experience restorative rest
with the combination of dry salt therapy + acoustic resonance therapy
Our signature offering at Durham Salt Cave, the “Restorative Rest Session,” combines the therapeutic benefits of halotherapy (dry salt therapy) with the calming sounds and vibrations of acoustic resonance therapy (sound bath). While reclining in zero-gravity chairs in our serene treatment rooms (Salt Cave and Salt Suite), guests breathe in fine microparticles of pharmaceutical-grade salt, known to support respiratory health, reduce inflammation, and detoxify the skin. Simultaneously, gentle sound waves—delivered through music and vibration—help the body relax deeply, promoting nervous system regulation and mental clarity.
This multi-sensory session is designed to encourage stillness, breath, and balance, offering holistic support for both the body and mind. Whether you’re managing stress, allergies, or simply seeking deep rest, the “Restorative Rest Sesson” is a grounding practice in wellness and renewal.
True Halotherapy
(Dry Salt Therapy)
The word “halo” means “salt” in Greek, and for over 150 years, halotherapy has been recognized for its ability to support respiratory health and overall well-being. Salt is naturally anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory, and research suggests that halotherapy can serve as an effective complementary treatment for various conditions.
At Durham Salt Cave, our state-of-the-art Halogenerator disperses ultra-fine dry salt particles—some as small as 5 microns—allowing them to reach deep into the lungs, sinuses, ear canals, and skin pores. These microscopic salt particles help the body cleanse itself by aiding in the removal of bacteria, viruses, mold spores, pollen, and pollutants, promoting a healthier and more balanced state.
Read more about the benefits of Halotherapy and how it works
Sound Bath
Everything in the body vibrates at its own natural frequency, and sound therapy can help restore balance and harmony.
During your Salt Cave session, you’ll experience the deeply soothing effects of vibro-acoustic therapy, seamlessly integrated into your chair. Gentle yet powerful vibrations from the Legato Lounger promote deep relaxation, while immersive binaural beats play in the room and through the headphones, guiding the mind into a meditative state.
For many, the combination of therapeutic sound alongside the halotherapy enhances the ability to relax deeply, creating a profoundly restorative and transformative experience.
Sound bath treatment is also known as Acoustic Resonance Therapy or A.R.T.
Zero Gravity Loungers
Recline in full-body ergonomic comfort with our luxurious Legato Loungers, designed and crafted by our family’s company in North Carolina. These zero-gravity chairs, featuring 3” of memory foam, provide exceptional support for the lower back and hips while relieving tension and promoting circulation. Their ergonomic design encourages natural blood flow from the legs back to the core, enhancing overall relaxation.
Integrated So-Sound technology takes relaxation even deeper. Built-in subwoofers deliver soothing vibrations that resonate throughout the body, harmonizing with calming music to stimulate the body’s natural relaxation response. This immersive experience, powered by Acoustic Resonance Technology, encourages a profound sense of peace, clarity, and well-being. With over three decades of innovation, Legato Loungers continue to redefine comfort, offering a deeply restorative and transformative journey.
Grounding
Softly backlit to create a soothing and beautiful experience, the Himalayan salt walls have 84 trace minerals that are beneficial to our organic systems, the salt emits negative ions which promote calm and relaxation, making this a great space to naturally revitalize your well-being.
The Salt Cave also features an earthen wall made with local clay, sand, and water by a local earth-building expert and a lot of community helping hands. These walls ground the space and brings in the elements of nature.
Details That Make a Difference
Details That Make a Difference
The Space
From the moment you step through our doors, you’re welcomed into a calming sanctuary. Locally sourced bamboo lines the walls, while cedar and cypress (also local) elements bring warmth and grounding to our furniture. Lush greenery surround you, creating a space that honors the natural world and invites deep relaxation through every element.
Our Hosts
A host will welcome you into the space, explain the process and potential benefits, and help you get settled in. They’ll gently guide you into the experience, keeping track of time so you can fully let go. At the end of your session, the host will return to softly awaken you, allowing your mind to drift deeply into relaxation or meditation—without needing to stay alert.
Your Comfort
We take special care to ensure your body is supported in complete comfort. Because tension is often held physically, we aim to help the body relax as deeply as the mind. Your experience is enhanced with zero-gravity loungers and thoughtful additions like optional light or weighted blankets, heated salt stones, and soothing eye pillows.
After Session Care
The time after a session is meaningful, and we take care to support that transition. Guests are invited to enjoy warm, organic tea in our integration space—just outside the Salt Cave and Salt Suite. This quiet area offers a gentle pause before reentering the outside world, with space to reflect, sip slowly, write in the guest book, or connect with our seasonal altar.
Our Shared Commitment
We are a collective of practitioners, therapists, facilitators and hosts who embody the diverse nature of the Earth. These embodiments are reflected in diverse expressions of culture, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, abilities, ages and spiritual beliefs.
We protect the right to be free of discrimination and harassment and are committed to anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices. We are an explicitly trans-affirming space for practitioners and clients.
We hold ourselves and our clients accountable to honoring the sacredness of these diverse expressions and ensuring that each person feels safe, seen and respected.
If, at any point, we feel that these agreements/statements have not been respected, we reserve the right to ask you to leave the property and not refund your payment.
Salt Cave vs Salt Suite - What's the difference?
The Salt Cave is a larger room with earthen and Himalayan salt elements, accommodating from 1 to 6 people.
The Salt Suite is a smaller room with glass walls, accommodating 1 to 2 people.
Both feature 45 minute halotherapy sessions, Acoustic Resonance Therapy (sound bath), and zero-gravity Legato Loungers. Both are privately booked, even if you don’t book every seat in the room. The only non-private bookings are our Community Salt Cave Sessions.
Price, Seating and Duration
All sessions are 45 minutes of treatment time. Please plan to arrive early to give yourself time to park, settle in and use the rest room. The host will check you in, show you to your booked room and give a short orientation to the space while helping set up and guide you into your session. The host will come back at the end to let you know when your session is over, after 45 minutes. This allows you to lose track of time and enter a deeper relaxation.
The Salt Cave treats up to 6 people. Pricing starts at $160 for one person. It is an additional $40 for each additional person, up to $360 for a full room.
The Salt Suite seats up to 2 people. It is $120 for one person or $160 for two.
In general, Salt Cave and Salt Suite sessions are completely private. Only you and members of your group will be in the Salt Cave or Salt Suite. With private bookings, there may be empty chairs in the room and that’s ok! Our only non-private booking option is our Community Salt Cave Sessions which take place on Sunday afternoons.
Please note that we are committed to offering accessible rates to those whose identities have historically experienced inequity, especially around access to health and wellness. See more info about our community share program in booking.
Is it just me/or my group in the cave?
Yes, our Salt Cave is always privately booked unless you are booking a Community Session. You may book just one, two or all six chairs in your private cave booking. Some of the chairs might be empty, but that’s ok!
When should I arrive?
We recommend aiming to arrive about 20 minutes early in order to allow time to park and settle in. Out of courtesy for the appointments after yours, we start all appointments on time and do not interrupt a session once it has begun. So if you arrive late, you may have to reschedule your visit (for a 7% fee) or join the next available session if there is availability.
Are children allowed in the Salt Cave?
Due to the meditative nature of the Salt Cave, we ask that you do not bring any children who are unable to respect the space and sit quietly for the duration (45 minutes) of a Salt & Sound Experience session in the Salt Cave or Salt Suite.
Children ages 10 and older are welcome and will need to be accounted for in the total number of seats purchased. We can fit up to 6 people in the cave at one time, children included. At this time, we do not have a specified rate for children.
Is there parking?
There is a small free parking in front and a larger free parking lot behind our building, meant for guests and customers of the Trotter Building. These lots do fill quickly though and parking may be limited depending on the time of day, given the nature of the shared building. Other nearby parking options include: Geer House public parking garage, the West Geer District Public Parking Lot, and of course street parking. Please consult our parking map for a comprehensive view of available parking options.
Unfortunately, handicap parking at our building can be limited. If you are in need of a handicap spot or arrival accommodation, please contact us before your appointment and we will try our best to help.
Will there be somewhere to put my personal belongings + cell phone?
Yes. We encourage you to step away from outside distractions during your time here, and ask you to consider leaving electronics in your car or at home. As you enter into the Salt Cave or Salt Suite for your session, your host will show you where to leave personal items. Both the Salt Cave and Salt Suite have a designated area for your belongings that is not inside the actual treatment room.
Although your items should be safe during your session since nobody else will be in the room with you, Durham Salt Cave does not claim responsibility for lost, stolen, or damaged property.
Is the indoor space handicap accessible?
Yes. We intentionally designed this space so that a wheelchair is able to move in and out of every single room and participate in the salt cave experience.
What should I wear?
We recommend you wear comfortable clothes that you are able to relax in. If you have a skin condition you are trying to address (halotherapy is especially beneficial for psoriasis and eczema), we recommend wearing layers so that you can control the amount of skin you have exposed, while being considerate of others in the room with you and the host who will guide you into and out of your session.
We require clean socks be worn at all times.
If you do not have clean socks with you, there will be some available for purchase at the front desk or booties available.
Please refrain from wearing perfume or cologne prior to the session
Can I bring food or drink into the Salt Cave?
No, there is no food or drinks allowed in the Salt Cave or Salt Suite during your session. We will serve warm, organic herbal tea to you and your group after your session in our integration space.
What if I am a smoker?
Please refrain from smoking at least 1 hour before your session out of consideration of the experience for others.
What happens if I need to cancel or reschedule my session?
We welcome reschedule or cancellation requests with more than 48-hour advance notice. All cancellations or rescheduling within 48 hours of appointment time are subject to a 7% charge on all services.
Are the loungers accessible for all bodies?
The Lagato Loungers have a static weight capacity of 450 lbs and are suitable for persons up to 6’4” in height. Motorized adjustment holds the lounger in any position.
Can I book the salt cave for a private session or event?
This space is available for private group rentals and special events. Please contact us to discuss details.
Are there more affordable/accessible prices?
We are committed to offering accessible rates to those whose identities have historically experienced inequity, especially around access to health and wellness, through our Community Share Program. Your full payment and/or contribution to our Community Fund enables us to offer discounted rates to those who do not have the resources for the full price. If you are in need of a subsidized rate for our Salt + Sound Experience, please utilize the code SHARE for 30% off. Thank you to all who contribute to making this possible.
Where did salt therapy originate?
In the mid 1800’s, Polish physicians noticed that salt miners rarely suffered from respiratory diseases. During World War II, many asthma and allergy sufferers who hid out in the salt mines during the war emerged breathing freely. From these observations, speleotherapy (salt cave therapy, “speleo” means cave) was founded. Today the healthcare systems in many countries pay for people to spend several weeks per year in the salt mines in order to prevent, and heal respiratory and skin conditions. Athletes throughout the world incorporate salt therapy sessions in their training regimens and it increases oxygenation and endurance.
Halotherapy rooms built to recreate the salt cave environment are now found throughout the world today. Special equipment called halogenerators grind and disperse salt aerosol into the air. You can read more about the history of halotherapy and its many benefits on our halotherapy page.
Can I book a session without the salt therapy (halotherapy)?
Yes. Please let us know when booking or upon arrival if you would prefer to not have the salt therapy (halotherapy) during your session. You will still receive the relaxing benefits of the built-in salt features and floor, the sound bath in the acoustic-vibrational Legato Loungers, the comfort of the warm salt stones and post-session integration time with warm, organic herbal tea. The prices of the sessions will still remain the same without the halotherapy.