Adults worldwide are raving about Halotherapy, aka salt rooms. But Do Salt Rooms really work? My husband and I reviewed our local Salt Suite to see what all the hype was about. Our encounters couldn’t be more different.
What is a Salt Room?
The short answer, a room filled with dry salt. The formal name is Halotherapy, essentially t’s a recreation of salt caves.
The salt room had several comfy leather chairs with privacy dividers. Inside, the room was gorgeous and set up for optimal relaxation: dim lighting, warm, quiet spa-like environment. The dry salt atmosphere creates negative ions and allegedly promotes holistic healing.
What are the Health Claims?
According to the Salt Suite website, [salt is] 100% natural therapy that could help manage your nagging allergy and asthma. Also, the site boasted that people with respiratory, sinus, skin, fitness, stress and sleep issues may also benefit.
I should point out, there is a disclaimer on the paperwork stating that halotherapy is not FDA approved and not a lot of scientific research exists to support the claims.
According to Dr. Norman Edelman, Advisor to the American Lung Association, “When fine salt particles are inhaled, they will fall on the airway linings and draw water into the airway, thinning the mucus and making it easier to raise, thus making people feel better.”
Right now no medical evidence suggests salt therapy works, scientists aren’t sure why it works for some people and not others. Please contact your doctor before trying salt therapy.
What should you bring?
The Salt Suite staff recommended wearing loose, comfortable clothing. I suggest wearing lighter colors so the salt doesn’t ruin darker clothes. Headphones are available but I brought my own. Who knows how often those are bleached down. Salt is antibacterial but I’m a germaphobe and its flu season.
They also provided an iPod to listen to, but I ended up listening to a podcast on my phone. Warm blankets are also provided to snuggle with.
The Experience
My husband and I booked an appointment in the Moorestown, NJ Salt Suite franchise and we had two very different outcomes after our 45-minute sessions.
The first session was free, so we were off to a great start! As soon as we walked in the staff greeted us and were very nice. We filled out paperwork and then headed back and put our things in a locker. Another staffer greeted us and prepared us for our salt journey.
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Due to the salt, runny noses and dry throats are common, so tissues and lozenges were available. I asked the staff if they had margaritas to go with all this salt, and she forced a smile, as I’m sure it’s the 100th time she heard that little zinger.
My husband’s Encounter
First, you should know he suffers from terrible allergy and sinus problems. The room is library silent so we were texting each other during our salt journey. He loved it, from the quiet ambiance to the comfy chairs, he embraced the entire experience.
Post appointment his sinuses were clear and he felt great, he even received a burst of energy. The salt room gave him relief for his sinuses. He’s going to head back with some friends.
As for me, I had a much different take away from my time in the salt cave.
My Encounter
Lets set the scene from my perspective. I walked in and the dry salt smacked me in the face and breathing in the air felt unnatural. Needless to say, I did not the spiritual experience that my husband did.
Within two minutes I got a horrific headache, my nostrils felt raw, my postnasal drip was in overdrive and my throat hurt. I guess the halotherapy was clearing out my sinuses, but to be honest I’d rather just use a neti pot and call it a day.
The room is very calming and relaxing. My anxiety was fairly calm during the session, but it was calm prior to as well. Depression is another issue I suffer with and for some reason after leaving the room I felt a wave of sadness and a little anxious. As far as helping with my mental health, I think I’ll just stick to massages and medication.
My salt headache (is that a thing?) lasted 6 hours until I took 2 extra-strength Tylenol to kill it. I felt sick and napped for the rest of the day. Salt Rooms are not my jam and personally, I would give it a negative review.
However, my opinion is not popular or common. Our salt suite mates loved their time in the room and my Facebook mom’s group swears by them.
One more thing
The Salt Suite states you should go a few times a week and then has you see improvements you can get away with going less often. I’m always the skeptic, so I’m not sure if that’s a marketing thing or if it’s really beneficial. I won’t be going back to find out. Overall, I would say if you have respiratory issues and nothing else has worked, its worth a shot but always consult your doctor first.
If you have an experience with a Salt Rooms, sound off in the comments, I would love to hear your experience. Am I the only one that had a negative experience?
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I got the worst headache during a salt room spa trip. I’m glad to learn I wasn’t the only one. I left 15 minutes in. I wonder what causes that?
I reached out to a few doctors, I was wondering the same thing. I’ll circle back if I hear back
It actually looks really cool, I wonder if there’s a reason behind the headache and everything 😭
I have not tried a salt room therapy, but have wondered about them. Thanks for your post! You gave two sides of it from yours and your husbands experiences. 🙂
Thanks for reading Sharon
THis was really informative – I didn’t know much about these rooms and didn’t know they could help with sleep! Here I come salt room!!
Would love to hear about your experience. Good luck!
I’ve never even heard of salt rooms so this was an interesting read. I immediately thought that breathing in that air might be suffocating. I guess it would affect people differently but I’m sure it has some great therapeutic benefits.
Definitely, my friends have tried now as well and love it. It just wasn’t for me. It was overwhelming for my body.
Wow, I’m so glad I read this! I’ve been curious about the salt cave phenomenon. It looks so wonderful in pictures. But I think it would probably dry my sinuses out uncomfortably too. Thank you for sharing!
If you ever try let us know what you think
hahaha I want to experience this so badly! I’d probably be like your husband (My sinuses are horrible too) and my husband would be miserable and struggling! So funny.
I didn’t even know this was a thing! However, a dark, cozy, quiet room sounds great to me.
That’s really interesting – I love that you shared the two different experiences.