Salt for the Soul: a visit to the salt cave

Sitting in a room of salt for an extended period of time may seem a bit suspect, but the verdict is in. If you are looking for something therapeutic, a relief from asthma and seasonal allergies, or even a bit of a mind trip, a salt cave is a must try. We headed to TruNature Salt Therapy in Maynard to experience what the Himalayan salt cave hype is about. Entering curious, we departed as total converts.  

When visiting the TruNature Salt Cave, you are greeted by owner Bo, whose enthusiasm and kindness are both comforting and intoxicating. She carefully explains the protocol of visiting the salt cave and all the wonderful benefits that halotherapy (salt therapy) can have on visitors.

These include addressing ailments such as seasonal allergies, bronchitis, inflammation, the common cold, and even ear infections. Bo has many clients who come in weekly to curb the difficulties of allergy season. Others come for the calming, centering, restorative benefits that salt therapy offers. She explains that when the negatively ionized salt particles are inhaled they essentially bond with pollutant positive ions and replace them. This exchange helps the excretion of toxins from the body.

If your plan is to relax in the salt cave, bring some comfy clothes to change into and a blanket to wrap yourself up in. Geared up in a sweatsuit and clear of any perfumes, we are led into a room that is covered in pink glowing salt. Salt bricks line the walls, while salt lights illuminate from below and mounds of salt piles blanket the ground.

As we sit down on a zero gravity chair, Bo explains that there will be micro particles of pure salt pumped into the air. The only job left to be done is sit, relax and breathe deeply. Quiet meditative music starts playing and minutes start to melt into one another.

Fully dive into the experience, for there seems to be this space between awake and asleep that people find themselves in. A salt consciousness? Perhaps. Whatever the case, when Bo re-emerges to guide you after the session is complete, don’t be surprised if explaining the sensation seems impossible to articulate. Maybe it’s the simple joy of being deeply relaxed.

If you want to take your treatment up a notch, think about booking a salt bed session. After gearing up in a provided bodysuit that covers everything but your face and hands, you shimmy yourself into a wooden bed that is two feet deep with heated Himalayan salt.

Bo helps you position properly and then proceeds to carefully scoop salt all over your body. Once you are packed in (literally), the lights go out, and the 45 minute treatment starts. The compression, weight and heat of the salt is subtle at first. As time carries on, you feel your body sweating and the heat rising. If aches and pains are present, the warmth and pressure of the salt treatment targets the discomfort, relaxing the body in a slow but steady way.

That same salt consciousness occurs as in the salt cave but this time to a higher degree, where a sense of time feels lost and the reality of being submerged in salt truly alters one’s state of mind. When the session is finished, the amount of sweat produced is borderline shocking. After a quick shower and water to rehydrate, you’ll emerge majorly mellow. Be prepared for one of the best night's sleep you’ve had in a long time.

TruNature Salt Therapy
Where: 79 Main Street, Maynard
Call and plan your visit
with Bo: 978-897-1596
Follow ‘em:
@salt_cave_maynard_ma
Bring FAQ: refrain from perfume, bring comfy clothes and extra water for the ride home.
PS: bring your own music or podcast to accompany you in the salt bed.
may we suggest:
keeping it modern: Khalid: Free Spirit
keeping it real: Van Morrison: Veedon Fleece