Halo-lujah! I’ve discovered a cure for my allergies. After my morning sneezing-fit, I enter The Salt Cabin and breathe a sigh of relief. It’s that simple.
In the 1800s, Polish salt miners exhibited unusually healthy lungs, and showed lower incidence of colds, coughs, infections and allergies. Eventually, visitors gravitated from all over the world to experience this magical air. What began as a tourist destination helped popularize modern-day halotherapy.
Halo is Greek for salt. Salt is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial. Breathing air infused with Dry Salt in an Active Salt Room helps remove toxins from the respiratory system and boost the immune system.
A mother/daughter and son-in-law team, helmed by Elizabeth Smith, set out to create a reasonably-priced “mini vacation” experience in Stratford; one that could provide an accessible and rejuvenating getaway. Enter The Salt Cabin.
The salt room in their Salt Cabin is equipped with a Halogenerator to generate small, dry, pharmaceutical-grade salt into the air. It enters the lungs and skin, and for me, the effect is immediate. It’s like a nasal exorcism that clears out my sinuses, and enables me to unclench my face and just relax.
It’s not a day at the beach, although the ambience of the room and sound of ocean waves is certainly calming. Ocean salt is wet, saturated and therefore we cannot absorb it. The only similarity is the abundance of negative ions, which can increase our serotonin levels to alleviate depression and stress, and boost our energy.
The significant difference between this experience and other salt rooms that I have experienced, is that this is an active salt room, as opposed to a passive salt room, and so we’re not just sitting amidst salt—which has comparably little effect. We are actively breathing a projection and infusion of salt circulating through the air. There is a range of health benefits in the respiratory system and in athletic performance, and for our skin, it normalizes ph-balance and naturally triggers skin micro-circulation and membrane activity. There is even great therapeutic effect on ear infections.
Afterwards, I definitely have a more easy feeling and open energy. Now it’s time to sidle up to the bar…for some oxygen.
I’m told this is the perfect antidote for a hangover. Oxygen-intake counteracts blood vessel constriction and hastens metabolization. But the fact is, so many of us are shallow breathers to begin with, and so when allergy season hits and there’s more particulate in the air, or when we’re tense and stressed from a daily grind, we don’t realize how relatively inadequate our breathing can be.
Some people take the time to practice conscious breathing, and there are a host of parasympathetic benefits to that. We all know the value of taking a deep breath. But, for the most surprising and immediate awareness of just how inefficient our breathing can be, and how wonderful it feels to treat our bodies to oxygen—instead of caffeine or sugar—this is the mic drop of all afternoon pick-me-ups! (Fun Fact: The very first oxygen bar opened in Toronto in 1996.)
The big question is: should we select by our preferred aromatic essence or by our desired feeling. I choose to pair the Ocean Mist of lotus blossom, black current and aquatic flower with the eucalyptus of Chillin’ to purify and energize. Naturally, the effect depends on the choice of pairing.
Donning our nasal cannulas, we are connected to bottles of air infused with the essence of our choice. At first, I feel apprehensive, but that is completely washed away with each breath. I gradually feel a subtle euphoria and levity as my head, my sinuses and the resonators in my face, as well as my chest are all lightly buzzing.
My ten-year-old son chooses Zen and Tranquility for a combination of rosemary, mint, chamomile and vanilla. Smith tells us that this pairs a sense of soothing, replenishing and calming with cooling, refreshing and invigorating. And what is the verdict? My son relaxes his face into a satisfied smile and tells me he feels happy, calm and focused. “You know when you breath, and there’s a barrier where you can’t breathe in anymore?” He asks. “Well, I feel like now the barrier is two times farther—possibly even three times.”
Apparently, parents are becoming attuned to how effective and fun this is for their kids, since the health benefit seems to be matched by an immediate physiological response. The most popular essences to which kids gravitate are the fruity options like Strawberry Fields or Mango Madness.
On completion of our session, I’m immediately on the phone to my mother insisting she book an appointment as the very first thing she does after her drive to Stratford. This is what people need to do right before a long drive, after a long drive, before a big test, big date, performance, or even first thing in the morning.
There are other services offered here from Red Light Tower Therapy to Red Light Therapy Cleopatra Masks, an Infrared Sauna and a Salt Spa Detox treatment on hands and feet for relief of arthritis and carpal tunnel pain (Perfect for me after I finish typing this article.) But there is one temptation I cannot resist: the Luxury Zero Gravity Massage Chair.
I’m generally not interested in massage chairs, because they typically reinforce the fact that most people do not meet the standard shape and size specifications set by the designer, and so the optimal experience is missed. However, this Rolls Royce of chairs completes a digital scan of my body displayed on a monitor, and then dispatches forty-two air bags to compress me.
There is no space between my lumbar and this anti-gravity chair as it tilts back and systematically squishes, kneads and rolls me like dough. Multiple functions simultaneously activate. While feeling shrink-wrapped in leather, my arms and shins are gently sandwiched between cushions, a slow-moving freight train runs up and down my back, an entire dojo of martial artists are chopping at my waist, and a marching band of little drummer boys is pounding my feet. I cannot even spell tenshun when I stand up with the noodles I once called my legs. At a fraction of the cost of a massage therapist, this is an absolute must-try experience when needing to give yourself a luxurious treat.
For some well-deserved relaxation, everything is better when seasoned with a little salt!
