Your feet sink into the cool white sand as you make your way over to one of the comfy beach chairs just beckoning to be utilized. You breathe in the refreshing pure air and feel your lungs adjust to the change in climate. The sound of a spring trickling near by lulls you to sleep as you close your eyes and imagine you are on some deserted island. Except for this island is located in the heart of Portland, OR in the Pearl District, and that’s not sand you are walking on it is 11,000 lbs of Dead Sea salt.
The Salt Grotto, located at 906 NW 14th Ave, opened their doors to Portland in January, and they offer a unique health and beauty service that is the only one of its kind in the Northwest, and one of only three grottos in the entire U.S. The Grotto isn’t exactly an exotic beach getaway, but it does simulate the euphoric, refreshed feeling that you get when you are at the beach, using a method called Halotherapy.
Halotherapy, which is a branch of Speleotherapy, has been around in Europe since the 19th century and involves the practice of receiving prolonged exposure in a salt/mineral cave or grotto. The salt is said to have healing properties that can help alleviate a number of health problems, such as asthma, allergies, sleeping disorders, eczema, arthritis and cardiovascular problems. During medieval times the monks were believed to have taken the sick into salt caves and let them breathe in the salt particles. Obviously natural salt caves aren’t around every corner though, so physicians and researchers developed a way to create an artificial environment that will emulate the conditions in the natural caves. 
The atmosphere in the Grotto is almost identical to a natural salt cave in terms of physical, chemical and biological conditions, including its healing properties. Salts from Poland and Pakistan line the Grotto’s walls, and Dead Sea salt covers the entirety of the room’s floor. With a high content of sodium chloride, which has anti-allergic and anti-fungal properties, the purity of air in the Grotto is said to be actually ten times higher than outside. Many people have seen substantial improvements in their health conditions in as little as seven visits.
You don’t have to have any health conditions to benefit from a 45 minute Grotto session though. The pure air is refreshing and relaxing, and the different salts have anti-aging properties. After spending just 10 minutes lounging in the climate controlled room, I felt my eyesight get clearer, my skin felt tighter and softer, and I felt the most relaxed I had been in a very long time. 
The design of the room is way more like a trip to a nice quiet beach than a cold dark cave, thankfully. The room is kept at a perfect 75 degrees, soft blankets are available on every relaxation chair, the lights are dimmed, and pleasant music is played to give you the best possible experience. Many people bring a book to read, or they meditate, but of course the majority of people can’t resist getting in a much-needed catnap.
What is so great about Halotherapy is that because it is completely natural it is safe for seniors, pregnant women, and children of all ages. It is common in Europe for parents to bring their babies/toddlers in for a session to help boost their immune systems. The Grotto even has a children’s area equipped with pails, shovels, tractors and everything a kid might need when typically playing in the sand at the beach.
The owner of the Salt Grotto, Karla, has lived in Portland for over 12 years and said that she is thrilled to be able to bring such a beneficial service to the Northwest at such an inexpensive price. One 45 minute session is only $25 in her grotto, compared to $45-$100 in Chicago or New York. Karla says she kept the price so low because she wants everyone regardless of his or her income to be able to come in and get the treatment. She recommends healthy people coming in once a week, and people who are using the treatments to improve a health condition should come in twice a week. To go along with your salt session the Grotto also offers massages, European mineral water, mineral skin care, Himalayan salt and onyx lamps, and soon will carry a line of European beauty products made from beer and wine (they smell wonderful).
Portland is very lucky to have such an innovative health and beauty service right in our own Pearl District and I thank Karla for bringing this European phenomenon to the Northwest. I personally enjoyed my time so much that I have already booked another session for this week! To book your own session call the Salt Grotto at (971) 255-1053.
For more information check out these YouTube interviews on the Portland Salt Grotto:
