Seven days ago if someone had said to me that I would become addicted to salt I would have called them crazy and even bet them $100 it could never happen. It is not that I am opposed to salt; it is just one of those things I never add or even think about.
Well….fast forward to today and I would be out a $100 and a salt addict……a Salt Cave addict that is.
When the ad for the Montauk Salt Cave first appeared on Facebook a while ago it caught my interest so I marked the grand opening on my calendar to check it out. Right from the minute you entered the parking lot you got a good feeling with loads of people buzzing around in and out of the shop. The parking lot has lots of spaces, with the handicapped parking very accessible which I appreciate because these sticks of mine don’t work as well as they used to. A good friend of mine teases me that my legs don’t owe me anything because I simply wore them out having fun years ago. And my great niece, Miss Maggie Shea, refers to my cane as “Aunt Cheryl’s dancing stick,” but I digress.
The shop is very welcoming with its bright, light and airy atmosphere. You immediately feel positive vibes from the place, not to mention Shannon Coppola’s smiling face greeting each and every one of us as if we were the only one in the room. Shannon gave me a quick tour around the shop and then invited me to go check on the cave itself. That is when my addiction began….you step up into a salt sandbox (sans shoes, but with socks) that is surrounded by blocks of Himalayan pink salt blocks on the walls that have lighting behind many of the blocks. My senses came alive with the salt beneath my feet being given an impromptu massage as I walked around on the salts and the scent of the salty ocean being streamed into the cave immediately gave me a heady feeling as though I were oceanside. The salt block fireplace is a work of art that you cannot take your eyes off. I repositioned by zero-gravity lounge chair to face the fireplace and closed my eyes for a minute…or so I thought. Fifteen minutes later I woke up from a catnap feeling like I could take on the world. Googly-eyed from pure relaxation I left the cave and made my first appointment for the day after.
In anticipation of my appointment for the next day I did a little research on the whole salt cave phenomenon. Shannon explains that salt therapy is a natural way of healing ailments related to respiratory disease, skin conditions and inflammatory symptoms. Bingo! The inflammatory symptoms were exactly what I was looking for.
The big day arrived and two friends and I arrived at the Montauk Salt Cave for our hour session. We placed our belongings in personal cubbies provided, donned our socks and dove into the cave. We grabbed our lounge chairs and began the journey. A short primer is given to you explaining the anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits of a salt cave and then for the next 45 minutes fresh cool air and minute particles of salt are streamed into the cave with background sounds of waves hitting the shoreline. Much like the day before I immediately zoned out, as did my friends. We left there feeling relaxed, refreshed with a slight taste of salt on our skin and a healthy glow to our cheeks. (Contrary to the rumors, Shannon did not have to drag me out of there—hee, hee). Do yourselves a favor and check it out. I love it for the anti-inflammatory and relaxation benefits, but it offers much, much more for people that suffer from allergies, asthma, cystic fibrosis ,COPD, eczema, psoriasis, acne, colds, flu and symptoms of Lyme’s disease, just to mention a few.
Shannon says it best though, that it is a “phenomenal way to force yourself to sit, breathe, relax and feel wonderful.” She calls it “Montauk Salt Cave”; I call it “My Gold Mine.”
Montauk Salt Cave – 552 West Lake Drive, Montauk – 631-668-SALT (7258)
