The Real—And Not So Real—Benefits of Salt Caves (Halotherapy)

Salt caves, or halotherapy if you’re looking for the manmade version, are one of those buzzy alternative treatments linked to better respiratory, skin, and mental health. I’m a big fan of innovative approaches to support the overall well-being of my patients, but only when the research is solid enough to recommend them.

So… Do salt caves work? Are they good for you?

The potential of halotherapy is definitely there, and anything that makes you feel a little more relaxed is fine by me. From personal experience with salt room therapy, I can say that being surrounded by a room made entirely of Himalayan salt is therapeutic for the mind.

This guide includes everything I’ve found about the real health benefits of salt caves and halotherapy, including where the idea initially came from.

What Is Salt Cave Therapy (Halotherapy)?

Salt cave therapy, or halotherapy, is a holistic practice that involves spending time in a room meant to mimic a real salt cave (without the inconvenience of working in a salt mine). The walls are typically made of Himalayan or sea salt bricks and there's loose, grainy salt underneath your feet.

History

That all may sound like something from another planet, but its roots go back to the 1800s.

Back in the 1840s, a Polish physician named Dr. Feliks Boczkowski noticed that salt mine workers at the Wieliczka Salt Mine near Kraków had better respiratory health than workers in other mines. He decided the salt mine must have therapeutic properties to keep the miners healthy.

As a result, the mine and its special microclimate started attracting visitors looking for relief from respiratory issues like chronic bronchitis. While the cave is popular today with tourists wanting to see its impressive salt sculptures, it’s become a health resort, too, with promising results. (1)

This is the truest form of speleotherapy, or going underground yourself to get those same benefits enjoyed by miners so many years ago. (2)

If you can’t get yourself to Poland or the rest of Eastern Europe, Himalayan salt rooms and halotherapy offerings appear on spa menus all over the United States and a wide variety of international travel destinations. You’ll typically see salt rooms denoted as either active or passive.

Types

Active salt rooms come with a machine called a halogenerator that breaks down and circulates added salt around the room. Passive salt rooms are filled with salt from floor to ceiling and look more like what you’d likely picture if you had to imagine a salt cave.

Both methods are a form of dry salt therapy, in which salt particles or the unique microclimate created in your “salt cave” enter your lungs and wash over your skin.

Wet salt therapy involves wet actions like bathing in salt water or using a salt water flush. In other words, not a cave.

What Research Says About The Benefits Of Salt Caves

In general, the most significant benefits of salt rooms come from the impact of breathing in salt particles and aerosols. But don’t go sniffing your salt shaker at home just yet!

In a salt cave, there is a significant presence of negative ions in the air. (3) More precisely, sodium chloride (salt) splits into its negative and positive ions in these naturally-occurring spaces.

When plentiful negative ions of compounds like chloride are present, several positive benefits can be observed: they kill some disease-causing microorganisms, may help to balance serotonin levels, and reduce particulate matter in the air to improve breathing. (4)

This is a fairly uncharted area of health science, but the initial evidence is very compelling!

Here are a few of the specific pros that salt caves have to offer, backed by research.

1. Your Breathing Might Improve

Inhaling salt can be good for your lung function. Salt particles or aerosols inhaled during halotherapy may reduce inflammation and break down mucus, which could promote clearer breathing.

The research here is evolving, but studies show that regular halotherapy treatments have a positive impact on patients with pulmonary conditions, thanks to that mucosal effect. (5) It makes sense — airways clear of mucus mean better breathing and healthier sinuses.

A small, open-label study tested the effects of 3 weeks of frequent halotherapy sessions on patients with cystic fibrosis, which is associated with significant lung and respiratory issues. The patients collectively experienced an improvement in their sinus problems, suggesting this might be a great additional therapy alongside CF treatment. (6)

Salt’s anti-inflammatory properties may also relieve symptoms from mold-exacerbated conditions like COPD and bronchitis. (7)

If you’re dealing with respiratory conditions caused by chronic inflammation, breathing in some of that salty air may be a solid complementary treatment.

2. Your Skin Might Look And Feel Better

Salt therapy is designed to mimic the microclimate of natural salt caves. That means controlled temperature and humidity levels to create the best environment for the salt to enter your lungs. The humidity in the room can also leave your skin more hydrated than it was before you came in.

Good hydration boosts elasticity and makes your skin more resilient to things like sun damage and visible signs of aging. That’s just one of the salt cave benefits for skin health, though. Halotherapy may even improve some skin conditions like eczema, acne, and psoriasis thanks to the anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antimicrobial properties of salt. (8)

Patients with serious rosacea, for example, are often put on antibiotics to reduce flare-ups. Salt therapy sessions can give your skin some time to heal as an alternative therapy before starting a medication regimen.

Whether a salty spa treatment will work for you and your skin needs depends on your overall wellness and what’s at the root of your skin health issues. Those rashes or dermatitis may be the result of a mineral deficiency, allergens, or an immune system condition.

3. Your Allergies Might Be Less Intense

Salt therapy may help your allergy symptoms thanks to its decongesting effects. (9) Inhaling salt-infused air may reduce some of the stuffiness you feel when encountering irritants in your environment or dealing with seasonal allergies.

The potential anti-inflammatory effects of halotherapy can also be a positive for allergy sufferers. Allergic reactions are essentially an inflammatory response. (10) Anything you do to curb chronic inflammation, even if it’s cutting back on alcohol, can create a net positive affect on your symptoms.

4. You May Not Need As Many Medications

Any therapy or alternative treatment that reduces symptoms of existing conditions may reduce your reliance on medications.

Those with sensitivities to steroids and popular allergy medications may find they’re less reliant on their allergy drugs with a regular schedule of halotherapy. I’d call that a win!

That doesn’t mean you should go cold turkey and completely drug-free after your first round of halotherapy. Salt therapy can be one piece toward improved well-being overall, just like natural immune-boosting tools like getting more vitamin D or adopting an anti-inflammatory diet.

If you think it might be time to cut down on your allergy meds, talk to your prescribing physician about what tapering might look like for you.