We are all too familiar with the adage about rubbing salt into your wounds, but at the Salt Cave in Darien, salt is the precisely the cure for what’s ailing you.
Nestled in an unassuming row of offices on the Post Road is truly a cave of wonder. Opened in 2017, the absolutely stunning space is a welcome respite from the hustle of daily life. Three tons of Himalayan salt are contained in spaced, lining the walls, floor, and the gorgeous illuminated ceiling. Microparticles of pharmaceutical salt are also misted into the air by a halogeneator. This futher promotes relaxation (as the cave itself is already an incredibly calming space) and also may aid in respitatory function as well as soothing skin conditions and joint pain.
If this all sounds a little woo woo, visiting salt caves is actually a very ancient practice. Dating back to the 12th century in Eastern Europe, it became a mainstream practice by 1800s when Polish salt miners showed remarkable respiratory health, despite working underground for several hours a day.
Fortunately, you won’t have to travel far to experience the benefits of halotherapy today. The Salt Cave offers private sessions as well as a spa services including massages and reflexology and plenty of weekly evening events.
I attended a guided hypnosis session with Kim Scala, a certified hypnotherapist. As I reclined back in the chair, somewhere between sleep and total relaxation, Kim’s soothing voice took us on a journey to inspire abundance in our lives in love, finances, and creativity. At the end, she passed around homemade cookies and I found it incredibly difficult to leave the coziness of the space and atmosphere.
"The Himalayan salt cave offers a distinctive therapeutic setting for relaxation and rejuvenation,” said Kim Scala. “Participants naturally slip into a deeper state of relaxation, facilitated by this enriched atmosphere that encourages deeper breathing. Hypnosis in a group format can be very therapeutic and healing as energy is amplified in groups. The salt cave is a safe space where people can unwind and let their guard down allowing me to offer beneficial empowering suggestions that easily slip into the subconscious mind making profound changes possible. The fusion of the cave's ancient healing properties with my empowering hypnotic suggestions creates a synergistic effect, heightening the benefits of the sessions and cultivating a profound sense of well-being. Participants not only experience deep relaxation but also undergo an empowering mental transformation."
Since there is a finite amount of space, events at the cave sell out quickly. Some fun events this month include a guided group hypnosis by Kim Scala for real estate professionals, a gua sha facial lesson, and an “unwine” yoga class where participants sip wine while posing.