*By Samantha Errico*
Breathe deep, New Yorkers: There's a new wellness trend in town. Salthaus is a modern salt room designed to help recharge your body and mind.
The salt room modernizes the experience of a natural salt cave right on the Big Apple's Upper East Side. Salthaus provides halotherapy, or salt therapy, a natural treatment that claims a range of health benefits, including improving skin conditions, reducing inflammation, increasing lung capacity, and alleviating headaches.
"Sitting and breathing in the air is the treatment," Salthaus co-founder Amber Berger told Cheddar Monday.
Salthaus' halo rooms are lined from top to bottom with pink Himalayan salt and mimic a beach, with grains of salt covering the floor and lounge chairs for relaxing. 45-minute halo session costs $40.
Berger said salt therapy originated in Eastern Europe in the 1800s when doctors noticed that salt miners were healthier than coal miners. That finding was reinforced after WWII, when doctors found that Europeans who hid in salt caves to escape bombing emerged in good health.
While there is no scientific data backing the health claims, Berger claims customers "feel the difference" after finishing a treatment. She said her husband became a believer after a nagging cough cleared up after a treatment.
"It's pretty amazing the power of salt," Berger said.
Salthaus makes wellness a social opportunity ー one that doesn't just include adults. In fact, Salthaus provides sand toys to children who join their parents for treatment.
In addition to the wellness benefits, Berger says the treatment meets another important need for busy New Yorkers ーefficiency. "You can help boost your immune system, while meeting with a friend," she said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/what-to-add-to-your-wellness-routine-saulthaus-salt-rooms).
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