Halotherapy: Salt Rooms + Yoga to Relax, Recharge and Breathe Easy

Yogis use salt rooms to treat respiratory probems, recharge and relax

There’s something especially healing about practicing yoga and meditation on the beach while inhaling the salty sea air. Now, some yoga teachers are replicating the experience by offering classes in manmade salt rooms with walls covered in Himalayan salt crystals where a dry salt vapor is pumped into the air. The therapeutic service, known as halotherapy, dates back to Europe in the 19th century, when a Polish physician recognized that the salt-mine workers he was treating had very healthy respiratory systems. Modern halotherapy businesses like Breathe Easy in New York City and the Salt Mine Arium in Seattle tout their rooms as a natural treatment for respiratory problems, as well as a place to relax and recharge. There’s no scientific proof of halotherapy’s health claims, so take a class if you’re intrigued—but with a grain of salt.

YJ Tried It; Check out our behind-the-scenes experience with salt therapy

See alsoChest-Opening Wave Breath, and chest opening poses