SALTY SOLUTIONS

Source: American Spa Trend Report 2016 Published Date: December 2015

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Though by no means a new ingredient, salt is spicing up spas like never before. From salt rooms and caves to healing Himalayan salt crystals, tools, and beds to treatments and experiences that incorporate salt, sodium chloride is most certainly making waves. One of the hottest ways to sprinkle it into spas comes in the form of salt rooms and caves that incorporate halotherapy, or dry salt therapy.

“When it is inhaled, the dry salt acts like a sponge, absorbing all the mucus, pollen, allergens, and foreign toxins that may be in the respiratory system,” says Leo M. Tonkin, CEO of The Salt Chamber and cofounder and chairman of the Salt Therapy Association. “It is also anti-inflammatory, so people with restricted airways find tremendous relief.” Sofia Benke, owner of The Salt Cave (multiple locations), says the particles also influence the integumentary system (skin, hair, nails, glands, and nerves). “Salt microparticles inhibit the growth or reproduction of bacteria, reduce swelling, and ease inflammation. The therapy results in pH normalization and better skin microcirculation.” Additionally, the salt penetrates deeply into the epidermal layers of the skin and absorbs any excess oils, which allows accelerated cellular growth of skin cells and improves skin rigidity, says Tonkin.