'It Works Magic': South Jersey's First Salt Therapy Cave Touts Healing, Stress-Relieving Benefits Of Salt
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MOORESTOWN, N.J. (CBS) -- How about a trip to the beach? A new salt therapy inside of a cave is like a therapeutic trip to the beach, and it's happening in South Jersey.
The Salt Suite is a franchise that started in South Florida, touting the medicinal benefits of salt. They say it's like taking a trip to the beach but 100 times more intense.
It's a cave made out of salt -- on the walls, the floor and circulating in the air.
"I didn't know what to think, because I had never heart of it," patient Mindy Johnson said.
Welcome to The Salt Suite in Moorestown, a first in South Jersey.
"What it does, is it mimics the Eastern European salt caves from the 1900s," owner Matt Della Sala said.
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People sit in cozy recliners, relaxing, as they breath the salt-infused air.
"We brought in 24,000 pounds of Dead Sea, pharmaceutical grade salt," Della Sala said. "It's put in our halo generators and it's dispersed as an aerosol."
Della Sala says salt therapy has a variety of health benefits.
"The salt is put into the halo generators, then they're started and they emit the salt into the rooms," he said.
He says it's mainly good for respiratory issues like asthma and allergies, but can also help with skin conditions like eczema. He also says it can even relieve stress and anxiety.
"It provides an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory process," Della Sala said.
"It's detoxing your whole body," Johnson said.
Johnson has seasonal allergies and congestion that lead to ear trouble.
"Pain has gone away and I can breath much better, feel much better," Johnson said.
But there are no clinical studies that prove salt therapy works. Della Sala say proof comes with thousands of satisfied customers.
"It works magic for you," he said.
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And there's a therapy room for children that includes a sandbox of purified salt and salt-circulated air.
"Kids, they don't feel like they're getting treatment at a doctor's office," Della Sala said. "They get to play in the salt."
A 45-minute session in a salt suite costs $35, but they are offering specials. How often you go -- between two and four times a week -- depends on the ailment.
And it's probably a good idea to check with your doctor first.