Asheville Salt Cave Review: Relaxing and Invigorating

It might not seem like not much: entering a room full of salt, laying on a mat on the ground or a reclining lounger, and resting (or even falling asleep!). But the results are so powerful. 

I must confess that I’m so used to doing, achieving, and enduring (yes, even when I participate in wellness experiences) that I thought the effortless wellness experience offered by Asheville Salt Cave wasn’t for me. I was wrong! I leave feeling more relaxed, grounded, and invigorated every single time. 

The Asheville Salt Cave aims to recreate the microclimate of a salt mine using 30 tons of pure pink salt from Poland, the Dead Sea, the Himalayas, and the Celtic Sea. The air in the salt cave is saturated with negative ions, while the salt rock crystals release 84 trace elements and minerals essential to the human body’s homeostasis (natural equilibrium). 

Do you know that exhilarating feeling of breathing the ocean breeze? Those are the negative ions doing their thing! The air inside the Asheville Salt Cave is anti-bacterial, uncontaminated by dirt, and free of toxins and pollutants. 

Salt therapy has many health benefits, including helping with respiratory and skin conditions (consider those unbearable seasonal allergies prevalent in these mountains). Plus, it’s a silent, phone-free environment, which helps with mental detoxifying. Here, you can learn more about the impact of this therapy on your health.

Entering the cute house where the salt cave is located will instantly uplift your mood. You’ll love the softness of the salt lamps illuminating the ambiance, the super friendly staff (thank you, Emily!), the soothing decor, the deck overlooking the mountains, and the many opportunities to add retail therapy to your salt therapy. 

Imagine tons of salt-based beauty and home products, from body scrubs and skin lotions to bath bombs, gemstones, and crystals. They also have candles, books, and salt lamps of all shapes (I love the ones resembling crystal balls). I’ll be back to do part of my holiday shopping there! 

When it’s time for your appointment, a staff member will walk you downstairs, where you’ll leave your belongings in a locker, take your shoes off, put on clean socks, and enter the cave. 

Walking on salt is something I had never done before, and my feet loved it! Then, you’ll have to choose between laying on the floor on a mat or sitting on a comfy zero-gravity chair – or you can alternate.

You’ll love the sound of the water fountains. I adore resting next to one and touching the salt blocks or the salt on the ground while I lay down. Once you are settled, they will soften the lights, and you’ll start the 45-minute experience. 

I always begin by setting an intention. It can be as simple as Asheville Salt Cave’s invitation: “Inhale, Exhale, Repeat.” Or you can ask for general inspiration, find the answer to a question, discover an idea to walk through challenges you’re facing, or dedicate the well-being of the experience to someone or a cause you care about.

The sessions are silent (no phones, no talking) and public, so you’ll share the cave with others (the max is 10 people). Reservations are required and prices vary according to the day of the week. In addition to salt therapy and an awesome store, the Asheville Salt Cave offers other healing services.

You can book the cave privately, and since the place will be all yours, you won’t have to follow the rules of the public experience and be quiet. So, it’s ideal for a fun social gathering where your group can enjoy each other’s company while getting the health benefits of salt therapy.

A fun add-on to your experience is using the Hammam or traditional Turkish bath (steam room), designed to detoxify and exfoliate the skin with immense relaxing benefits for the body and the mind. They offer 60-minute and 30-minute packages that include body lotions and the fantastic Salt Glow Body Scrub (also available at the shop), herbal-infused water, and chromotherapy. 

Do you want your date options to be more diverse? Book a sumptuous couples massage inside the cave and benefit from both therapies while deepening the connection with your partner. They offer traditional and hot stone massages, extra goodies at no additional charge (lavender eye pillows, anyone?), and a small gift to take home.

Another plan for date night is the Nurturing Partnership Workshop in the cave. This is “a shared experience of gentle movement, mindful breath work, and guided meditation; you will tune in to yourself, your partner, and your relationship, nurturing and strengthening your bond.” It sounds like the perfect way to set a harmonious, caring mood.

Would you love to spend time in the Asheville Salt Cave but have young kids? Children can also benefit from salt therapy! Every Sunday at 10 am, kids are welcome for a quiet(ish) session with books and sand toys provided, and you’re welcome to bring yours.

One of the best ways to enjoy the Asheville Salt Cave is to attend an event. The sound healing concerts, for instance, add the sounds of African crystal bowls to the relaxing effects of the salt. Sound healing therapy supports emotional and spiritual well-being and helps realign the body’s vibration.

Full moons are always celebrated in the cave, with special gatherings like the Wisdom Circle summoning the wisdom of the feminine archetypes and Poetry as Prayer sessions. There are also tarot readings and yoga classes, and on the last Sunday of the month, masks are required for those more cautious or with health concerns. Check the events calendar here.

Finally, the Asheville Salt Cave is located on Liberty Street in North Asheville. This is a really cool area, within walking distance of downtown and tons of shops. In just two blocks, you can find some of the best wellness-oriented businesses in town. 

Think the famous Asheville Yoga Center, the Salon at Liberty Corner, Pulp + Sprout Juice Bar and Vegan Cafe, ZenBurger (for incredible vegetarian burgers and fries!), and Liberty House Café, a fantastic off-the-tourist-track brunch spot.

I hope you enjoy your visit to the Asheville Salt Cave as much as I did!

Asheville Salt Cave: 16 N Liberty St, Asheville

Have you been to the Asheville Salt Cave? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!

SHARE THIS ON PINTEREST