Valley Salt Cave is a holistic wellness center in Woodlands Hill, CA that offers halotherapy, yoga, sound baths and more.

While salt therapy (also known as halotherapy) has been around for more than a century, it has experienced a resurgence in popularity over the past few years, especially as a recovery treatment for those dealing with the after effects of Covid-19 and other health issues ranging from asthma to dermatitis.

Due to an increase in awareness of halotherapy and its many benefits, more spas are adding salt rooms to their amenities to enhance guests’ wellness. There are also a handful of salt caves and halotherapy centers across the United States (one of the best-known locations is Salt Cave Santa Barbara), but they are few and far between so unfortunately not everyone has access to salt therapy—even in Los Angeles, which is a mecca for modern wellness enthusiasts.

The Benefits of Halotherapy

I recently learned about Valley Salt Cave, a holistic wellness center in Woodland Hills, CA that offers halotherapy services, along with sound baths, yoga and other events. Having previously tried a salt room before, I was already familiar with the benefits so I had an idea of what to expect—but my visit surpassed my expectations and Valley Salt Cave took my halotherapy experience to the next level.

Their logo features the mountain that represents Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa—where the founders met and fell in love.

Here’s what you’ll love about Valley Salt Cave:

Located in the Valley Country Market on Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills, the peaceful sanctuary offers guests a relaxing setting where they can improve their health through natural and holistic methods.
Valley Salt Cave was founded by husband and wife team, Warren and Kari Shulman, who started their business after searching for more natural ways to manage Kari’s inflammation, pain and asthma as a result of an auto-immune diagnosis.
They have two salt caves—one for community sessions that can accommodate up to 12 people at a time, as well as a private salt cave that can be booked for smaller groups and seats up to four people.
The community salt cave has zero-gravity chairs, warm blankets, a salt water cascade, star-like lights in the ceiling, and meditative music for the ultimate relaxing experience.
At just $35 for a community session/$45 for a private session, salt therapy is quite affordable—new client salt session specials are also available and discounts are offered when multiple sessions are purchased together. Unlimited salt sessions cost $150 per month.
Halotherapy is safe for adults and children, and when done regularly offers many benefits such as providing relief from respiratory conditions like asthma and bronchitis, alleviating seasonal allergies and ear infections, treating skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema, reducing stress and anxiety, and improving sleep, among others.
Valley Salt Cave also offers yoga sessions in the community salt cave, massage and reiki services in the smaller salt room (by appointment), and they host weekly events including immersive sound baths, breathwork, energy healing workshops, guided meditation, and more.
Their retail store carries a wide selection of wellness, beauty and gift items, clothing and accessories, and select products from Beautyologie—a marketplace for sustainable, ethically sourced, fair trade and clean beauty products.
Neighboring businesses in the Valley Country Market include Blue Bottle Coffee, Healthy Greens, Lodge Bread, and more for added convenience in case guests want to grab a bite or shop before or after their visit.

A fun selection of salt-themed decor and artwork can be seen throughout the wellness center.

After getting off the freeway, I turned right onto Ventura Boulevard and pulled into the Valley Country Market, an upscale collective of restaurants and retail shops in Woodland Hills that are housed in a classic 1970s modern structure.

There is an outdoor parking lot with plenty of space, and the area is very charming and family-friendly with neighboring businesses that include Blue Bottle Coffee, Healthy Greens, Lodge Bread and more. Valley Salt Cave is conveniently located in the midst of it all, so you have the option to shop and enjoy a snack or meal before or after your visit—you can even make a whole day out it!

Valley Salt Cave also has a retail store that carries a wide variety of items.

Guests can buy different types of salts including Himalayan salt, Epsom salt and Dead Sea salt.

Cute bags, accessories and other items are also available to purchase.

Valley Salt Cave has a large retail shop that carries a wide variety of wellness, beauty and gift items, crystals and jewelry, clothing and accessories, and select products from Beautyologie—a marketplace for sustainable, ethically sourced, fair trade and clean beauty products. Founded by beauty industry veteran and longtime publicist Robin Tolkan-Doyle, Beautyologie was inspired by her love for travel and beauty, and the idea of using beauty as a vehicle for social change.

Meet Beautyologie, the First Online Fair Trade Beauty Marketplace for Ethically-Conscious Consumers

Since launching in May 2021, Beautyologie has been generating buzz in the industry for its commitment to ethical and fair trade practices, and consumers can shop a curated selection of beauty and wellness brands from around the world. All of the brands they carry are built from the same ethos and empower the people working behind the scenes for the products who don’t have the resources to do it themselves. Currently, Beautyologie is offering a special Mother’s Day Box from several social impact brands. Buy it here.

Select items are also available from Beautyologie, a marketplace for sustainable, ethically sourced, fair trade and clean beauty products.

From Himalayan salt products to cute resort-style accessories including a chic tote with the word “salty” embroidered on the front, their retail space features a lot of fun items and unique brands so you’re guaranteed to discover something new.

By the door they also have a clothing rack displaying colorful and innovative items by Frayed Calabasas Malibu, a line of creative clothing founded by two best friends that is inspired by festival fashions and gives new life to old items. I’m all about repurposed fashion and they’ve transformed old tees, denim and flannel jackets into one-of-a-kind pieces so no two items are ever alike!

Valley Salt Cave also carries Frayed Calabasas Malibu, a line of creative clothing that is inspired by festival fashions and gives new life to old items.

During my visit I had the pleasure of meeting Valley Salt Cave’s founders, Kari and Warren Shulman, a husband-and-wife duo that met back in Kari’s hometown of Cape Town, South Africa. Fun fact: the beautiful logo for Valley Salt Cave features the outline of a mountain that represents Table Mountain in Cape Town, where the couple first met and fell in love, so there’s a lot of special meaning behind it.

I also learned that Kari began to experience asthma and other inflammatory issues after moving to Los Angeles, and after tiring of treating her symptoms the conventional way, she decided to go down a more holistic path, which led to her discovery of salt caves and their many health benefits. After visiting numerous salt caves together, the Shulmans decided to open one in LA so they could share the benefits with the masses.

A long hallway leads to lockers, the restroom and private salt cave.

Cute accent pillows set the tone for relaxation as guests begin their wellness journey.

Lockers are also available for guests to store their belongings in during their visit.

After chatting with the founders, they gave me a tour of their beautifully designed wellness center prior to my salt therapy session. From cute salt-themed art and inspirational quotes that can be seen throughout, it’s kind of like going on a treasure hunt—you have to keep your eyes peeled so you don’t miss any of the fun surprises along the way!

At the end of the long hallway is a set of lockers where guests can store their belongings during their session. There are also two salt rooms—the larger Community Salt Cave can accommodate up to 12 people at a time and has zero-gravity chairs, warm blankets, a salt water cascade, star-like lights in the ceiling, and meditative music for the ultimate relaxing experience. Sessions last 45 minutes and cost $35 per person.

For those that want a more intimate experience, they also have a private salt cave that can be booked for smaller groups and seats up to four people. A session in the private salt cave costs $45 per person. The larger salt room can also be reserved if you want to have a private party, wellness retreat or other event with more than four people.

In addition to halotherapy, Valley Salt Cave also offers other services including massage and reiki, which are by appointment only in their smaller salt room. Himalayan stones can be incorporated into the massage, and they also offer cupping as as option. Couples massages are also available. Reiki is a Japanese stress reduction and relaxation technique that promotes healing based on the concept of life force energy, and is especially great when combined with other wellness techniques. More info here.

For yoga enthusiasts, they offer weekly Salty Yoga sessions on Wednesdays from 9:30 to 11 a.m. (gentle yoga for all levels) and on Fridays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. (Yin & Restorative). Salt therapy and yoga? Sign me up! Spaces are limited to eight people so call in advance to reserve a spot and bring your own yoga mat. More info here.

The Community Room can accommodate up to 12 people per salt session.

Valley Salt Cave also offers monthly wellness events that run the gamut from sound baths and breathwork to energy healing workshops and guided meditation, among others. They update their website regularly with their upcoming events and you can also subscribe to their newsletter to receive updates on what’s coming up. Events cost $50 per person. View their calendar here.

After touring the facilities, it was time for my salt therapy session to begin. I removed my shoes before entering the Community Salt Cave, where I spent the next 45 minutes reclining in a comfortable zero-gravity chair with my legs suspended in the air and elevated to the level of my heart.

These chairs go beyond relaxation—by putting your body in a position where there is no force of gravity acting on it, your weight is evenly distributed across the chair, which helps reduce muscle tension and relieves pain and pressure by putting your spine into neutral alignment. Fun fact: NASA first developed the ZeroChair, a zero-gravity recliner that was designed to help support astronauts during their ascent into orbit!

The air in the salt cave is dry and cool, so warm blankets are provided in case guests get chilly. I was nestled cozily under mine while looking up at the ceiling, which featured small dim lights that resembled stars in the sky. I had a small skin irritation on my right leg that I wanted to treat, so I rolled up my pant leg and left that part of my skin exposed in order to reap the full benefits of the salt session.

An automated voice gently welcomed me to the session, and as I closed my eyes I found myself slowly drifting into a deeper state of relaxation. There is also a salt water cascade on one wall that adds to the soothing ambiance with the sounds of trickling water, and soft meditative music played in the background during the session. After 45 minutes had passed, the same automated voice announced that the experience had concluded, bringing me back to reality.

During my session I relaxed under a soft blanket while lying back in a zero-gravity chair.

For those not familiar with salt therapy and its benefits, Valley Salt Cave has a FAQ page on its website where it covers everything you need to know. In brief, salt is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and microbial. The air in the salt room is made up of negatively-charged ionized salt particles, 84 trace elements and minerals, which help treat various illnesses and health conditions and reduce inflammation in the nasal passageways.

The salt also helps to heal the body once the negative ions enter nasal passageways, which make their way through the respiratory tract and bloodstream and are then dispersed throughout the body. Salt therapy is natural, safe, and does not have any side effects. Here are some of the conditions that salt therapy is used to treat:

Asthma
Coughs, colds and flu
Sinus infections/sinusitis
Cystic fibrosis
Ear infections
Chronic bronchitis
Emphysema
COPD
Allergies/Hay Fever
Snoring and sleeping problems
Skin conditions like acne, psoriasis and eczema
Stress, anxiety and fatigue

20 to 30 sessions (ideally two to three a week) are recommended for optimum results, but it all depends on what issues you want to treat. I’ve found salt therapy to be especially helpful when I have that lingering cough that persists after a cold or bronchitis, and after a few sessions I feel much better!

The Community Salt Room also has a trickling salt water cascade that further enhances relaxation with its soothing sounds.

After my refreshing halotherapy session at Valley Salt Cave, I was relaxed for the rest of the evening. I remember going to sleep earlier that night and waking up feeling restored—the result of a good night’s sleep. I also noticed that the irritated patch on my skin had improved significantly, and I was even breathing better!

I look forward to returning to Valley Salt Cave with my husband, as I think it would make a great mid-week date night experience, followed by dinner at one of the nearby restaurants. If you haven’t tried salt therapy yet and are able to check them out, I highly recommend it.

Whether you’re looking for a more natural form of relief from various health issues, you want to find a new way to relax and unplug, or you’re looking for a fun place to hold an event like a birthday or fun wellness evening with friends, Valley Salt Cave has everything you need to enjoy the ultimate wellness and relaxation experience.

For a more intimate experience, guests can book the private salt cave that seats up to four people.

Cost: Salt Cave Session ($35 per person/Community Room, $45 per person/Private Room). Unlimited salt sessions cost $150 per month. New client salt session specials are available and discounts are offered when multiple sessions are purchased together.

Insider Tip: Wear loose, comfortable clothing that you can relax in and sandals or shoes that are easy to take off. If you are treating a skin condition with salt therapy, leave that area exposed. The Community Salt Cave is a quiet zone where cell phones and talking are not permitted. Please call ahead if you are planning on bringing young children.

Hours: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Tues-Sun), closed Mondays

Address: 20929 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 12, Woodland Hills, CA 91364

Phone: 818-963-7646

For more information about Valley Salt Cave and to schedule a salt therapy session, visit their website. Follow on Instagram: @valleysaltcave

[Photos by Kamala Kirk]

Spa Review: We Tried Halotherapy at Valley Salt Cave in Woodland Hills