Without salt, there is no life. Salt is naturally found within our bodies, but our consumption of refined salt jeopardizes our health. Regular table salt has nothing in common with the original unrefined crystal salt. Salt nowadays is mainly sodium chloride and not salt as nature intended. Industrial processes strips salt of its natural elements and leaves only sodium and chloride. Without the other minerals to balance proper absorption this results in the end product as an un-natural substance of which the body spends much time trying to get rid of. This can cause an overburden to our body filters.
Natural Himalayan Salt consists of natural elements identical to those within our bodies. The word salt comes from the Latin term “sal”, which comes from the word sol. Our blood is a “sole” consisting of the same salty solution as that of the ocean, fluid consisting of water and salt.
For hundreds of years, Himalayan Salt has been used to detoxify the body in the form of a brine treatment called Sole. Most commonly done in the form of a bath, brine baths purport to detoxify the body through osmosis. As the sodium binds the water to the outer layer of your skin, moisture is preserved. Toxins are released from your body. To have the “true” sole experience it is recommended that the brine bath be as close as possible to normal body temperature. This is where water is no longer salt and salt is not salt. A new structure is formed, generating its own vibration. The ultimate infusion of pure energy, revitalizes your body with much needed ionized minerals that get absorbed through your skin, reducing acidity and balancing the ph levels.
You have to take time to make time. This is the mantra Oxford resident Sue Martovich has encompassed with her new business Salt of the Earth Spa in the newly developed Woodbury Green South in Woodbury, which opened in late 2014.
“It’s really about finding that time to have some Zen time, support your immune system [and] detox,” said Martovich.
Salt of the Earth offers a variety of services including dry salt therapy, yoga, massage therapy, energy healing and Natural Allergy Elimination Technique – a natural pain-free elimination technique which combines acupressure nutrition and kinesiology to detect and desensitize allergies of all kinds.
“[NAET] works with meridians in your body,” said Martovich. “I have people coming in here that have specific conditions.”
Martovich said beginning this venture had to do with what she had experienced in her lifetime, everything from climbing the corporate ladder, financial stress and the toll all of it took on her and her husband’s health. What people are missing today, Martovich realized, was downtime.
“My husband had psoriasis and I had eczema, and after numerous times of getting treated through the traditional methods, that’s when we decided to make a shift,” she said. “We changed our lifestyle to encompass more organic products.”
Martovich said people are in so much of a rush today with deadlines to meet that the minute they step out in the morning, they are encompassing stress.
“We are depleting our bodies, we’re not giving ourselves time to recharge, and this is that space that gives you that time,” said Martovich of her spa.
Martovich said every time you take a drug and stay on it, one or two things might happen. You’re going to get a side effect, so either you’re going to tolerate that side effect or you’re going to take another drug to deal with that side effect.
“Nine times out of 10, you’re going to have your good bacteria affected; nine times out of 10 when you suppress your symptoms, your immune system is going to be affected,” said Martovich. “I have people coming in here that have serious illnesses… they’re physically and mentally depleted because of all the medications they’re taking. They don’t know what to do with themselves anymore.”
Salt of the Earth Spa makes it very clear, however, that it works well as a complimentary treatment in conjunction with traditional medicine or as an alternative treatment under the guidance of a physician. They recommend that people coming to the spa consult their doctors before deciding to discontinue any medications or prescribed treatments.
The salt cave therapy offers an opportunity to not only relax, but a chance to get to the core of natural body recovery. It helps aid allergies, arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, Cystic Fibrosis, ear infections, eczema, migraines, hay fever, skin allergies, sleep disorders and more, Martovich said.
Salt therapy, also known as halo therapy, is the use of an air-controlled environment creating a natural salt cave microclimate. The salt is distributed through a salt generator, creating a negative ion environment to promote balance within the body and reduce stress.
“I heard about salt therapy and I was so excited it came to town,” said Jamie McKee, of Southbury, who brings her daughter, Eliza to the spa. “She was diagnosed with asthma, and it really helps to loosen up the lungs. I really noticed a difference in her”
McKee said she comes to Salt of the Earth Spa when Eliza develops a cold and it starts to go into her lungs.
This form of therapy dates back to ancient Greece, but was rediscovered in the mid-19th century in Europe, according to a pamphlet provided by Salt of the Earth Spa.
Halo therapy made its resurgence when a Polish health official, Dr. Felix Boczkowski, noticed the difference in the immune systems and health of salt miners compared to other miners. His research was instrumental in the creation of salt sanatoriums, hundreds of feet below the surface of the earth.
Martovich said approximately 10 tons of the salt incorporated into their treatment rooms comes from the oldest, smallest and most mineral rich mine in the world, located at the Khewra Mine in Pakistan.
“Salt of the Earth Spa works with a well established USA importer of Himalayan Salt to ensure the salt’s authenticity and superiority,” she said. “Their supplier has held mining rights in Khewra for generations.”
According to Martovich, only about 25 percent of the output meets their exacting standards. Miners are careful in their selection process to ensure the retention of the salt’s rich therapeutic properties.
Martovich and her husband also own a manufacturing company focusing on aerospace products and high-end architectural hardware. Prior to opening Salt of the Earth Spa in Woodbury, she and her husband had gone through several different business interests of either expanding the company they had or buying someone else out and adding their production and product to their company.
When a friend of hers told her they were purchasing the new Woodbury Green South space along with other partners, Martovich immediately knew she wanted a space.
“My husband and I had gone to the salt cave in Ridgefield and we were so blown by the treatment not only for skin problems, but how we felt coming out of there,” said Martovich. “After we left that salt cave, I just started doing research.”
Martovich said she started learning what the salt could do by finding out how it could help her husband’s skin and looking at various options.
“We knew when he went down to the ocean, he was good for a few days. The salt water was so beneficial,” said Martovich. “Having this kind of place for both of us gives us a break, gives us a place to wind down, and we both needed that.”
Research started with the skin and Martovich then began learning further about the benefits of salt therapy and realized respiratory issues could also be helped.
“Then I started looking at the demographics and how many doctors were dealing with respiratory issues and I took inventory of the area of Roxbury, Litchfield, Woodbury, Southbury, Middlebury, Oxford,” said Martovich. “There is a lot of doctors out there, and I said, ‘There’s a need for this.’”
Martovich said people want something else, they want a choice, they want to be able to have an alternative to taking medicine all the time and gain an opportunity to try something natural and effective.
“It is something that has been used thousands of years to heal and it’s very popular in Europe,” said Martovich. “It started growing to use for skin and respiratory and skin disorders.”
Salt of the Earth Spa is located at 787 Main St. South in Woodbury. For more information, call 203-586-1172 or visit www.naturalsalthealing.com. You may also like the Salt of the Earth on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Salt-of-the-Earth-Sanctuary/461868863950901.
WOODBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — Welcome to salt cave yoga – yoga moves in a salty setting.
“In a salt cave, it’s very much like you’re at the beach. You have the air like you’re at the beach- the salty air,” says fitness guru Ellen Barrett.
She’s guiding the class, “inhale-stretch the arms up,” she says, at the Salt of the Earth Therapeutic Spa in Woodbury.
Barrett explains, “It’s a yoga class that’s heightened with this wellness energy. It’s not just about being fit, it’s about really being well.”
The chamber is packed with Himalayan Salt, known for it’s holistic healing powers.
“Salt therapy,” Barrett says, “is so valuable for the skin, so valuable for your lungs, it’s great for stress.”
Co-owner Sue Martovich created a climate controlled environment.
“The generator,” says Martovich, “has pharmaceutical grade salt in it. It gets milled. It’s a very, very fine particle and it can go into the upper and lower part of your lungs.”
Yogis are surrounded with salt bricks, salt tiles, and standing on seven to eight inches of salt.
And every breath they claim has benefits.
Barrett says, “It’s this awesome clean unpolluted air. That high mineral content. It also has high negative ion content which is a good thing so the higher negative ions, the more euphoric you feel.”
And there’s a potential plus on overall wellness.
“It goes in,” says Martovich, “and clears up the mucous and congestion. It opens up the airways. It’s 100% soluble- doesn’t stain the lungs. It’s actually the same substance that’s used in saline solutions used in hospitals.”
Fluid moves to focus inward, “Breathing in that awesome salt air into the lower back,” instructs Barrett, now more of a detoxifying experience.
The salt cave yoga classes are offered on Saturdays.
For more information – log onto www.naturalsalthealing.com or call 203-586-1172
GREENWICH – Woodbury business owner Sue Martovich, President of MS Design CT, Inc. and Managing Member of Salt of the Earth Sanctuary, LLC, was recently recognized by the Women’s Business Development Council at its 20th Anniversary Luncheon Gala held at the Greenwich Hyatt Regency.
The Women’s Business Development Council was founded in 1997 to provide the training, education and borrowing power necessary to empower women to successfully launch and grow their own businesses. In honor of their 20th anniversary, the Council presented their “20 for 20 Award” to 20 successful women entrepreneurs and women business owners, including Martovich, who have prospered from the not-for-profit’s services.
Martovich is a Managing Member of Salt of the Earth Sanctuary, LLC in Woodbury which provides therapies and treatments focused on natural body recovery, including yoga and meditation classes, holistic healing sessions, and Himalayan salt therapy chambers. She is additionally the President of MS Design CT, Inc. which designs and produces high-end architectural door and drawer hardware for clients who seek artistically-inspired craftsmanship as well as structural components for the Aerospace Industry.
Long-recognized as the signature annual women’s business gathering in Connecticut, the gala brought together nearly 700 supporters of women-owned businesses including Small Business Administration Chief Linda McMahon, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, and Congressman Jim Himes.
McMahon remarked that the women-owned businesses served by The Women’s Business Development Council are “not only serving our communities with products and services, they are providing paychecks to families and making our cities and towns vibrant places to live.”
She explained that small businesses create two out of every three net new jobs in the private sector with more than half of the U.S. workforce either employed by a small business or owning a small business. “Women in particular are driving a lot of that growth,” she said. “Research shows that women-owned small businesses are the fastest growing sector of our economy.”
Women’s Business Development Council CEO Fran Pastore addressed the crowd, “The Women’s Business Development Council’s work on behalf of women entrepreneurs has never been more relevant than it is today. Make no mistake about it; this is not a female issue. This is a socioeconomic imperative. When a woman can borrow money for income-generating activities like starting their own business or growing their own business, it has a ripple effect around our communities.”
Woodbury >> Salt of the Earth Spa in Woodbury has come a long way since it opened its doors in late 2014 in the Woodbury Green South shopping center.
Today, it has branched out into much more than a salt cave, it has become a healing way of life.
“I had no idea what to expect from the way people were coming in here.Droves of people came in here, curious about the spa, asking ‘What is a salt cave?’ Then once they grasped the concept I started seeing more people come in here that had skin conditions and respiratory [issues],” said Sue Martovich, owner.
Salt cave therapy offers an opportunity to not only relax, but a chance to get to the core of natural body recovery. It helps aid allergies, arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, Cystic Fibrosis, ear infections, eczema, migraines, hay fever, skin allergies, sleep disorders and more, Martovich said.
Salt therapy, also known as halo therapy, is the use of an air-controlled environment in a natural salt cave microclimate. The salt is distributed through a salt generator, creating a negative ion climate to promote balance within the body and reduce stress.
This form of therapy dates back to ancient Greece, but was rediscovered in the mid-19th century in Europe, according to a pamphlet provided by Salt of the Earth Spa.
Halo therapy made its resurgence when a Polish health official, Dr. Felix Boczkowski, noticed the difference in the immune systems and health of salt miners, compared to other miners. His research was instrumental in the creation of salt sanitoriums located hundreds of feet below the surface of the earth.
Since 2014, Martovich has seen more people coming to the spa with serious illnesses such as autoimmune diseases, cancer, and Lyme Disease.
Martovich said this lead her to do more research and the more research she did, the more she realized there was more out there in the way of treatments, therapies and practitioners.
“I think more or less it was like the change started happening a year in and we were getting a lot of people in that were on medication and had side effects from the medication and their bodies were [reacting] to the side effects,” said Martovich.
Martovich said people were experiencing fatigue, joint pain, neuropathy, and anxiety, along with new allergies which they had never experienced before.
“What I decided to do was build a network of people that we could call upon when I had somebody come in here that I can’t service,” said Martovich.
For example, Salt of the Earth Spa offers a modality known as Chiren biophoton light therapy, which has been very popular among people who suffer from autoimmune disease and digestive disorders.
“We recently got into energy work and energy work with Scalar, an energy enhancement system that was developed by Dr. Sandra Rose Michael based on Tesla technology,” said Martovich.
Martovich said it has led them to learn about other types of treatments that she was unaware of until cients asked about the alternatives.
“The customers are teaching me things, and everybody is different,” said Martovich. “People come in here and they’ll say, ‘well, is it going to fix my problem?’ Everybody has different layers inside. What I do know is that a bio mat is infrared. It can go up to 158 degrees, I do know that cancer cells don’t like high heat, so it will go after those cells.”
Martovich said the treatments also helps people with sinus infections, so the salt bed is a popular alternative choice.
One of the mantras for Salt of the Earth Spa since the beginning, is “take time to make time to relax,” since so many people today are victims of stress. People coming to Salt of the Earth Spa are learning how to let go.
“When we are in stress mode, that is fight or flight, if you don’t relax, you’re not going to receive the full benefits of the treatment,” said Martovich.
Martovich said through meditation, people can actually find the clarity they need, their coping mechanism improves, pain management improves and people are more grounded.
“When you take those four things and combine them with the treatments I have here, that enhances what the bio mat does,” said Martovich. “I try to make sure everything somehow connects and benefits each other. They all work together. Since I started this business, I had to learn how to meditate.”
Martovich said they are also introducing ayurvedic work, which is an ancient holistic healing system based on the belief that health and wellness depends on the delicate balance between body, mind and spirit.
“We are starting ayurvedic facials with the Kansa wand and we will be selling the wands and ayurvedic oils,” said Martovich.
Salt of the Earth Spa also offers a pain management meditation, that Woodbury resident Sonia Bodie said was a great class to take.
“I love the fact that it is a guided meditation. It makes it easy to settle into a meditative state just because it’s a guided meditation. There is also music to it too,” said Bodie. “The combination of being in the salt cave and the guided meditation as well as the music itself, it’s really beautiful.”
Bodie said the meditation allows people to go into a place of awareness and expanded consciousness. “It’s a feeling of expansiveness, which is generally what meditation gives people.” The meditations, held by Cynthia Quintinal can be held in a group or one-on-one.
“Being in there with all of the salt, it’s very easy to drop into a meditative state because there is nothing interfering,” said Bodie. “It’s a really intimate space.”
Aside from the spa, Salt of the Earth has collaborated with Healing Arts Sanctuary LLC. The Sanctuary is a combination of a retail store that is highly focused on raising vibrations along with various services centered on healing, the arts, photography and much more. A major part of Sanctuary is centered on water. It looks at the integrity of water and teaches people about the natural power of water.
“It really is amazing, once you start realizing what it feels like to be hydrated, it’s amazing,” said Kate Robards, an associate at the store. The retail shop also has healing jewelry, glassware and many other items. The Sanctuary will offer ayurvedic work, events and workshops. There is also a gathering space that can be used to host events for likeminded people for a fee.
The Sanctuary will also have various programs for children. Martovich said she would like to teach children and teenagers how to meditate and how to tap into their creative side by writing a book.
“It would be a six- to eight-week program,” said Martovich. “Short-stories, but there is no peer pressure from the outside world. They will be able to go in and create. We really want to help the younger set.”
Martovich said they are hoping to become a center of learning and this expanded space allows them to take on new challenges.
Salt of the Earth Spa is located at 787 Main St. South in Woodbury. For more information, call 203-586-1172 or visit www.naturalsalthealing.com. You may also like the Salt of the Earth on Facebook.
