A Salt Room Visit on a Minnesota Winter Afternoon

A Minnesota Winter Afternoon, Spent Differently

By mid-December the sun is dropping behind the tree line before 4:30, the lakes around Ham Lake and Cedar are white, and the drive home from work on Highway 65 happens in the dark. Plenty of us in the North Metro see those afternoons as something to get through. A salt room visit is one way to spend one on purpose: a quiet, dimly lit room, a comfortable seat, and nothing on your schedule for a while.

This is a walkthrough of what a salt room visit looks like on a Minnesota winter afternoon, what the research does and does not say about salt therapy, and how to plan one if you are coming from Blaine, Andover, Isanti or anywhere else around East Bethel.

A salt room, explained

Salt therapy, also called halotherapy, is built around a simple idea: you sit in an enclosed room while fine salt is in the air. Cleveland Clinic describes two main kinds of rooms. Active rooms use a machine that breaks salt into tiny particles and circulates them. Passive rooms are climate-controlled spaces filled with large amounts of salt, such as Dead Sea, Himalayan or rock salt, and they tend to be more meditative. If you want a longer comparison, we wrote one on active and passive salt rooms.

Dry salt at 5D Wellness

Our room is a dry salt room. According to our salt halotherapy at 5D Wellness page, micronized salt is dispersed into the air while you sit back, breathe slowly and relax. The salt is 99.99% pure-grade sodium chloride that has been heated, ground and crushed into microparticles. It sits in the same building as our infrared saunas, so a salt room stop can share an afternoon with a sauna session.

Settling in

Picture the afternoon. You pull into the lot at 18447 Highway 65 NE in East Bethel, stamp the snow off your boots and check in. The front desk is staffed seven days a week from 8 AM to 4 PM, so a weekday afternoon after a morning of errands fits comfortably. Wear something you can sit still in, and bring a warm layer for the walk back to the car, because January in Anoka County doesn't negotiate.

Rooms like this are often dimly lit, and some play soft music, according to Cleveland Clinic. The point is to sit, breathe slowly and let the room be quiet. Put your phone away. That's harder than it sounds, and probably the most useful part of the visit. If it is your first time, our notes on etiquette and comfort tips for first-timers cover the small stuff, and the post on how long a session runs and how often to go covers the timing questions we get most.

One honest note. Some salt rooms are small and enclosed. If tight spaces bother you, ask to see the room before you commit to a session.

What the research does and does not say

We want you to come in with clear expectations, so here's the plain version. The evidence on salt therapy is limited and sometimes mixed. A published review of halotherapy notes that no official guidelines exist for the use of salt rooms. Cleveland Clinic calls the evidence weak and describes the field as having no defined standards. Its physician also says that for relatively healthy adults there is "no harm in trying it out," and that salt therapy is best viewed as "an extra to your healthcare routine and not a replacement for any existing treatment."

The same physician points out that a calm, quiet room can support relaxation, and that you could get that effect without the salt. That's a fair way to think about a visit: you are carving out a quiet window in a busy week, and the salt room is the place where you do it.

Two practical points follow from the research. First, a study of public salt chambers reported high carbon dioxide levels and elevated airborne bacteria in many of the rooms it measured, and its authors concluded that indoor air quality in salt rooms needs attention. When you choose any salt room, ask about ventilation and how the room is kept up. Second, some people cough a bit more for a while after breathing salt particles, according to Cleveland Clinic.

If you are pregnant or have a health condition, talk with your doctor before you try a salt room. If you are sick, stay home and book another day.

Planning your own afternoon

Here's the practical side, using the details on our site:

• A single therapy is $12 per day, with no membership needed.
• A day pass that covers all therapies is $28.
• Salt therapy is included with every 5D Wellness membership.
• The front desk is staffed 8 AM to 4 PM, seven days a week.

To plan the visit, book your visit online or call (612) 322-9989. If you are coming from Forest Lake, Lino Lakes, Oak Grove or St. Francis, give yourself extra drive time when the roads are slick; a winter afternoon is for taking it slow, and that starts in the car.

Many people pair the salt room with an infrared sauna on the same trip. With the day pass, both fit into one stop, and you can leave before the sky goes dark and still feel like you did something with the day.

The short version

A salt room visit is a quiet hour or so on a short winter day: a dim room, fine dry salt in the air, a comfortable seat and slow breathing. The research is limited, so we describe it as a relaxing way to spend part of an afternoon and nothing more. If that sounds good, East Bethel is a short drive from most of the North Metro, and the room is ready on a weekday afternoon when the lake is white and the light is already going.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is dry salt therapy?

Dry salt therapy, also called halotherapy, is a session in an enclosed room where fine salt particles are dispersed into the air. Cleveland Clinic describes active rooms, where a machine circulates the salt, and passive rooms filled with large amounts of salt.

How much does a salt room visit cost at 5D Wellness?

A single therapy is $12 per day with no membership, and a day pass covering all therapies is $28. Salt therapy is also included with every 5D Wellness membership.

Should I talk to my doctor before trying a salt room?

If you are pregnant or have a health condition, check with your doctor first. Cleveland Clinic advises treating salt therapy as an extra and not a replacement for any care you already have.

Where is 5D Wellness and when is it staffed?

5D Wellness is at 18447 Highway 65 NE, Suite C, in East Bethel. The front desk is staffed seven days a week from 8 AM to 4 PM, which fits an afternoon visit.

This article is for general wellness and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. 5D Wellness services are not a substitute for professional medical care. Results vary by individual. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new wellness practice, especially if you are pregnant or have a medical condition.