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Sasha Gonzales

Imagine inhaling dry, salty air while lounging in a cosy, spa-like space, surrounded by panels of crystalline salt.
As they travel through your respiratory system, the fine salt particles are said to remove toxins from the lungs, clear mucus and improve breathing.
They are also believed to balance moisture levels in the skin, which can help soothe problems like eczema and psoriasis.
I first experienced salt therapy several years ago, in a Korean spa. I could taste the brininess of the air the second I walked into the room, and as I breathed in and out, my lungs felt like they were getting a deep cleanse from the inside.
The session was relaxing, yet when it ended, my whole body felt invigorated.

Salt therapy, or halotherapy, is not new. It was introduced in 1839 by Dr Feliks Boczkowski, a Polish doctor who observed that workers at salt mines had fewer respiratory problems than other miners.
Soon after, Boczkowski opened the first salt health resort facility at the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland, now a Unesco World Heritage site that is still attracting tourists and locals today.
During the pandemic, it took in former Covid-19 patients referred through the public healthcare system for three-week stays, as well as private paying customers.
Following World War II, a German doctor noticed that people who had sheltered from bombs in salt mines and caves experienced respiratory improvements.
Today, salt therapy is a fast-growing wellness trend, offered in salt rooms, caves, saunas, day spas, fitness and wellness centres, yoga studios, and medical facilities around the world.
Market research firm Precedence Research estimates the global salt therapy market will be worth US$8.6 billion in 2025, expecting it to reach around US$19.1 billion by 2034.

The man-made spaces have distinct characteristics, according to Patricia Campos Nunes, managing director of Cryospa in Sydney, Australia, which opened in 2017 and offers salt therapy in addition to cryotherapy.
“Salt caves mimic natural caves, featuring large salt structures and using halogenerators that release fine salt particles into the air,” she explains.
“Salt rooms are purpose-built spaces where pharmaceutical-grade salt is dispersed by a halogenerator, creating a controlled therapeutic environment.
“Salt saunas combine heat with salt to encourage sweating and detoxification. And salt walls are primarily decorative, emitting negative ions [which are believed to have health benefits] but often lacking the therapeutic dispersion provided by halogenerators.”
Cryospa’s salt room has walls made from salt and a floor covered with finely ground, pharmaceutical-grade salt, creating an immersive experience, Nunes says. A halogenerator disperses ultrafine particles of pharmaceutical-grade salt into the air.

In Hong Kong, Mysa Halotherapy Spa in Wong Chuk Hang features a calming Himalayan salt room with natural salt bricks. The microclimate in the room is controlled, mimicking that of a salt cave.
Mysa manager Michael Yu says that inhaling salt-saturated air may provide relief from asthma, allergies and sinusitis.
Some studies refer to salt’s antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and suggest that inhaling salt particles can help clear mucus from the airways.
A 2021 report in the journal Healthcare (Basel) concluded that, in a small study, halotherapy was “demonstrated to be a complex, reliable, cost-effective solution in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of asthma”, and recommended more research be done.
A 2021 report in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine says “clinical trials have confirmed that salt therapy is an effective option for relieving symptoms and improving functional parameters in sinusitis, bronchiectasis, chronic bronchitis, mild and moderate asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)”.
The authors also encourage more work be done to support halotherapy’s health claims.

Dr Philip Eng, a Singapore-based respiratory doctor, says that patients with sinusitis and allergies are sometimes instructed to use a nasal saline douche to clear out bacteria in their nasal passages and minimise inflammation in their nose and throat.
Meanwhile, generations of grandparents have preached about the usefulness of gargling with salt water to relieve a sore throat, he adds.
The benefits of inhaling fine salt particles – essentially sodium, manganese, chloride and sulphites – are not yet proven, Eng notes.
Dr Aaron Lee, a general practitioner at Matilda International Hospital in Hong Kong, adds that although halotherapy is promoted as a complementary therapy, “studies testing its respiratory benefits have so far been inconclusive”.
While dry salt particles are said to balance the skin’s pH level and reduce inflammation, Lee says that studies on the benefits of halotherapy on skin issues like eczema and psoriasis, and symptoms like itching and scaling, are also inconclusive.
On the upside, due to their serene environment, the salt rooms and caves “promote relaxation, better sleep and overall mood improvement”, Yu says.

Some salt rooms, like those at Cryospa, also use chromotherapy – where LED lights that emit different colours are used to encourage specific bodily responses – to help clients relax.
“The soft, warm hues provide a calming yet uplifting effect,” Nunes says. Combined with salt therapy, it is “a multisensory experience that is both therapeutic and deeply relaxing.”
Halotherapy is safe for most people. Those with severe respiratory issues, like advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and those with active infections or open wounds that may react negatively to the salt, should consult their healthcare professional before trying it, Nunes says.
Lee suggests people with high blood pressure speak to their doctor first, and check their blood pressure before and after a halotherapy session to see if it had any effect.
Some salts contain trace amounts of metals like nickel, Lee says, so be mindful of contact dermatitis if you have metal allergies.
Nunes says her spa’s clients have experienced many positive effects from halotherapy.
“I’ve had clients report increased energy levels after a few sessions in the salt room,” she says.
“It’s also rewarding seeing people recover from a persistent cough, and children who have struggled with sleep due to respiratory issues improve.”
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Salt therapy, or halotherapy, is often offered in salt rooms and caves at saunas, day spas, fitness and wellness centres, yoga studios, and medical facilities around the world. Photo: Shutterstock

A man blows soap bubbles as part of salt therapy at the former Wieliczka Salt Mine Health Resort in Wieliczka, Poland. Photo: AFP

The salt room at Cryospa, in Sydney, Australia, has walls made from salt and a floor covered with finely ground, pharmaceutical-grade salt. Photo: Cryospa

Patricia Campos Nunes is managing director of Cryospa in Sydney. Photo: Cryospa

The Himalayan salt room at Mysa Halotherapy Spa in Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong, is fitted with natural salt bricks. Photo: Mysa

Dr Philip Eng is a Singapore-based respiratory doctor. Photo: Dr Philip Eng

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Salt therapy, or halotherapy, is a wellness trend claimed to have many breathing benefits. Doctors weigh in on the scientific evidence


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