LENOIR- Downtown Lenoir will soon be getting a new spot to relax that blends well-known forms of stress management, such as yoga and massage, with a lesser known form of holistic healing- halotherapy inside of a salt cave.
Wolf Moon Salt Cave and Stress Reduction center is set to open in May, and will provide guests with the opportunity to relax in zero-gravity chairs surrounded by salt crystals and stalactites, a waterfall, and a heated salt floor.
When Stefanie Keller’s husband, Jason Keller, booked her a surprise stay at the Williamsburg Salt Spa, her experience was so profound she came out of the session knowing that she would eventually open one herself.
“Sitting in that salt cave my thoughts were more clear than they’ve ever been,” she said. “There was so much clarity it felt like I was holding the right hand of God.”
“I got out and I told him (Jason) all about it…and I said ‘we have to open up one of these, this has to happen,’ and boom, here we are," she said.
“Our salt cave features a water feature, so you’re getting that briny, salt therapy that you get at the ocean,” Stefanie said.
The salt cave also features a Halo generator, which grinds medical grade salt and disperses it in the air.
"That’s where your true therapy is coming from," Stefanie said.
Jason added, “after every session we’re going to exchange the air in the room three or four times so that everybody gets exactly the same amount of everything."
In preparation for their business venture, the Keller's went to the Salt Therapy Association conference for more education on the “how and why” behind the experience that Stepfanie described as simply, “divine.”
According to the Salt Therapy Association, as the salt travels in the salt room, salt particles of dry sodium chloride are inhaled into the respiratory system. The dry salt naturally starts absorbing allergens, toxins and foreign substances into your lungs and throughout your respiratory tract.
“We live in allergy central, we’ve got mold and mildew everywhere...I don’t know of anyone without allergies,” Stefanie said.
“Secondly, they’ve done a lot of research and studies that show salt caves increase circulation, which in turn is helping decrease inflammation in the body,” she said. “We learned at the salt conference that NFL teams are starting to go into salt caves after big games and are recovering way faster just sitting in the salt cave.”
Dry salt may help to reduce inflammation and open airway passages, as the micro-sized crystal structure of pure NaCl particles breaks loose and clears out what doesn’t belong in the body. This is the basis for how dry salt therapy can impact people suffering from respiratory conditions like allergies, asthma, bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, COPD and others, according to the Salt Therapy Association.
“The next thing would be your skin…I have skin issues, I sat in that salt cave and it is healing,” Stefanie said.
The association details that properties of dry salt also absorb impurities and provide antibacterial properties that benefit the skin such as acne, psoriasis and eczema as well as regulates the skin's micro-circulation.
The smaller particles can reach beneath the skin’s surface and absorb moisture towards the skin while the larger salt particles land on the skin and absorb bacterial and foreign substances.
While salt therapy offers several physical benefits, Jason said, “The mental aspect is the best for me.”
“As you go in, the lights are lowered, we have soft music playing in the background with the water running,” he said. “No technology.”
While the Keller's do encourage leaving your phones in the provided lockers, devices are allowed in the cave for those who need to stay in contact with children or work, so long as calls and texts are taken outside of the cave.
There’s widespread belief within the salt healing community that the salt works to balance negative and positive ions within the body.
“Our phones, our radio signals, our electricity, everything is giving us those positive ions, and when we feel overly anxious and stressed out, that’s not helping,” Stefanie said. “The moment you walk in there you are surrounded by this salt and you get in balance. All of the minerals that you’re breathing in and soaking in through the body, it’s getting back into balance.”
To stay up to date on the grand opening, pricing, and a full list of services, visit the Wolf Moon Salt Cave and Stress Reduction Center website at:
https://www.wolfmoonsaltcave.com/