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Alternative health: Try Halotherapy at the Salt Cave
IT'S not what you'd expect to find along a busy Peterborough city centre street, but one woman has brought a pioneering alternative therapy to Peterborough – by opening a salt cave.
IT'S not what you'd expect to find along a busy Peterborough city centre street, but one woman has brought a pioneering alternative therapy to Peterborough – by opening a salt cave.Lucie Torakova's cave – complete with tonnes of salt imported from Poland – is only the second one in the country.
For the last 20 years, salt therapy – technically know as halotherapy – has been a popular treatment in both the Czech Republic and Poland. There are 800 artificial caves across the two countries and users believe they help with a range of conditions from asthma to allergies to stress.
The first salt cave in the UK opened in London earlier this year, and coming from Prague, Lucie (27) was well aware of the benefits of halotherapy.
"I usually go to the salt cave back home, it just helps me to relax and calm down," she said.
As Lucie now lives in England, she decided to bring the therapy to her adopted home town. Three months ago she took over the lease of a former shop on London Road and began the process of setting up her own saline sanctuary.
Three specialists came in from Poland to install the cave, which also includes a salt water cascade and a fountain.
In total there is one tonne of salt, imported from Pakistan, lining the floor of cave and more than four tonnes of salt stones and panels from Poland on the walls.
Salt therapy at Lucie's cave, which is set to open on Saturday, is not a complex business.
Users book in for 45-minute sessions, which start on the hour, and simply sit back and relax in one of the loungers. The salt from the walls, floor and water permeates the air and users breathe it in, along with all its health-giving benefits.
Lucie recommends 10 sessions in the cave over two months to get the maximum benefit from it, and as it is drug-free, it is also suitable for children. Youngsters under five can even get in for free.
Lucie admitted that getting to grips with her new venture has not been easy.
"It was difficult for me because I have never run a business before. I didn't now about English laws, what you needed to do. It's not easy to run a business," she said.
But now the opening day is drawing nearer, Lucie, who used to work for Tesco, is excited about her new venture.
"I'm looking forward to it and I hope it will help people. I didn't do it for myself, I did it for other people," she said.
The Salt Cave will open this Saturday at 9am. On the opening day, visitors will be able to try out free sample sessions of a few minutes. The cave will be open every day from 9am to 6pm. A 45-minute session will cost 12, although Lucie will be running special offers. For more information, call 01733 847973, or visit www.halotherapycave.co.uk.
FACTFILE... on halotherapy
Salt therapy is believed to have been used for centuries in Eastern Europe, as people made visited natural salt caves to easy respiratory problems. It is thought that salt miners were the first people to notice the mineral's positive effects.
Halotherapy sees users inhaling dry aerosol microparticles of salt.
Lucie's cave is only the second one in Europe of this particular design. There are three types of cave – ones which uses white salt bricks on the walls, a second type which uses salt stones and a third which uses salt panels. The patented design of Lucie's cave uses a combination of all three.
Claims have been made that salt therapy does not just help respiratory problems. It is said to also help slow skin aging and to accelerate the burning of fat.
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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