Say What?: You Can Do Yoga in a Himalayan Salt Cave in Pottstown

This takes our Himalayan salt lamp obsession to a whole new level.

Himalayan Salt & Wellness Cave | Photo via Facebook

Himalayan Salt & Wellness Cave | Photo via Facebook

Looking to take your Himalayan salt lamp obsession to the next level? Here’s one way: Roll out a yoga mat inside an entire cave made of Himalayan salt crystals. Yep: There’s a Himalayan salt cave in Pottstown where people get their downward dog on every week.

The cave, which opened in July of last year, is built from pink Himalayan salt crystals formed into bricks, which traveled to Pottstown from Northern Punjab, Pakistan. Owner Anita Heft, a certified reflexologist and Reiki master, had visited other salt caves and wanted to bring halotherapy to her community.

Yes, it does all sound very Los Angeles, doesn’t it?

So, why the heck would one want to do yoga in a salt cave? Well, the idea — like with salt lamps — is that salt contains balancing magnetic frequencies and negative ions, and salt therapy has been argued to promote relaxation, detoxify the body, and improve respiratory issues and allergies. (More on that here.) Heft says, “Salt therapy, or halotherapy, is 100 percent natural. It makes sense that salt therapy would be beneficial — after all, what do we gargle with when we have a sore throat? Salt water. What do we use to rinse our contact lenses or soothe and cleanse our nasal passages? Saline solution. Salt is a key ingredient in a variety of other therapeutic items from exfoliators to Epsom salts. Most convincing of all, though — think of how you feel after a day at the beach, breathing in the salt air.”

Sure, it might sound kooky — but if nothing else, the salt cave serves as a change of scenery from your usual yoga studio. And the bulk of the Facebook reviews for the salt and wellness cave feature the words “so relaxing!” And who couldn’t use some relaxation?

The Himalayan Salt Cave in Pottstown offers yoga on Tuesdays at 7:15 p.m and Saturdays at 8 a.m., serving up a mix of all-levels hatha and yin yoga. Their monthly sound bowl healings often sell out, so if you’re interested, make sure to book in advance for those as well as yoga, Reiki, crystal healing, meditation, and other sessions in the cave.

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