Salt soul YOUR
BY LINDA S. HOPKINSShelter Cove Harbour & Marina
Introduces Pure Salt Studios
When was the last time you visited a salt cave? For many of us, the answer is never have I ever. Well, now you can give it a try, because Pure Salt Studios has come to Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina, offering a state-of-the-art halotherapy experience.
Though you may not have heard of it, halotherapy (or salt therapy) isn’t new. Ever gargle with warm salty water, use a neti pot, or soak in a salt bath? Such natural remedies have been around for hundreds if not thousands of years. The difference in today’s modern salt rooms is the use of dry vs. wet salt and its ability to travel deep into your respiratory system.
Potential health benefits of inhaling dry salt were noted back in 1843 when a Polish physician observed that the salt miners did not get the lung diseases common among other miners. Later, a German physician found that people who hid in salt mines that were used as bomb shelters during World War II had fewer respiratory conditions. So, scientists and doctors began studying this phenomenon and have since figured out how to replicate the environment.
According to Lauren Dills, owner of Pure Salt Studios at Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina, salt is antibacterial and
anti-inflammatory. “It acts like a toothbrush on your whole respiratory system,” she said.
Many people seek treatment for ailments such as sinusitis, allergies, asthma, COPD, coughs, snoring and sleeping problems. Others utilize salt sessions to support optimized breathing and performance for athletes, when traveling to combat jetlag, to boost immune systems and to reduce stress and anxiety. Dills encourages you to come in when you are well to maintain not only your respiratory health but mental health.
Dills initially learned about halotherapy when her father, Tim Bell, suffered with a chronic cough. Over the course of many years, diagnoses varied, and traditional treatments failed, so their family began seeking alternative options. The
consistent use of halotherapy proved to be the solution, and when he relocated to the Lowcountry, he opted to build the salt studio he needed and help introduce others to the lifechanging therapy. The family owns and operates Pure Salt Studios in Bluffton and has recently expanded to serve Hilton Head Island at the Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina location.
“When we watch people come out of the salt room and hear the results they’re getting, it’s inspiring. We got into it because our own family had a need. But now, watching how it can help others is what really keeps us going,” Dills said.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Designed to simulate the environment of Himalayan salt caves, all walls are made of pure Himalayan salt. The floor