Salt therapy might help you destress during pandemic

Atlanta spas offer rooms designed to detox, destress and delight

What is a salt therapy cave?

Staying home all the time might be a dream come true for some, but others might find it very stressful. If roommates, children or your spouse have you longing for some “me time,” a salt therapy treatment might be just what you need.

Halotherapy — halo is the Greek word for salt — has been around since the Middle Ages, but didn’t become popular in the United States until recently.

There is little evidence of health benefits, but the Salt Therapy Association says sea salt therapy alleviates allergies, elevates moods and even eliminates acne.

Whether benefits are actual or a placebo effect, at least you’ll have an hour to yourself to relax.

Intown Salt Room

Intown Salt Room’s 1,000 square foot space incorporates 6,000 pounds of Himalayan salt into the decor. The spa’s website says the dry salt therapy “helps to alleviate stress, anxiety and fatigue, reduces snoring and sleeping problems, helps with overall skin health and skin conditions including psoriasis, eczema and acne and helps improve allergies, asthma and sinus infections.” Intown Salt room also has a meditation room “equipped with two state-of-the art, zero gravity Wave Loungers from So Sound Solutions with proprietary Acoustic Resonance Technology that allows sound to resonate through the body while it’s simultaneously piped in via in-room speakers and headphones.”

Carrie Wright opened Intown Salt Room in Grant Park two years ago.

“It was a personal ambition for me because I really just believed in the benefits of dry salt therapy and the relaxation around a salt room. Sitting in a room of Himalayan salt is very calming,” Wright told the AJC’s Nedra Rhone in 2018.

A single 30 minute dry salt treatment costs $40, with packages available at reduced rates. A single 30 minute meditation session costs $30, also with packages available.

Jeju Sauna

Jeju Sauna in Gwinnett County is set up differently from other spas. You pay to enter, then are given an electronic watch that serves not only as a “key” to open your locker but also as a tabulator to keep track of extra services or food you buy.

The salt room at Jeju is one of several saunas available. You likely won’t be alone in it, but at least you can wear clothes in this area of the spa. Just so you know, all same-gender areas of the spa are experienced nude.

Serenity Salt Cave and Healing Center

The 350-square-foot salt cave, which its website says is “the first of its kind in the state of Georgia,” is made from natural pink Himalayan salt. The floor is made of several inches of pink Himalayan salt crystals. In addition, the air is infused with negative ions thanks to a water cascade.

“This salt cave is a feast for all senses,” its website states. “Added therapeutic sound elements, with state-of-the art audio capabilities, enhance this space for ultimate relaxation.”

A single session in this Snellville salt cave costs $30, with multiple-session passes available.