Breathe easy with salt therapy
By Sherri Coner // Photography by Tony Vasquez
For the first time, the Salt Therapy Association, which organized six years ago, chose Indianapolis as its 2023 conference destination and since that time, a few central Indiana business owners have jumped on the Himalayan salt therapy “sand wagon.”
According to industry experts, a growing number of Hoosiers, especially those who live with recurrent respiratory challenges, have tried salt-therapy treatment, also known as halotherapy, in recent times. But of course, those who choose to explore salt-spa treatments do so for a variety of reasons.
Visits are sometimes social in nature, with small groups of friends stepping gingerly across a salt-covered floor in what is often a dimly lit, relaxation-inducing space. Then, they stretch out on reclining lounge chairs and spend much of their 45- to 60-minute sessions talking and laughing while breathing in the micronized dry salt.
In other situations, guests prefer to approach the salt-spa experience completely alone. They bring reading materials along while others choose to meditate or nap during the quiet, relaxation session. However, it seems that in almost every scenario, salt-spa clients are looking for specific healing effects that are commonly associated with the tiny salt particles they’re surrounding themselves with.
Salt therapy is best known as an alternative treatment for lung problems associated with asthma, bronchitis and allergies; however, medical studies have uncovered an added benefit. Along with providing respiratory relief and lung-capacity enhancement, this therapy also enhances T-cell production, which helps the body fight off infections.
According to Suzann Esposito, owner of Indy Salt Therapy Plus in Greenwood, clients also seek the detoxing and healing effects salt therapy has on dermatological conditions, such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. And from an insurance coverage perspective, some insurance policies are now providing coverage for salt therapy.
“The more times people come in, the more benefits they see,” she said. “That even leads some to schedule sessions a couple of times a week.”
While visiting a friend last year in North Carolina, Esposito had a few halotherapy sessions for the first time and was immediately impressed.
“I was amazed by it,” she said, noting that a chronic cough and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are other conditions that motivate people to seek relief through salt spas.
Salt particles are said to help thin out mucus and clear phlegm. But also, salt-spa treatment is believed to improve the function of cilia in the respiratory tract, which helps protect the lungs from inflammation and irritation.
After her experience in North Carolina, Esposito returned home to the south side of Indianapolis and dove headfirst into researching salt treatment benefits. She then approached her husband, Jerry, with the prospect of opening Greenwood’s first-ever salt-therapy spa.
According to Esposito, Jerry’s excitement matched her own, so the couple secured a location near the Regal Theater in Johnson County and focused on what would prove to be the hardest part of their venture — constructing a holistic salt spa.
“We used 682 blocks of Himalayan salt,” Esposito said.
After countless hours of “construction work,” the Espositos considered their options about temperature and humidity regulation. Although some salt-spa owners choose to only regulate the salt space itself, they decided to install a small machine called a halogenerator. When clients enter their spa, Esposito turns on the machine, which quietly grinds and releases salt into the air. It’s invisible to the naked eye, but a small flashlight can reveal the tiny particles circulating the area.
Shortly after opening last November, Esposito invited an oxygen-dependent neighbor to try halotherapy. “He couldn’t believe how much better he felt,” she said. “The next day he felt even better.”
The Espositos aren’t the only Johnson County entrepreneurs enamored with salt therapy.
Southsider Tya Sage, owner of Salt of the Earth in Old Towne Greenwood, was also introduced to salt therapy through personal experience, and like Esposito, she almost immediately saw the power of salt.
“I really loved it,” she said of the experience. “There are so many health benefits, especially after Covid. It is affordably beneficial for every age.”
Although there are many people who view halotherapy as something new, salt treatment has been around for over a century. In fact, the discovery of healing salt dates to 1839 when Dr. Feliks Boczkowski, a Polish physician, noted that male patients working in salt mines reported significantly fewer episodes of respiratory problems than patients who did not work in the salt mines. As the news of this discovery spread, many people began to sit in underground, salt-bath areas to breathe in the benefits.
By 1958, Professor Mieczysław Skulimowski, also a resident of Eastern Europe, conducted in-depth research along with clinical trials to further study halotherapy. Like Boczkowski, his professional conclusion was that deeply inhaling salt had amazing benefits.
For 200 years, some medical professionals have touted that minerals found in salt, such as calcium, iron and potassium, are naturally and painlessly absorbed through the lungs and the skin to help clear viruses, toxins and other pollutants. However, others in the medical community insist that more research is required, stressing that no one should use salt therapy spa visits in place of prescribed medications.
There is no official recommended age for people interested in trying salt-therapy treatments, but those with any of the following health conditions are not permitted, at least not in local establishments: an active fever, open wounds or cancer, undergoing active chemotherapy treatments, suffering from severe hypertension, stage 3 COPD, tuberculosis or heart problems. Pregnant women are also not allowed to use salt therapy.
