Salt Grotto

I had bought this Salt Grotto experience from Groupon, because it sounded like an interesting and beneficial idea. It was situated at the Adalex Clinic near Hammersmith and advertises itself with the promise that:

"Breathing in the delicate salt brine mist, full of microelements,

is hugely beneficial for your general health."

I thought this might be especially useful since the relatively epic discovery of a dust allergy last year. I persuaded Emma to come along and try out the calming and soothing experience.

On arriving at the clinic, initial impressions were mixed. The place was a small, locked door next to a busy road, but inside everything was clean and suitably spa-like. There were a few other people there for the salt cave session, who clearly were regular customers, returning to reap the benefits of the cave.

After donning plastic booties, we were led into the cave. The floor was thick with salt, the walls encrusted in an uneven, subterranean manner and the ceiling was covered in (relatively unauthentic) stalactites. The corner had a sandpit full of salt, which I thought was quite a fun idea. (I assume this was for children, although there wasn't a minimum age...) We were cosseted into thickly-cushioned reclining chairs, wrapped in fleeces and then left to, very literally, breathe in the atmosphere.

Unfortunately the experience became a little strange after this. Half of the fake stalactites were "enhanced" with colour-changing LED lights, which twinkled away in a very unnatural way. The "salt water" waterfall in the corner made me very glad that I'd availed myself of the facilities before entering the grotto. And the chosen music seemed to be pan-pipe versions of 80s classics - think "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" and "You Can't Hurry Love" but like they're from Last of the Mohicans.

(For the authentic experience, play THIS whilst reading the rest of the review...)

Now... I don't do yoga, I don't meditate, I get bored in a sauna. So perhaps I wasn't really the right person to invest 100% in the Salt Cave experience, since much of meditation must rely on a certain susceptibility and acceptance of this particular relaxation method. After only one hour, it is probably unsurprising that I noticed absolutely no health benefits, but I was so uninspired by the whole experience that I won't be returning to test the cumulative effect.

This is for you if...

If you ever need an hour to just get away and have some quite alone time away from the world. Much cheaper, however, would be locking yourself in the bathroom with a bubble bath, a bar of Galaxy (one of the large ones) and a glass of wine (one of the even larger ones!)

Recommendations

Take a book or go when you're sleepy and have a nap.