A salt cave in Toledo, Spain (photo courtesy of Wikicommons Images, Saltium CC BY-SA 4.0)MA asks: "Are salt rooms New Age?"
No, but they don't have a lot of science to back up their claims.
The idea originated from the naturally occurring salt caves in Europe which are said to improve allergy symptoms, asthma and some skin conditions.
The idea that exposing oneself to salt can lead to better respiratory health dates back two centuries to an observation by a Polish physician named Dr. Feliks Boczkowski who noticed that Polish salt mine workers never seemed to have lung problems like workers in other mines. They rarely contracted colds or coughs and were unusually healthy. The salt seemed to keep their lungs free from infection and even allergies.
Before long, Dr. Boczkowski's theory about the health benefits of salt inhalation caused began to spread across Europe with visitors from all over the world seeking out salt mines with the hopes of easing their lung problems.
Nowadays, people don't seek out salt mines. They visit salt chambers such as those that sprang up across the US in cities such as New York, Orlando, Chicago and Los Angeles. Today's typical salt room has salt-coated walls and ceilings with loose grains of salt scattered a few inches deep on the floor. The salt is supposedly pure, coming from caves in the Ukraine and other natural mines.
Some chambers use machines that grind the salt into powdery flecks that are then blown into the air and inhaled. This is known as an active salt room as opposed to a passive salt room where there is no machine and contains different types of salt with controlled temperature and humidity.
Typically, people are fully clothed while using the chambers or can don a robe and slippers if they prefer.
A one-hour session for an adult in an Orlando salt room costs $45. Another location charges $100 for a private room with a television.
According to The Cleveland Clinic, most of the reports about the healing qualities of halotherapy are anecdotal, but scientific evidence is scant.
“Sometimes, it can be frustrating that there aren’t enough well-designed studies looking at a particular treatment or the different study outcomes can be conflicting,” notes Melissa Young, MD. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a potential benefit to that treatment.”
Visiting a salt chamber comes with a few risks. Inhaling salt particles can cause an increase in coughing for a time. Also, because there are no established halotherapy standards, Dr. Young called the industry "the Wild Wild West with everyone doing it a different way." She suggets only using salt rooms affiliated with and/or overseen by a medical professional.
She also warns that salt rooms are not a substitution for a person's medication.
Salt rooms are "something that may be worth trying, especially if you have some breathing issues," she says. "But view it as an extra to your normal treatments ― not a replacement.”
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