My skin is *still* thanking me.
By Lauren Valenti, Sweet
On the very last day
of 2016—a year that I, like many, was ready to let go of—visiting a
salt cave seemed like the perfect way to while away one of the final
hours of the year. Soul cleansing was in order, to say the least.
[post_ads]Salt
therapy, AKA halotherapy, is a mainstay in Europe and has been on the
rise stateside for the past couple of years. As a mineral, salt is
antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal. Thus, can help
alleviate a number of respiratory ailments, and skin conditions (like
eczema, acne, and cellulite), as well as contribute to overall wellness.
"[It] can be either ingested, applied topically, or inhaled in the
proper quality-controlled concentrations," explains Dr. Richard
Leinhardt, an ENT specialist and medical director at Halo/Air.
Out on the east end of
Long Island for New Year's Eve, my respite of choice was Montauk Salt
Cave, a cozy grotto made of tons of pink Himalayan sea salt. Inside,
you'll find a slew of beach chairs, rock lamps, and starry "holes" in
the ceiling that imitate the night sky. As soon as you walk in, you can
breath in the decidedly rarefied air, which is pumped with
pharmaceutical-grade aerosol salt you can taste. Soundtrack-wise, you're
bathing in deep, haunting ambient music. It's like a yoga class, except
without the exercise part.
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The
session was 45-minutes long and at first, I sat back in one of the
reclining chairs and snuggled up beneath a couple of blankets. It was
cozy and I did a few breathing exercises with the Apple Watch's
"Breathe" app to inhale
as many benefits as possible. However, I eventually grew restless, and
began toying with the idea of stripping off a few layers so that my skin
could get better acquainted with the salt. Before I knew it, I was in a
tank top and rolled-up pants making Tumblr-pink snow angels.
NBD - just osme light cave exploration as part of your new 2017 skin-care and wellness regimen.
[post_ads]I
discovered that a dry salt bath is even better than a wet one. It's
kind of like laying in the sand on the beach, except it takes
exfoliation to a whole new level sans harmful UV rays. As if I were dry
brushing my body, I'd take handfuls of the salt and gently massage it
into my skin to help combat lymphatic congestion while buffing away dead
skin cells. It felt so good. Once I went rogue, the time was up before I knew it...
Upon
leaving, I felt relaxed and my skin, especially on the back of my arms
and legs where I suffer from KP (keratosis pilaris AKA bumps), felt
ridiculously smooth and soft (days later, it's still thanking me for the
TLC). I didn't feel like a whole new woman per se, but the whole
experience was lovely.
At $40 a session, the treatments are an investment for some and a luxury
for others. More often than not, you're going to need multiple visits
to see longterm results.
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But if you suffer from allergies, asthma, or a
more severe skin condition, it's definitely worth a try. One of my
friends swears
by salt cave visits to treat her eczema. If you don't have a cave
nearby, or just want to dip your toe into salt therapy, you can also try
a salt lamp or add Himalayan salt to your humidifier. Either way, you
should be more salty in 2017.
