Salt Cave Healing Center

It might feel a little random to find this small oasis of tranquility amongst Namdaemun’s chaos, but the Salt Cave Healing Center is indeed located as soon as you come out of Hoehyeon Station’s exit 3. The center has been in service for 4 years now, and most visitors come for therapy usually during lunch time; there are almost no visitors after 5pm. The salt cave lends its name from a room made entirely from salt (walls, floor and even the ceiling). The point is to come here, relax, take a nap and heal yourself with whatever energy this natural element can fuse into you. After putting on the sanitary shoe covers, you will enter the frosty white room lit with a blue light. The 2-3cm thick walls are made from white plaster and to create a more cave like atmosphere, the ceilings have a few salt icicles hanging down. The floor, which is covered in white salt, looks like a soft beach sand but is far from. It almost feels like walking on a pile of snow that has melted and frozen about two times. Sun-dried pacific salt is what you are actually walking on. For those who are suffering from asthma, rhinitis (simply put certain kind of allergies) and are on the verge of getting a cold, breathing in some salt (1-5 micrometer) particles diffused in the air might help; so the center claims. Whether it’s the minerals, the ions or just plain fatigue, many people who come here get a deep (albeit short) sleep. There are around 6 beds made of wood, 2 of which are inside a private room. Just lie down and let the room work its magic. A small fountain on the side provides subtle sounds of rippling waters, calming your inner stress. Maybe that’s why a lot of office workers visit this place during lunch hours, while some of those shopping in the area come for a small break.