Louisville Magazine

AUG 2016

Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.

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14 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 8.16 LIBA Partner Pages louisvillesaltcave.com Nicole Bartlett and Kim Rash have been best friends since high school where they played together on the volleyball team at South Oldham High School. Later, both attended Western Kentucky University. Rash became a massage and aroma therapist and Bartlett served as a marketing director for animal nutrition and biotechnology. "We've both been doing yoga and practicing holistic health for years," Bartlett says, adding that the duo had been on the lookout for some time for a business idea that they could launch together. In Search of Quiet Bartlett and Rash knew they wanted to own a business guided by solitude and peace where clients could come to disconnect and relax. They wanted to create a quiet oasis that nurtured healing and rejuvenation. Then Rash visited a salt cave in Asheville, North Carolina, and that's when the two women began brainstorming about launching a salt cave business in Louisville. Salt Cave, located in the East End at 9800 Shelbyville Road Suite 200, opened on September 29, 2015. A Himalayan Experience Salt Cave is made of 5 tons of Himalayan salt that is more than 250 million years old. Himalayan — the first primordial salt — is pure and pristine and comes from the Himalayan Mountains, which range throughout Nepal, India, Pakistan and Tibet. The warmed salt creates a microclimate that is saturated in negative ions, which are known to increase serotonin in the body. Naturally occurring negative ion environments include waterfalls, oceans and nature. This is in deep contrast to our 21st century lifestyle where positive ions are being created everywhere around us by technology, pollution, radioactive matter and electronics, Bartlett says. The Glittering Cave Inside the cave, the thick, uneven walls are made of pink Himalayan salt blocks and underfoot is a soft floor of crushed salt. Soothing instrumental music plays to calm brain waves, and the softly lit cave creates a comforting atmosphere. Overhead, tiny lights shimmer like stars. Guests choose one of six reclining chairs and are also offered a blanket. After hearing a one-minute introduction from Nicole or Kim, the wooden door to the cave is closed quietly and the experience begins. Guests relax and breathe deeply and quiet their thoughts. Beyond the soft music, the only noise is an occasional whir of the small fan that circulates salt-infused air. "You go into a deep state of relaxation," Barlett says. "Some people even fall asleep." Science Says Current research shows that salt caves and halo therapy – a dry salt therapy in which pharmaceutical- grade sodium chloride is infused into the air – can be effective in treating bacterial or fungal related sinus problems and allergies, Bartlett said. Salt therapy has also been known to clarify breathing and skin. Salt is a natural antimicrobial. "There's been such an increase in the holistic health movement," says Rash, adding that people are increasingly seeking out holistic therapies like salt caves to supplement their medical care. A Global Experience Becomes Local Salt caves used for therapeutic purposes have been around for decades in Europe, but they have just become popular in North America in the last five or six years, Bartlett says. Bartlett and Rash hired a professional cave builder from Vermont with a Ph.D. to design and build Louisville's Salt Cave. The women and their families also participated in the cave's construction by contributing their own time and labor. A 45-minute session in the salt cave costs $35. Multiple-visit packages can also be purchased including four visits for $100 or 12 visits for $250. There's also a 30-minute lunchtime session for $25. All sessions start on the hour. Reservations can be made and walk-ins are welcome, space permitting. "I'm so glad that Louisville just happened to be where we're from," Rash says. "I feel like in the last five years it's become very artsy. It's the perfect place to launch our business." -Rachel Reynolds thefloorstoreky At least 30% to 50% off all in-stock inventory 1231 S. Shelby St. Louisville, Ky 40203 (502) 634-9632 thefloorstoreky.com Huge warehouse stocked with carpet, hardwood, vinyl, remnants, and waterproof flooring A conversation with Nicole Bartlett and Kim Rash, co-owners of Salt Cave

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