Dr. Feliks Boczkowski was a physician who observed that salt cave miners did not experience the same respiratory and lung issues as other types of miners. He founded and opened the first salt health resort facility at the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland in 1839.
In 1949, a German physician Dr. K.H. Spannahel observed that individuals who had hidden in the salt mines during WWII exhibited respiratory health benefits that could not be ignored. He partnered with Hungarian geologist, Dr. H. Kessler to create Klyutert cave as an inpatient department to further study the effects of salt therapy.
Together they developed the foundation for Speleotherapy, which paved the way for Halotherapy, more commonly known as Salt Therapy.
In 1958, Professor Mieczyslaw Skulimowski started regular treatment of patients in the salt chambers, initiating a new field of medicine. Subterraneotherapy, also known as the Skulimowski method refers to underground “salted” environments.
The world’s first underground Allergy Treatment Spa was opened in Poland in 1964. It was later renamed the Kinga Health Resort Hospital. Professor Skulimowski’s methods proved to be successful and spread to neighboring salt mines and caves in Europe as well as to former Soviet Union states.
In 1968, the first speleo-hospital was opened in the Solotvyno salt mine in Ukraine.
By 1970 the medical community had taken notice of the undeniable benefits of salt but access to underground salt caves was difficult in other areas of the world.
In 1985 the first Halotherapy device was produced in Russia at the Institute of Balneology in order to make Halotherapy more available to those that did not have access to Salt Caves.
The device was designed to replicate the natural way the salt mines would crush and grind salt, pulverizing the salt particles and spreading them into the air.
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Halotherapy, now more commonly known as Salt Therapy, was made accessible to other parts of the world.
Over the years, Halotherapy clinics have become a common destination in Europe, Australia and Canada, while gaining popularity in Asia and the United States.
There are currently over 200 salt room establishments in the U.S. and the Salt Therapy Association was established in 2014 to provide resources, research, and support towards the Salt Therapy industry.
Today, Salt Therapy has claimed its place in holistic wellness as a natural and effective form of treatment to help ease respiratory symptoms and skin conditions.
Due to the effectiveness of the therapy on children and adults alike, more individuals and families who value wellness seek Halotherapy to relax from stress, improve sleep and improve their overall health.
