As someone who suffers from frequent sinus headaches/colds, I am constantly on the hunt for holistic remedies because my usual magic potion (Advil Liquigels) I fear will eventually destroy my insides if I don’t find other things to help supplement it. I have tried different things – herbal vitamins, eucalyptus steams over my stove and acupuncture to name a few. Sometimes these help, sometimes they don’t, but I’m a firm believer that trying anything new in holistic treatments can’t hurt!

A few months ago I came across an article on Halotherapy – Himalayan salt rooms that are designed to detoxify the respiratory system, heal skin conditions, promote better breathing, sounder sleep and overall wellness. Intrigued, I did some research and discovered there is a location down the street from my office called Breathe Salt Rooms. I browsed through the pricing ($35 for 25 minutes in the room – eek) and decided to sleep on it until I really felt I needed it. Finally a couple of weeks ago, after maybe the 5th time my nostrils decided to shut down on me this winter, I decided it was time. And good news! Breathe offers a fantastic new client special – 5 sessions for $50 (catch: must be used within 2 weeks). I purchased the special and went to my first session that day. Below is a breakdown of my experience.

Disclaimer: Breathe notes on their site that it generally takes about 10-15 sessions to experience a full/lasting effect of these treatments, but I will break down what I experienced after 5 including a set of back-to-back sessions and an hour long double session. 

Friday March 17th-Session 1:
I was greeted by the friendly staff at Oasis Day Spa (Breathe is located within the spa) and enjoyed some cucumber water while I waited to be escorted to the room (if you know me, you know that I place a high value on seemingly insignificant amenities like free cucumber water, so already I had a good feeling about this place). Once I was in the room, I removed my shoes and walked across a floor made completely of Himalayan salt and sat in a lounge chair. I was given an ipod with headphones to listen to an 8 minute explanation on how the process works and its history, followed by a lovely selection of spa music. While I was listening, a “halogenerator” machine was turned on which cranks out millions of microscopic particles of salt. The very first thing I noticed: my nose opened up almost immediately. I could actually breathe through it. It was a miracle! I left after about 30 minutes (they don’t rush you out which is nice) and my breathing felt clearer for about 3 hours following the session.

Thursday March 23rd – Session 2:
Same lovely greeting with the cucumber water, knowing the routine I walked myself to the room. I did not have a cold this time so wondered if I would notice as much of a difference in my sinuses opening, and I did! When I left I felt more alert and able to take in full, deep breaths on my walk back to the office. It felt great.

Friday March 24th – Session 3:
I wanted to try back-to-back days to see if it created more of a lasting effect through the weekend. The actual session felt the same as Thursday’s, my sinuses opened up and I even fell asleep for a few minutes. I felt very refreshed when I left. Unfortunately I did not notice a lasting weekend effect.

Wednesday March 29th – Session 4:
As my intro package was running out, I wanted to combine two sessions together and sit for an hour. This was a variation of the therapy I had not tried, so I thought it would be interesting to see if the effects changed with longer exposure. The first half of the session was the same as usual, but the second half actually managed to make my breathing even clearer. I did start to cough a bit throughout the second session which the initial “tutorial” I listened to said can happen and is part of the clearing process, but mid-session I thought to myself “wow, this is what breathing is supposed to feel like.” It was an amazing feeling. I will say, post-session was no different from previous ones. I felt cleared up for a few hours and more alert and focused when I left, but the lasting effects did not seem to double with a longer session.

Overall, I would highly recommend Halotherapy to anyone with sinus/breathing issues. While I did not attend the 10-15 sessions necessary to experience real lasting effects, I can absolutely attest to the fact that the salt room can provide single-session relief, especially with a cold!