Halotherapy: My First Salt Therapy Experience

Recently, I had the pleasure of going to a salt cave for a session. I had wanted to do it for quite a while since I learned about salt caves. Now, I finally had the chance to have the experience!

What is halotherapy?

Halotherapy, also known as salt therapy, involves being in a salt "cave" and breathing in the salt particles dispersed in the air during the session. This is meant to improve breathing. It is considered an alternative treatment for allergies and other conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, eczema, etc.

Some studies suggest salt cave sessions may help with allergies, asthma, and skin conditions, among other things. A few studies have shown that it has been helpful in patients with COPD as well. Although there is not enough research yet to prove salt therapy is a good treatment for any health conditions, there is still promising research so far that it may help people with asthma and allergies as well.¹

The salt caves have tons of Himalayan pink salt lining the entire room. The walls are covered entirely with slabs of pink Himalayan salt, the floor is completely covered, much like walking on sand, and there are tons of rocks around the room.

The salt caves use a halo generator device to disperse salt particles into the air. As a result, you breathe in the salt particles during your session. You are encouraged to take very deep breaths for this and meditate if you can. Salt, in general, is popular for its purifying and cleansing properties, so there is some logic to this being potentially beneficial for health conditions.¹

What you can expect in salt therapy

To be honest, I didn't expect much from the salt cave. I didn't notice any changes in my allergy symptoms or other conditions in just 1 halotherapy session. However, it was an extremely relaxing and even spiritual experience for me.

There are very comfortable chairs you can rest on and snuggle up under a blanket while in the salt cave. They dim the lights, and all you can see is the glow of the Himalayan salts, along with sparkles covering the ceiling that look much like a clear night sky. They put on some meditation music, and you sit back and relax for the entirety of the session.

My experiences during the session

Although I practice meditation daily and have hypnotherapy sessions, I tend to have a hard time completely letting go while at home. There is always some kind of distraction. Something or someone constantly interrupts my meditation or hypnotherapy.

However, during this session in the salt cave, I let go completely. I ended up relaxing so deeply and was so immersed in it that I almost fell asleep. I didn't, but I was definitely in those alpha and theta brain waves, like in hypnosis. It was pretty profound for me, and I really enjoyed it! I will be going back again, as long as I can afford it anyway, as it's not free!

Mental health benefits of halotherapy

Despite the controversial health benefits of halotherapy on specific health conditions, I found halotherapy to be a very serene and tranquil experience. I know that in itself, for me, it helps with my mental and emotional health. And that assists with the physical as well.

Initially, I thought I might just do it once to have the experience and never again. But now I intend to go back again! After all, a little relaxation never hurt anyone but set your expectations accordingly about allergy relief.