The Salt Spa Room

Our salt room is constructed from blocks of salt, extracted 300 meters underground from salt mines in the Ukraine; the salt is estimated to be millions of years old. Mined grey salt has powerful antiseptic qualities, and is rich in the minerals essential for every human being.

On contact with air, salt particles are released and then absorbed by the respiratory tract. The particles are rich in negative ions which, unlike their name, actually contribute to the quality of life and health.

While the air we breathe every day is full of positive ions, due to air pollution, cellular and electro-magnetic radiation, negative ions are abundant in nature, near rivers and forests and in ancient naturally occurring salt caves.

Many contemporary studies support the idea of breathing air saturated with negative ions to treat a wide range of health problems – among them, respiratory problems like asthma, bronchitis and snoring, ADHD in children, symptoms of stress in adults, as well as various skin disorders such as psoriasis and allergies. It’s also a recommended treatment for people who spend hours at the computer, and smokers.

In fact, breathing the air in a salt room boosts the whole immune system, so most people can really benefit from a session in a salt room.

Who invented salt-rooms?

Treatment involving inhaling salt is not a modern discovery. Long ago, physicians recommended that people suffering from respiratory ailments and skin problems should stay in convalescent homes located near the sea, to enjoy the benefits of a salt-rich climate. Even Hippocrates, the founder of Western medicine, was aware of salt’s wholesome qualities and used it extensively.

Modern salt rooms were created since not all of us live by the sea, and because the concentration of sea salt in the air is not enough to treat acute medical problems. They began during World War II, when the director of a Kiev hospital decided to shelter his patients from the German bombardments, in a large salt quarry nearby. Three days later, he noticed a significant improvement in his patients, and started researching the curative properties of salt. This paved the way for the sanatoriums that were opened in salt mines in Ukraine, and from there the method spread to Europe.

The treatment’s impressive effectiveness resulted in numerous salt rooms being built across the world.

So what exactly is a salt sauna and what are its benefits?

A salt sauna combines the benefits of a salt room with the proven advantages of a dry Finnish sauna (without steam). The heat in the sauna (which reaches 650 C) speeds up the emission of salt particles and releases negative ions into the air, as well as raising the body temperature, the same way that your body temperature rises to cope with illness.

As a result, viruses, infections, and allergies are quickly eliminated. When we inhale negative ions and salt particles, our lungs and airways also expand due to the heat, and this has a beneficial effect on problems like phlegm, inflamed sinuses, and more.

Sitting in a dry salt sauna provides all the benefits of a salt room, but in half the time. Even better, you’ll finish your dry-sauna session in a state of true relaxation.

Don’t forget that – like in every sauna – one should stay no more than 15 minutes in the salt sauna, and the treatment is not recommended for pregnant women.