By CGTN America
More people are choosing to breathe in salt with the help of “salt rooms or caves” instead of fresh air.
The caves exist naturally in some parts of the world. And now, they’re being recreated where they don’t, including in China and the US.
On the outside, the building in a Washington, DC suburb looks pretty ordinary. But, once you enter, it’s hard to look away.
“I would say mythical, something out of a fantasy,” said Alexi Munoz, a first-time customer.
Nearly 20 tons of salt line the walls and cover the floor at the Bethesda Salt Cave. All of it is imported from the depths of the Himalaya Mountains where salt caves naturally form from deposits millions of years old.
People enjoy salt therapy in the Bethesda Salt Cave, Washington, DC. /CGTN Photo
“They’re actually hard mining all the rocks so it’s coming out intact with all the minerals,” explained owner Janine Narayadu.
Those minerals are found in the human body. They’re hailed by the business owner as natural anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory agents, clearing toxins in the lungs and skin. Inhaling salt is said to be ideal for those suffering from cold, flu, bronchitis and skin conditions.
The temperature in the cave is regulated at about 20 degrees Celsius, mimicking a natural salt cave.
“When you’re breathing it in, it’s lining the cilia of the sinuses and inside the nose,” said Narayadu. “The salt disinfects and clears out impurities, allergies and bacteria that we can’t get out when we cough.”
Since she opened the cave more than two years ago, 26,000 people have visited the place. One regular customer, Pat Jayne, said she was hooked from the start.
“The first time I was here, I was in the middle of a major allergy attack,” said Jayne. “There were a lot of tissues, and I never used one of them. It just took my allergy attack away.”
Another regular, Randi Chasen, comes every other week for the standard 45-minute session. This time, she’s here to clear a cold.
“I was sniffling when I walked in here and just sitting in here, it does dry it up,” said Chasen.
Salt caves aren’t just becoming popular in the US, but they’re also popping up in China where residents in polluted areas are looking for some relief.
An Italian company, Salus Per Salis, debuted the first salt therapy center in Shanghai two years ago.
“Our body could be considered like a machine or like a car. A car can work properly if you have clean filters,” explains Tiziana Richiardi of Salus Per Salis. “Our body is exactly the same. Our body’s filters are the lungs. If you keep the lungs clean, all the rest of the body is going to be healthy.”
Customers there said they have seen a difference.
“I think it’s really improved my health, like helping me sleep better,” said Wang Ting, a customer.
“It relaxes your whole body. And I can tell I can breathe easier,” said another customer, Gui Fang.
Salt therapy is not intended to be a substitute for seeing a doctor. And there is not much scientific research supporting or disputing the benefits. But that’s irrelevant to salt cave loyalists.
