Relax in the Salt Mine at the Alantra Spa

You can probably find at least one spa in every quaint North Shore town, but the only salt cave in New England lives here in North Reading. The newly minted Alantra Spa offers one-stop shopping for wellness services and products including its own line of herbal tea, Reiki treatments, nutrition counseling, Yoga classes and halo-therapy – i.e. sitting in a cave-shaped room literally made out of ultra-fine white salt and breathing in a mist of said salt blown in via a fan.

Apparently, salt carries anti-inflammatory properties that do wonders for allergies, asthma, snoring, eczema, acne, and more.  But if sitting in a cave-like room breathing in a salt mist does not exactly sound relaxing, rest assured -- Europeans have used this treatment for over a century. Picture a white cave, shaped like sand dunes; you can almost see a distant ocean. LED lights provide soft hues of undulating colors dancing to relaxing music. Five La Fuma Zero-Gravity chairs (designed to provide optimal support for the lungs and spine) sit on the salt floor. 

Alantra owner Wayne Jalbert said, “Everybody falls asleep … you just feel like when you breathe it goes deeper. Everyone says the benefits are unbelievable.”

So if you are short on time, but really need to unwind at the beach, and treat your allergies, Alantra spa provides a 45-minute get-away right around the corner.