Almost two centuries ago, a physician in Poland noticed something rather interesting, the people toiling in the Wieliczka Salt Mine didn’t have lung issues like workers in other mines.
The physician, Dr. Feliks Boczkowski, is the reason for the growing wellness trend of salt therapy.
But does it work, and how?
A salt room offers a dry salt therapy experience. The air inside the salt room is filled with microscopic salt particles. There are two types of salt rooms, including:
An active room has a machine that breaks salt apart and spreads the particles around the room. The process is known as halotherapy. As the salt travels in the salt room, these salt particles of dry sodium chloride are inhaled into the respiratory system. Once absorbed, the dry salt naturally starts absorbing allergens and toxins into your lungs and throughout your respiratory tract. The room must maintain a certain temperature, humidity level, and proper ventilation to ensure the efficacy of the salt therapy.
A passive salt room is filled with salt, this can include himalayan, rock salt etc. Passive salt rooms are usually more meditative settings, compared to active salt rooms. They have been created to mimic the natural salt caves found in Europe.
Our own passive salt room has been designed to offer salt therapy and halotherapy to our customers from across Dublin and the rest of Ireland.
This salt room encourages you to inhale salt-infused air whilst relaxing in the room throughout your stay.
Salt has been used in medical practices for hundreds of years because it is a natural disinfectant. There’s a good chance you probably participate in some form of wet salt therapy without knowing it. Have you ever gargled your mouth with salt water to treat an ulcer or tooth issue? That is an example of wet salt therapy.
Dry salt therapy is a lot less common and less understood. It involves dispersing small particles of salt into the air to allow people to breathe it in.
Dry salt is absorbent and has natural anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. During salt therapy, you’ll inhale these tiny particles deep into your airways and lungs and they will also land on your skin. When inhaled, the salt causes your mucus to thin and liquefy. This makes it easier to expel debris and pollutants. The salt particles stimulate your body’s natural cilia movement, which helps keep our airways clear of mucus and dirt, helping us breathe easier.
Dry salt helps improve the skin’s protective properties, reduces inflammation, and encourages natural exfoliation. It can also absorb impurities, regulate the pH level and promote the skin’s good bacteria.
Improved breathing:
Salt therapy can help improve your breathing. Breathing in the salt particles is known to thin mucus, which allows your cough to be more productive and makes it easier to get phlegm out.
Improves your skin:
Salt therapy can give you healthier skin. The therapy allows salt-saturated air to flow over your body and is said to naturally boost your skin’s hydration. This ends up leaving the skin feeling smoother and looking less blotchy.
Helps reduce stress:
Salt rooms can help calm your nervous system and reduce stress. The calm and dimly lit salt-filled environment, combined with soft music playing can certainly relax you and help with meditation.
A 2007 study done on halotherapy concludes that inhaling dry salt may prove to be a useful adjuvant therapy in COPD as far as effort tolerance and quality of life is concerned. However, more research needs to be done on the subject due to the placebo effect.
According to research done in 2014, halotherapy triggers anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic responses in people with bronchial asthma or chronic bronchitis.
A salt room is something worth trying, especially if you have some breathing issues. However, salt therapy is designed to be used with conventional medicine. If you have existing health issues, talk to your doctor before trying halotherapy to be on the safe side. It is never a substitute for your medication.
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We hope this helps you understand more about salt rooms in general, and why we offer salt room therapy here in our Dublin day spa.
For more information, or to chat to our team click here.
