Soleil's Salt Cave

Soleil's Salt Cave is a private salt therapy business in downtown Exeter. Every booking is a private session, so each group has the space to itself, and every session runs 45 minutes.

The business has two salt caves and a separate room with salt beds. Cave of Clarity holds 1 to 8 guests and Cave of Calm holds 1 to 4. The Room of Renewal, which sits outside the caves, has two salt beds. The caves contain about 25,000 pounds of Himalayan salt, and halogenerators release it into the chamber as a dry aerosol during sessions. The chamber is kept between 72 and 74 degrees Fahrenheit, with anti-gravity chairs and blankets provided.

The salt beds are heated to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit and use heated Himalayan salt without any salt-infused air. The business says its caves have been used by people dealing with asthma, allergies, COPD and insomnia, and it notes that salt therapy is not medically recognized in the United States. Guests with severe asthma or severe high blood pressure are advised to use the salt beds rather than the caves.

Arrive 10 minutes before a session, since late arrivals may be asked to reschedule. Phones, watches and other electronic devices are stored in a secure closet, and food, drinks, gum and mints stay outside the cave. Guests wear socks or stockings in the caves and stay quiet and still during the session. A credit card is needed to book but is only charged if the guest asks for it at arrival. Booking the caves and salt beds together requires booking Cave of Calm first, then the Room of Renewal; Cave of Clarity needs a separate appointment with about a 15-minute gap.

Cave of Calm is $60 per adult, $40 per teen aged 13 to 17, and $30 per child aged 0 to 12, with the first child free. Guests aged 60 and over and military veterans pay $50 per person in the caves and $54 on the salt beds. The 5-pass is $275 and the 10-pass is $500, and either can be used for the caves or the salt beds. Hours are Tuesday through Thursday 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, Friday and Saturday 8:00 am to 7:00 pm, Sunday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and closed Monday.

Sessions use dry salt dispersed by halogenerators into the cave chamber, and salt beds use heated Himalayan salt.

Sessions take place in a cave kept at a steady temperature, with reclining chairs and blankets for a quiet, private setting.