Salt has been mined across Europe since Neolithic times for everything from use in religious and cultural ceremonies to seasoning food, preserving meat and fish and healing properties. So valuable was the mineral that Roman soldiers were paid in part in salt, hence the term: salary!
Essential to the body
Humans need sodium, an essential trace mineral found in Himalayan salt, to support muscle function, maintain proper bodily fluid balance and, oddly enough, prevent dehydration as well as high blood pressure. Animals also need sodium in their diets and visit salt licks — outcrops of underground salt deposits in forests and on open plains — for the same reasons.
The salt minerals used in halotherapy, or salt therapy, have been mined for thousands of years in Salzburg, Austria. Luckily, Indiana residents don't have to travel halfway across the world to gain the many health benefits from these amazing minerals.
At the Evexia Salt Cave in Chesterton, owner Kimberly Franklin has re-created the historic salt mines and caves of Europe in her new wellness center and spa. Surrounded by walls of pink Himalayan salt, clients relax as the 84 trace minerals found in the salt are gently absorbed into the skin and lungs to remove toxicity from the respiratory system and inflammation in the body.
“We’re a salt cave with 20,000 pounds of pink Himalayan salt featuring zero-gravitation chairs and meditation music,” says Franklin. “It’s a dry salt mist that is inhaled and soaks into the skin. It’s super-absorbent and anti-inflammatory.”
Himalayan salt is prized for its rich mineral content. During 45-minute sessions at Evexia, the dry salt is breathed in to break up mucus and draw out impurities from the upper and lower airways. At the same time, salt particles are absorbed by the skin to relieve any number of epidermal conditions, such as acne, rosacea and aging skin.
Natural wellness is growing
According to Franklin, halotherapy is one of the fastest-growing natural wellness therapies in North America. After only a few of the twice-weekly salt therapy sessions, clients report an overall sense of wellness, with enhanced lung capacity, healthier-looking skin, reduced stress and improved sleep.
The wellness center also offers ionic foot detox, a foot bath intended to drain toxins from the body through pores in the feet. Franklin also offers weekly yoga and meditation with gong or singing crystal bowl sound therapy, as well as periodic informational classes on CBD, crystals and other forms of alternative medicine.
Evexia Salt Cave is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and by appointment only on Sunday. For more information, visit evexiasaltcave.net or call 219.728.6791.
