Salt has been used for healing purposes all over the world since ancient times. In the West, there are reports of salt being inhaled to improve breathing since the times of Hippocrates.
The type of salt therapy used at our Salt Spa originated about 150 years ago in Eastern Europe. In 1843, Polish health official Dr. Felix Botchkowski observed that the miners at the salt mine in Wieliczka, Poland did not suffer from respiratory illnesses that were common in the general population. Seeking relief, many people suffering from respiratory illnesses were brought into the salt mines and even slept there overnight. A study called "About the Breathing of Salt Dust" was published.
This salt mine in the Ukraine was used for convalescence for patients with respiratory illnesses. This is how salt therapy was administered for many years.
Since traveling to salt mines is neither convenient or safe, doctors in Eastern Europe decided to simulate the health-promoting conditions they observed in the salt mines by creating controlled-environments in special rooms conveniently located within medical facilities. The floors and walls were lined with salt and special equipment was designed to crush salt into micron-sized particles dispersed as an aerosol into these Salt Therapy Rooms. This therapy became known as "Halotherapy" (halo is Greek for salt). Halotherapy salt rooms became very popular in Eastern Europe, many of which are attached to the respiratory units of hospitals.
Salt therapy is now spreading all over the world and has made its way to the U.S.
The Salt Spa at Traditional Health Clinic is Tennessee's first halotherapy facility, offering relief of respiratory and skin conditions.
Adults relax on comfortable recliners in a beautiful, salt-lined room.
Children play safely as their parents relax on a comfy bench in a separate room for kids built like a giant salt box.