Lately I’ve been on the lookout for cozy things. With the weather as it’s been, and no sign of an end to the snow, we’ve been nesting at home. Our office futon has become the place to be, piled high with pillows and blankets and paired with Netflix.
During these cold, miserable days, it takes something exciting to make me leave that nest. Something like cozy blankets, comfy chairs, relaxing music, and a Salt Room.
I’d never heard of a salt room before. As it turns out, it’s pretty much what it sounds like, though the sum is greater than its parts.
I checked into The Salt Room in Halifax 15 minutes before my scheduled appointment. Jennifer gave me the rundown, giving me a crash course in Halotherapy, what it is used for, and what I could expect once inside. But there really is little that can prepare you for the Salt Room.
After my introduction, she gave me a funny pair of slippers, then opened the door to a cozy room made entirely of salt. The walls are made of a hardened salt that was painstakingly applied by hand and which took more than a month to complete, and the floor is covered in piles of loose salt straight from the Dead Sea. It feels kind of like sand underfoot.
Jennifer let me pick a chair, then helped me pick out some music on the personal headset. My choices ranged from 80s hits to sounds from nature. I was given a plush white blanket that I curled up in before reclining in my big, comfy white chair.
I thought the room would feel claustrophobic, but the dimmed lights, soft glow of the salt lamps, and surreal experience and sights of a room of salt distract from the small space. It’s a calming, meditative experience. I snuggled under the blanket and took deep, slow breaths as crushed salt filtered into the room.
Halotherapy is used primarily for respiratory and skin ailments, but it’s also great for stress reduction. It’s popular in Europe and Scandinavia, a treatment that’s been used for more than 150 years since monks, and later, doctors, noticed that respiratory ailments got better faster when treatments were conducted in natural salt caves. In those first Halotherapy treatments, monks would hit salt rocks against each other to create a salt dust in the air.
The salt room in Halifax is the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada. It’s an appropriate fit for a place where people feel so much connection to the ocean and salt water. Some people find the experience akin to spending time by the sea. I felt more like I was in an ice castle. A cozy, warm ice castle.
I could definitely see myself using Halotherapy – both for my skin and just for a cool and relaxing experience. It’s also suppose to be great for athletes, and with our next race coming up in May, I’m game for anything that helps relax and increase my breath.
I tried The Salt Room for free, and you can too! Right now, they have a free 30 minute consult and complimentary session. Experience a unique way to warm up winter, and feel better when you leave then when you came in!
Location:
The Salt Room
Suite 15, 3514 Joseph Howe Dr.
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Cost: $45/session
Website: http://thesaltroom.ca/
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@GillianWesleyNS
@DrewMooreNS
