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European-style salt cave opens in Millcreek Township in Erie County<\/p>\n
Ingrid Renberg, co-owner of Relaxapy, explains how people use a salt cave to relieve stress, breathing issues and skin problems.<\/p>\n
Northwestern Pennsylvania’s newest salt mine is located in a former hair salon, wedged among several other shops in a popular Millcreek Township shopping plaza.<\/p>\n
Dr. Ingrid Renberg hired a team from Poland to build the mine as part of Relaxapy, 1101 Peninsula Drive, a new wellness center she owns and operates with her husband, Corey Borello. Relaxapy officially opened in early October.<\/p>\n
“I wasn’t aware of salt caves until one day when I saw one at Ellicottville, New York, while my husband was snowboarding at Holiday Valley,” said Renberg, a psychiatrist who is the director of psychiatry for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. “I tried it with my girlfriend during a girls’ weekend and it was fantastic. I couldn’t believe Erie didn’t have one.”<\/p>\n
Salt therapy, also known as halotherapy, is a natural wellness treatment that traces its roots back to the 19th century. A doctor at that time noticed workers in a Poland salt mine had fewer lung problems than workers in other types of mines, according to a Cleveland Clinic online article<\/a>.<\/p>\n The theory behind the benefit of salt mines is that breathing salty air can thin the mucus in a person’s lungs, allowing those with breathing issues to expel more phlegm.<\/p>\n Exposing yourself to salt-saturated air can also improve your skin’s hydration, making it feel smoother with fewer splotches, Renberg said. The calmness of the salt cave also can reduce stress.<\/p>\n But there aren’t many scientific studies to support these claims, said Dr. Melissa Young, a Cleveland Clinic functional medicine specialist.<\/p>\n “Sometimes, it can be frustrating that there aren’t enough well-designed studies looking at a particular treatment or the different study outcomes can be conflicting,” Young said in the Cleveland Clinic article. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a potential benefit to that treatment.”<\/p>\n Visiting salt mines helps Millcreek Township woman use less oxygen<\/p>\n Rhonda Kane has been using salt caves since 2019 to ease her breathing problems. The 68-year-old Millcreek woman has been using supplemental oxygen since contracting a severe case of flu in 2019.<\/p>\n She traveled out of town to spend time in a salt mine before spotting a sign in front of Relaxapy during a visit to a nearby pharmacy.<\/p>\n “I was one of their first customers,” Kane said. “I go in and sit down, and I get so relaxed that I don’t want to get out. I usually use four liters of oxygen a day but I only need three liters a day for several days after a visit.”<\/p>\n One important salt cave rule: Don’t lick the walls<\/p>\n Relaxapy’s cave is about the size of a large living room, with dim lighting and artificial stalactites on the ceiling. A graduation tower stands along one wall, with salt water flowing over its birch branches, increasing the saltiness in the air and providing a soothing sound.<\/p>\n The cave’s walls are filled with blocks and rocks of Himalayan salt, while a few inches of loose salt cover the floor. People either sit on a blanket or in one of several anti-gravity chairs.<\/p>\n “We have had to tell people not to lick the walls,” Renberg said with a laugh. “Yes, it tastes like salt but please don’t lick.”<\/p>\n A 25-minute session costs $20 and a 45-minute session costs $40. Salt therapy is not covered by health insurance.<\/p>\n Contact David Bruce at\u00a0dbruce@gannett.com<\/a>. Follow him on X\u00a0@ETNBruce<\/a>.<\/p>\n