For years, Rachel Scherhen watched her mother battle lung inflammation and an autoimmune disease with no hope of resolution. Eventually, her mother’s condition left her with a loss of voice, leaving doctors at a loss as to how to deal with this complication.
Then a visit to the salt caves in Asheville, North Carolina, gave me hope.
Within three days, Shahen noticed signs of improvement. Her mother began to expel her mucus and to her surprise, her mother’s voice returned.
After experiencing the healing properties of salt therapy, Shahen has wanted to bring it to Chattanooga for years. And on Saturday, that dream of hers will become a reality as she opens the doors to her new business, Chattanooga Salt Caverns (3800 St. Elmo Ave., Suite 105). Business hours are Friday and Saturday from 10am to 7pm and Sunday from 11am to 6pm. Wednesday and Thursday. Business is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The phone number is 423-287-6313.
(Read more: Where are the salt caves near Chattanooga and why you should consider visiting them this winter)
Like her mother, Shahen suffers from respiratory infections caused by asthma.
She remembers the relief she felt the first time she experienced a salt cave.
“It was like taking a dose of albuterol,” she said of the prescription drug used to treat lung disease. “When you take a puff from your inhaler, you immediately start coughing up mucus.”
In dry salt therapy, or “halotherapy,” a chamber is filled with pure medical-grade sodium chloride broken into microscopic particles. Salt is a natural absorbent that helps remove toxins and allergens from the airways, opening them and fighting inflammation.
Shahen said dry salt also has antibacterial properties, which can help fight viruses and infections. And over time, she claimed, halotherapy can help improve the immune system, fight disease, and prevent disease.
“One of the reasons we wanted to bring this here is because Chattanooga is the allergy capital of the world,” Shahen said. “And also because we host world-class sporting events like Ironman. They’ll be able to sample this unique experience while they’re here.”
She has already shown interest from customers who have tried salt therapy in other cities. Some are excited to not have to travel to Asheville for this experience.
Ed Jones, owner of Nutrition World in Chattanooga, said he has pursued holistic and integrative health practices through his stores, for the past 55 years on his own and for about 45 years professionally. Years ago, there was a salt cave in the East Ridge area that he used frequently.
(Read more: Salty Service: Dead Sea Salt Therapy Debuts in East Ridge)
“Whenever I had allergies or had a cold, I felt like I had new lungs after spending an hour in the salt cave,” Jones said in a phone interview. “I’m looking forward to her (Shachen) opening. If it’s nearby along Lee Highway, it’ll probably be open once a week.”
Salt caves may sound like a modern invention, but their benefits have been noted since the 1800s, Jones said. People who worked in salt mines tended to have fewer respiratory illnesses.
Another benefit is the meditative environment, he said.
“You’ll be sitting in solitude for about an hour in a very peaceful atmosphere,” he said. “I think that’s something that’s sorely missing from today’s lifestyles: an escape from the chaos, the noise, the hustle and bustle.”
Sessions at Chattanooga Salt Caves last approximately 45 minutes and are available as group packages or private events. As the business grows, Shahen plans to introduce yoga sessions, sound healing concerts, drum circles, and other therapeutic services such as massages and skin care treatments.
The museum will be open on Saturdays for tours only; there will be no sessions. But Shahen is organizing a social media game where guests can post a selfie taken in a cave and win the right to unlimited visits for free for a month.
Contact Jennifer McNally at [email protected] or 423-757-6416.
