is frequently iodized or blasted with iodide ions, creating a product recognized by the body as foreign. The elements in natural sea salt are in a unique combination essential for the body’s production of energy.
Sea Salt Inhalation
Some spas that are too small to accommodate salt caves offer salt inhalation therapies. Here, naturals salts are combined with mineral water and inhaled. Inhalation offers benefits for people with breathing ailments. The theory is similar to that of the Ayurvedic therapy of nasal cleansing using a neti pot and warm salt water. Salt inhalation therapies are also available for home use, and several companies are available to build salt caves for the home.
Salt Cave Spas in the United States
Because of its large Polish population, the Chicago area is currently the hub for sea salt spas in the United States. At the Galos Cave Spa in Chicago, to create an authentic salt-iodine sea microclimate, engineers from the Everet Company used special certified and patented technologies prepared 20 years ago by Ukrainian scientists to install the salt imported from Poland’s Black Sea. The salt is replaced at regular intervals.??The design’s efficiency has been confirmed by research by scientists from Belarus and Russia.
At Galos, guests must remove their shoes but socks are recommended. With the cave maintained at about 70 degrees, guests wear light clothing. A sand box containing salt instead of sand is available for children. Soft spa music is piped in, which adds to the soothing atmosphere. Guests are encouraged to move about for the first 5-10 minutes of their session to get used to the salt and enjoy a foot massage.
The nearby Timeless Spa and Salt Cave in Naperville, Illinois is crafted from thousands of pounds of Himalayan salt, which contains 84 essential elements. Timeless is offering a 29 percent discount on all services ever time the Chicago Bears win through 2/7/2011. To get the discount guests must say Go Bears when scheduling their appointments.
The Williamsburg Salt Spa in Williamsburg, Virginia is made from a unique combination containing 15 tons of sea salt imported from Poland, the Dead Sea, and Pakistan that’s crusted with coarse salt nuggets. With a genuine sea salt microclimate, the atmosphere is rich in natural elements that are absorbed during sea salt sessions. The facility maintains a constant temperature of 75 degrees, which mimics the temperature found in salt mines. The staff at the Williamsburg report that an hour in the salt cave is equivalent to spending three days at the seaside, a common recommendation for respiratory ailments.
In Manhattan, at the Halo/Air Salt Rooms in Chelsea, guests can relax in hermetically sealed rooms designed to recreate the effects of European salt caves.
Resource:
Khamzamulin RO, Kachkynbaev KA, Abdyldaeva SO, Davletova RA. 1990. "The effect of verapamil on external respiratory function in bronchial asthma patients during high-altitude speleotherapy." Pub Med Abstract (accessed October 12, 2010).
Elaine Moore - I'm a retired medical technologist and medical writer with more than 30 years experience working in hospital laboratories. Currently, I ...
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