Comparison of Salt Therapy Methods

In the mid-19th century a Polish physician, Felix Botchkowski, noticed that workers in salt mines rarely suffered from respiratory diseases (while the opposite was true, for example, among coal miners). In 1843 he wrote a book about the beneficial effects of air with high salt content. His student, M. Poljakowski, founded the Veliczka spa near Kraków, which still operates today and provides treatments.

These facilities are often referred to as "salt caves," and their health effects are well known. Today numerous salt sanatoria operate across Europe (in Austria, Poland, Romania, Russia, and other countries).

Speleotherapy (from the Greek speleos = cave), or cave therapy, uses the salt-crystal–rich air of underground salt mines to treat respiratory diseases. The method has been used since the early 19th century in Europe’s old salt mines.

What is salt therapy?

The essence and origin of salt therapy (halotherapy)

Halotherapy is a natural and gentle treatment that can alleviate or eliminate symptoms of many respiratory conditions. Salt particles adhere to the mucous membranes of the airways, exerting mucolytic and anti-inflammatory effects that improve the condition of the mucosa.

The air in natural salt caves contains a higher concentration of salt than ordinary environments. These caves have been known for centuries for their healing effects, and modern salt therapy is based on this tradition.

Natural salty-air therapy is not only effective for respiratory diseases but can also be beneficial for skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis.

Dry salt therapy and wet salt therapy

Halotherapy has two main types: dry and wet salt therapy.

Dry salt therapy involves grinding salt to particles of 1–5 microns or dissolving it in water and then ultrasonically nebulizing it, and a fan is used to create a "salt mist" that approximates the microclimate of salt caves. These tiny salt particles are inhalable deeply and exert their beneficial effects once they enter the airways.

Wet salt therapy is based on using salt dissolved in water. It is used, for example, as baths that help alleviate skin problems and promote general relaxation. Rinsing or flushing with salt solution can help cleanse the nasal and oral mucosa and the throat. Gargling can help maintain oral health.

Applications of salt therapy

Treating upper respiratory conditions with salty-air therapy

Salty air is excellent not only for treating upper but also lower respiratory conditions such as colds, tracheitis, sinusitis, asthma, and coughs.

Salt therapy effectively reduces symptoms of respiratory diseases and helps prevent their development. Its effects have been demonstrated in the lower airways as well as the upper airways, so it can be effectively used for treating chronic lung diseases. During salt therapy, salt particles adhere to the bronchial mucosa, where their anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects help clean the lungs and aid mucosal regeneration.

Salt therapy not only relieves symptoms but also plays an important role in disease prevention. For this reason it can be recommended even when you are healthy.

Cave therapy

Cave or speleotherapy is known today as an effective and clinically supported treatment.

The downside of cave salt therapy is that it is accessible to relatively few people. The favorable effects only manifest with a course-like application (spending extended time in salt-rich air on consecutive days). Few can afford to travel and spend weeks in a salt cave.

Therefore, methods that make salt therapy more accessible and affordable are being explored. Let’s review the best-known options.

Artificial salt rooms, also called halochambers

In a modern salt chamber, a device called a halogenerator produces very fine salt crystals (under 5 microns) and blows them into the chamber. The rock salt covering the chamber walls is mostly decorative and contributes little to the effect. Maintaining the appropriate microclimate in such rooms can significantly contribute to general well-being and a healthy lifestyle.

Salt rooms without a halogenerator have walls simply covered with salt bricks. The air in these rooms contains a lower salt concentration than in halogenerator-equipped chambers, because the salt crystals do not spontaneously dislodge from the salt bricks. This means you would need to spend much more time in a salt-brick room than in a halogenerator room.

Average hourly rates for salt rooms are 1,000–2,000 HUF per person. To observe a noticeable effect you need at least 10–15 hours in salty air. The longer the interval between sessions, the weaker the effect. Preferably go on consecutive days, not once a month. Monthly salt-room visits are, in my view, ineffective for your health.

Advantages (true halochamber):

• Easy to use
• Short but intensive therapy
• Professionally guided and effective
• Certain chambers provide space for physical exercise, which helps salt crystals penetrate deeper into the airways.

Disadvantages:

• Expensive. 1,000–3,000 HUF per session, and on average 6–12 sessions are required to achieve a beneficial effect.
• Travel costs to the nearest halochamber are added.
• You will almost certainly have to share the halochamber with others.
• If you go to a passive salt room that “only” has salt bricks, the effect is significantly lower.

Salt inhalators or salt pipes and upper respiratory conditions

These are portable, palm-sized plastic (or sometimes ceramic) devices filled with rock salt. When shaken, small salt fragments "break off". Their particle size is large (8–10 microns) and therefore they cannot reach deep into the lungs. The salt pipe is only suitable for treating the upper airways (oral cavity, nasal cavity, pharynx, throat). Salt pipes can be useful in treating certain ENT problems.

Advantages:

• Small and portable devices
• Cheap, costing a few thousand forints.

Disadvantages:

• The salt crystals are larger than 8 microns. Therefore they do not reach the lower airways and already deposit in the pharynx. They are effective for inflammations of the oral cavity, pharynx and possibly the sinuses.
• Not suitable for treating acute and chronic respiratory diseases.
• Due to the breathing technique required, they are difficult for children over 5 years old and some adults to use.
• For salt-sensitive people, the salt concentration can be too high if the device is shaken before each inhalation. This is especially true for ceramic salt inhalators, which generate many salt crystals when shaken.

Salt lamps

Lamps made from salt crystals. The heat from the bulb inside causes salt crystals to "break off." If it is lit continuously and you lie a few centimeters from it for a few hours daily, it might have some effect. If it just sits in the room and you switch it on for a few minutes every few days, it will have zero effect on your health. I recommend it more for meditation and creating a pleasant atmosphere than for health purposes.

Advantages:

• Aesthetic, provides light and mood, makes a good impression
• If kept continuously warm, it can emit some salt crystals without refilling

Disadvantages:

• Does not provide enough salt crystals for meaningful health effects.

Salin, Salin Plus, Salin S2, Rosalina salt therapy devices

This family of salt therapy devices includes smaller (Salin and Rosalina) and larger (Salin Plus) models. Inside they contain a filter impregnated with salt. A small fan behind it "blows" salt crystals into the room air. This is a "dry" technology, meaning it blows "salt dust" into the air. It does not change the room’s humidity. This is disadvantageous in centrally heated apartments where the air is already dry and that dryness is often the cause of respiratory complaints.

According to manufacturer data, on the first day 0.2 g/day of salt is released into the air, and for the next 10 days only 0.1 g/day. As the emitted salt amount decreases, the therapeutic effect also drops.

To understand why this happens, do a simple experiment. Put a teaspoon of salt in your open palm and blow on it once. Quite a lot of salt will disperse. Blow on it again. Very little remains in your palm. To put it bluntly, the salt cartridge works like that.

The manufacturer recommends replacing the filter every 5 months, meaning about 2.5 extra filters per year. Here the otherwise inexpensive device reveals its true cost. The salt cartridge is sold at a rather steep price, and if you really want an effect you will have to spend a lot on replacing cartridges.

WARNING! The Salin S2 device is advertised and sold as a salt therapy device, but it has nothing to do with real salt therapy! It is simply an air purifier that draws in room air and blows it through a salt filter. It has no active salt emission, so its effect in treating respiratory symptoms falls far behind devices that actively produce and emit salty air.

Advantages:

• Suitable for home use, can operate without active user intervention
• As long as there is salt in the filter, it has medically supported effects and no known side effects
• Can complement treatment for chronic respiratory diseases and help prevent flare-ups
• Allows hours-long treatments
• Salin/Rosalina devices are cheap; they typically cost between 13,000–19,000 HUF.

Disadvantages:

• "Dry" technology does not raise humidity, so it is less effective in already dry apartments
• The Salin Plus price approaches 30,000 HUF.
• According to the manufacturer the salt filter must be replaced every 5 months, i.e., 2.5 filters per year.
• A Salin/Rosalina filter costs about 4,500 HUF, so in addition to the device plan on roughly 10,000 HUF per year for filters if you want an effect.
• The Salin Plus filter costs 9,000 HUF, so expect about 22,000 HUF per year in addition to the device price.
• The salt concentration blown out by the device is not uniform. It is high during the first days with a fresh filter, then levels off after 1–2 days and continuously decreases. As the salt concentration drops, so does the therapeutic effect.
• The salt filter is sensitive to humidity. Moisture makes the salt crystals clump, and then the device can no longer blow them out. Since you can’t check the filter’s condition, you don’t know whether you are being treated or the device is just "buzzing."
• The fan is somewhat noisy.

SaltDome salt therapy device

The SaltDome salt therapy device is designed for home use. It works on a different principle than the devices mentioned above and most closely resembles professional halochambers in operation. An ultrasonic nebulizer turns the salt solution into a salt mist in which the salt particles are smaller than 5 microns. They can reach as deep as the lungs, so the device is suitable for lower respiratory problems as well.

The SaltDome is not a humidifier; it only produces a minimal amount of water vapor (a few milliliters). However, this slight humidity increase is enough to enhance the effect. This is especially important in dry apartments (central heating, underfloor heating, air circulation systems, etc.). Dry air dries the respiratory mucosa and can cause coughing. Moreover, pathogens more easily settle on dried-out mucosa.

By "packaging" the salt particles in water vapor, the SaltDome significantly intensifies the effect.

Prolonged humidity increase may exacerbate coughing in people with asthma and COPD. If you experience this while using the device, set it to a lower humidity output and shorten the running time (use 1–3 hours instead of 6 hours).

An additional advantage of the SaltDome is that THERE IS NO SALT CARTRIDGE, so there are no hidden costs! You can use natural, additive-free rock salt. I consider Parajd salt the best, because Himalayan rock salt is unfortunately sometimes counterfeited (red dye is added to sea salt to make it look pink).

You must fill the device’s tank with water and dissolve the recommended amount of salt in it. A measuring scoop is included. Although the amount may seem small, you don’t need more for a therapeutic effect!

The fan is almost silent and will only disturb very light sleepers. It provides an even salt concentration until the salt solution runs out. Then it stops and you can refill it.

It is ideal for night-time use while sleeping. You can set it for 1, 3 or 6 hours or continuous operation. It does not significantly affect overall humidity levels, the salt does not deposit on furniture, and it does not damage electrical equipment.

Advantages:

• Excellent for prevention (colds, flu, asthma attacks, respiratory allergies, etc.)
• Can be used to complement medical therapy for COPD, pneumonia, asthma, cystic fibrosis, etc.
• No salt cartridges! You can operate it with natural, additive-free rock salt—half a kilogram is enough for years!
• Safe for infants, children, adults, the elderly, and even pets
• Supports up to 6 hours of night-time operation
• Provides a constant salt concentration—no fluctuations or decreases!

Disadvantages:

• Handling is somewhat more involved because it uses a liquid salt solution
• Too long use can trigger irritation-coughing in asthma and COPD patients due to a sustained rise in humidity. If this occurs, reduce exposure time.
• Requires regular refilling; one tank can operate the device for about 5–7 days. It is recommended to change the water more frequently or fill less at a time.
• Although the salt solution kills most pathogens, clean the tank regularly as a precaution.

Summary: the essence of salt therapy

Visits to a salt cave or salt room should preferably be done as a course—10–15 consecutive sessions. This is what produces a meaningful health effect. A course can cost 10,000–15,000 HUF per person; for a family this can be 50,000–60,000 HUF plus travel. For the price of a family course you could purchase several salt therapy devices. Moreover, you can use your own device whenever you want and you are not bound by session schedules.

The salt pipe can be useful in some cases, but it is not suitable for prevention. Its disadvantages are the large particle size and the fact that it can only be used for a few breaths at a time. It is unrealistic to expect someone to sit with a salt pipe for hours—the usage recommendations suggest "piping" for 15–60 minutes. Salt pipes are better used for pharyngeal, oral, or sinus inflammations as a complement to medical therapy.

The salt lamp can be a nice home decoration, but offers little more than that. If it is lit continuously (keeps warm) and you stay within one meter for a few hours, its effect is slightly above zero. But you should not expect meaningful health benefits from a salt lamp.

The business model behind the Salin and Salin Plus devices is a major drawback. The device purchase may seem inexpensive, but the salt cartridge must be replaced every few months (at least twice a year). The annual cost of cartridge replacements can exceed the purchase price of the device. So if you want an effect from these devices, you will need to regularly buy cartridges—at a high price.

The technology’s weakness is the uneven emitted salt concentration. A fresh filter provides a high concentration initially, which quickly drops. With that goes the therapeutic effect.

I specifically mention the Salin S2 air purifier. Many online stores sell it as a salt therapy device, which borders on misleading the buyer (because it is just a regular air purifier with no healing effect). Do not buy such a product if you have respiratory symptoms or allergies.

SaltDome salt therapy device provides an even salt emission. For one tank of salt solution you need a leveled measuring scoop of salt. There is no cartridge, so there are no extra recurring costs. You can operate it with natural, additive-free rock salt—e.g., Himalayan or Parajd salt.

Because the device has a water tank, it requires more attention. Refill it occasionally and handle it more carefully when it is filled. If you do not use it, do not leave water in the tank—this will prolong the device’s life.

Due to its even salt emission and the ability to operate continuously, it is excellent for night-time use while sleeping.

Ideal for preventing colds, flu, respiratory allergies, and asthma attacks. As an adjunct to medical therapy it is useful in chronic conditions such as COPD, pneumonia, asthma and allergic attacks, cystic fibrosis, etc.

My opinion on the beneficial effects of salt therapy

If you decide you want to enjoy the benefits of salt therapy, in my opinion the SaltDome salt therapy device is the best choice because:

• its operation is quiet and does not disturb sleep
• it provides a steady amount of salt in the air (which is very important for therapeutic effect)
• it slightly increases indoor humidity, which is beneficial
• it is ideal for prevention
• it supports disease management
• there are no hidden costs and no expensive replaceable salt cartridges
• its long-term operation is inexpensive and simple