The healing powers of salt

MILFORD — School speech pathologist Laura D’Ostilio has found a new way to head off sinus issues and colds — and feel relaxed at the same time — in a new business that replicates the healing salt caves in Europe.

Revive Salt Therapy & Wellness opened in November in a plaza at 374 New Haven Ave. and customers say it is transformative.

“It’s a great experience for winter,” said D’Ostilio, who loves the beach in summer. Each time she felt sickness coming on this year, D’Ostilio said she visited the salt room and avoided getting sick. “I’m convinced,” it works, she said.

Business owner Gail Perrella, who has a master’s degree in nutrition and has been researching holistic health for 10 years, became interested in the field because she’s had illnesses from a young age, such as respiratory issues, mono and fibromyalgia, none of which responded well to traditional medications.

“I always envisioned myself owning a wellness center,” Perrella said.

Perrella, who is married with two young children, practiced in the nutrition field to help people with diet and nutritional deficiencies, “But I realized stress management was important and that whole mindfulness and meditation piece was missing.”

She did some research and wanted to offer a salt room.

In salt therapy she saw the physical, psychological and emotional benefits and the affordability.

The room that fits several people is decorated with pink Himalayan salt that is backlit and a night sky is painted on the ceiling. There are six zero gravity chairs with blankets in case it gets chilly, as the room must be kept at about 70 degrees.

Just entering the dimly lit room is relaxing, but the halotherapy aspect is where the magic is intended to begin.

The halo therapy is run by a generator that crushes sodium chloride into microscopic particles to create the healing power of the salt caves in Europe.

The particles diffuse into the air, the skin, sinuses, lungs.

Perrella said halotherapy has antibacterial and antiinflammatory properties and especially beneficial to cleansing respiratory systems.

She said salt produces negative ions, which counteract the effects of positive ions and have been shown to boost energy, relieve stress and improve sleep.

She said it’s drug free, salt removes toxins and the body will not take in any more salt than it needs.

Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media Gail Perrella, owner of Revive Salt Therapy & Wellness, in front of an illuminated wall of pink Himalayan salt in the main meditation room of her new spa in Milford on Dec. 19.