A Mecca for Health and Wellness
With its climate and scenic beauty considered optimal, Asheville, North Carolina, has been touted as a place of healing for centuries. From the 1880s through the 1930s, the mountain town rose to prominence as a curative place for tuberculosis. Now, as people seek more space and relaxation to cope with a global pandemic, Asheville is ready with a number of relaxing remedies.
Mindfulness
The origins of the meditative practice of mindfulness are primal. Our earliest ancestors realized sitting still with one’s thoughts and listening to the whispers of the universe could be as healing as medicine. As a society consumed with activity and productivity, it’s challenging for most Americans to partake in any act that involves motionlessness. Nonetheless, as many have been hit with COVID-19 fatigue, alternative remedies and disciplines are popular.
Still Point Wellness, located in central Asheville, offers saltwater floats, a service where an individual is immersed in a quiet, dark, saltwater chamber. All external stimulation is eliminated, promoting total relaxation. The time of a float can range from 60 minutes to two hours, depending on a client’s needs and preferences. “Floating is a practice. Think of it like meditation, but much easier to achieve because you are weightless and warm and it’s dark and you are lying down,” said Corey Costanzo, co-owner and somatic therapist at Still Point Wellness. “Each person is unique and each session for each person is also unique. I find that the more often a person floats, the shorter the amount of time they prefer.”
A flotation tank is a type of sensory deprivation. Various studies have suggested that benefits of sensory deprivation include boosts in creativity, improved physical performance, possible anxiety treatment and possible pain reduction. “Floating is a great way to develop a mindfulness meditation practice,” Costanzo said. “The float tank environment makes it easier to reach deep states of effortless meditation. The relationship between how stress negatively impacts the immune system is well documented. The immune benefits from floating come from lowering stress and anxiety.”
Connectedness
According to research, connectedness is a protective factor against depression and suicidal thoughts. When people feel connected to others, they’re less likely to fall into a dark melancholy or contemplate hurting themselves. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues and substance abuse for many people. If there is ever a time to connect with those you love, it’s now.
Shoji Spa & Lodge in Asheville is one of a number of couple’s retreats in Western North Carolina. Shoji offers private, Japanese style outdoor hot tub spas. Even during frigid temperatures or on snowy days, guests can enjoy the serenity of a quiet mountain atmosphere.
“Our services are based on ancient ideas of deep relaxation using heat, contrast therapy, hydrotherapy and massage,” said owner Roberta Jordan.
Massage therapy can reduce anxiety and boost mood by decreasing cortisol levels and increasing activity of the parasympathetic nervous system. Other benefits include enhanced immunity, improved sleep, pain reduction, increased flexibility, and the release of toxins. Shoji and other retreats offer couple’s massages, which provide both therapy and relational connection.
The team at Still Point Wellness performs a type of massage called Esalen. “Since the foundational approach to Esalen Massage is awareness in both the practitioner and the client, an Esalen massage tends to leave the receiver with a deeper awareness of their body and how their holding patterns cause pain and discomfort,” Costanzo said. “Rather than “fix” someone’s pain, this type of massage helps guide someone into the awareness of how their holding patterns and tension are causing their pain.”
During the shutdown, many folks reminisced about pre-COVID massages. Because spa treatments were considered non-essential, these services were abruptly cut off. Once they were allowed to re-open, they did so with safety guidelines.
“Our current stress from cell phone and media overconsumption, negative coping behaviors and addiction, stress from the coronavirus, holidays, and our cultural fast paced lifestyles make both salt water floatation and Esalen massages ideal antidotes and proactive approaches to health and wellness,” Costanzo said.
The Power of Salt
Another ancient remedy that has resurfaced over the past decade is using Himalayan salt for a variety of health-boosting reasons. Salt is called the essence of life, and Himalayan salt is said to be the purest salt on earth. It’s rich in iodine, easily absorbed by the body and is known to offer trace minerals. Advocates say health benefits include skin rejuvenation, air purification, flushing toxins, regulating blood sugar and hormonal balance, improving digestion and supporting respiratory function.
Jodie Appel, owner of Asheville Salt Cave, opened her establishment eight years ago after her father, a retired pharmacist with a number of lung ailments, had what was described as a transcending experience at a salt spa in Williamsburg, Virginia. After one treatment, he needed his inhaler less. He encouraged his daughter, a former massage therapist and hydro therapist, to open a salt cave in the Southeast. She landed in Asheville.
“My dad was a pharmacist and skeptical about trying anything holistic to treat his asthma and allergies,” Appel said. “He and my mom stumbled upon the salt spa in Williamsburg. When I saw how well it worked for him, I became interested in opening a similar location.”
The Asheville Salt Cave offers the speleo method. She said speleotherapy mimics the conditions of caves and mines with cool temperatures, low humidity and absence of pollutants. Further, the combination of salt and moisture parallels the organic nature of the human body, she said.
Appel says our bodies are inundated with positive ions from technology and overstimulation. Salt therapy offers negative ions, which she said brings our bodies into balance. From salt caves and cooking to body products and bathing, there are a number of ways to receive salt into the body. Another beneficial way is consuming something called salt sole, which is water that’s been fully saturated by Himalayan salt. Sole can be used as a drink, compress, mouth rinse or in a bath. Appel and her team love working with their clients and find the variety of salt cave goals intriguing and inspiring.
“We have salt cave guests who are in a whirlwind when they arrive,” Appel said. “We put them in the salt cave and 99.9 percent of the time, those same folks emerge floating, happy and kind. Their mood has totally flipped. The combination of unplugging and benefiting from the salt can be magical.”
Not only do Asheville establishments offer remedies to ease anxiety, outdoor space alone can do a lot for a person’s soul and psyche. With the holiday season comes additional stress and busyness. Whether it’s a massage, couple’s retreat, session in a salt cave or simply breathing in fresh mountain air, figure out what brings joy and offer this to yourself in abundance.