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.
