Search Results for ""

Written by

These lovely Bath Fizzies are so popular, we can hardly keep them stocked. They are handcrafted in small batches, here at the Asheville Salt Cave. The Sweet Sole Fizzy has a intoxicating aroma of sweet orange, cedarwood, and rose. Take your bath time to the next level of self care. It will leave your skin feeling deeply nourished and silky smooth.

An ideal stocking stuffer!

Handcrafted by Asheville Salt Cave

1 Bath Fizzy

Ingredients: Himalayan Salt, Coconut Oil, Baking Soda, Citric Acid, Essential Oils of Sweet Orange & Cedarwood, Calendula Infused Witch Hazel, Organic Oatmeal, Rose Petals

 

Written by

These nourishing Bath Fizzies are so popular, we can hardly keep them stocked. They are handcrafted in small batches, here at the Asheville Salt Cave. The Sole Oasis Fizzy was formulated especially for sensitive skin, using Himalayan pink salt, oatmeal and vanilla. It will leave your skin feeling deeply nourished and silky smooth.

An ideal stocking stuffer!

Handcrafted by Asheville Salt Cave

1 Bath Fizzy

Ingredients: Himalayan Salt, Coconut Oil, Baking Soda, Citric Acid, Benzoin, Calendula Infused Witch Hazel, Organic Oatmeal, Lavender Flowers

 

Written by

Holiday season is upon us, which means we are all scrambling to find new (& easy) recipes to feed ourselves & our family.

I like to try to keep things as healthy as possible around this time of year, so playing with seasonal vegetables is something I really enjoy.

Since it’s fall, root vegetables are currently in season…meaning now is the time of year to grab all of your favorite squash, beets,
potatoes, etc & get in the kitchen.

This recipe I created for you is extra unique and will really add something special to your table since it uses a salt block for baking and added flavor.

Not only did the salt block help to season the squash perfectly, it also works well for other dinner ideas too. Anything from grilling, plating salads, or seasoning…the salt block takes your cooking skills up a notch.

It is important to know how to use a salt block correctly if you’re planning on baking with it. You want to start on a low oven setting, let it bake for 10-15 minutes, and then turn up the heat to your desired temperature. For this particular recipe, I preheat my oven to 200 degrees and let the squash and salt block bake for exactly 10 minutes before raising the temperature to 375 degrees. This ensures that your salt block will be kept safe, and your vegetables will not burn while the block heats up.

Serving Size: 4
Prepared on Salt Block
What you need:

1 Large Butternut Squash

1 Medium Yellow Onion

1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Minced Garlic

1 1/2 tsp Sage

1 tsp White Pepper

1 tsp Paprika

* Start by chopping off the ends of the squash, then cutting down the middle and removing the seeds. Once your squash is cleaned, cut into desired thickness/shapes.
* Peel and cut (I do slivers) your onion
* Add Pecans to mixture
* Once all of your main ingredients are together, add remaining oil and spices
* Mix together to ensure all squash is covered. No need to worry about salt, the block will have that covered for you!
* Once everything is combined, add salt block to your 200 degree oven and bake for 10 minutes
* After 10 minutes, raise the heat to 375 degrees and cook for another
20 minutes or until squash is soft
* Top with fresh sage or thyme, & voila! You’ve got yourself a tasty and perfect side dish

As for clean up, no dishes, pots, or pans are involved…which makes using the Salt Block even more enticing. Simply discard and put away the leftovers, then run the block under cold water to clean. Once it’s dry, you’re all set up to start cooking on it again.

So simple, and yet adds that extra bit of magic to your holiday season…which we can all use this time of year.

Enjoy!

Written by

With the darkness and weather beginning to cool, our immune systems could use a little extra love.

What better way to do this than with a warming herbal tonic you can make right at home with easily accessible ingredients. Fire Cider is a remedy created by Rosemary Gladstar in the late 1970s. Her original recipe was equal parts horseradish, ginger, onion, and garlic topped with apple cider vinegar. It is one of the easiest and most affordable herbal tonics for the Winter months, or general tonic for life’s ailments all year long.

Through the years the recipe has taken on many variations.

But its main components are always ginger, horseradish, onion, garlic, and chilis combined with apple cider vinegar and honey. In addition, other herbs can be used for added benefit such as turmeric, cinnamon, star anise, echinacea, rose hips, rosemary, citrus fruits, and thyme.

The tonic can be taken straight up, mixed into tea or broths, or used as a dressing on all your meals (because yes it tastes that good!)
If you start to feel unwell, it can be very supportive to take a tablespoon every 3-4 hours until symptoms subside.

Over the years I have created my fire cider by intuition.

But if you’re a recipe follower here are the basic guidelines:

  • 1/2 cup grated fresh ginger
  • 1/2 cup grated fresh horseradish
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 10 cloves of crushed or chopped garlic
  • 2 chopped jalapeño peppers

Layer in a quart mason jar. Cover all the ingredients with apple cider vinegar by 2 inches. Before placing the lid on be sure to use a piece of parchment paper to keep the vinegar from touching the metal. Give it a nice shake and place in a dark space for 4-6 weeks. Remember to shake your tonic daily! This also gives me an opportunity to say magic words to it which I believe hold in its vibrations. After your 4-6 weeks is up, you can strain it into a clean jar and add 1/4 cup of honey- or more if you like it sweeter. The fire cider is shelf stable and can be stored in dry, cool space in your kitchen and will last for many months.

Wishing everyone good health!

Written by

 

Our SELF SERVICE Hammam is a one-of-a-kind Spa experience that is brand new to Asheville.

Inspired by ancient Turkish and Moroccan bathing traditions, this relaxing treatment is designed to detoxify and exfoliate the skin while restoring the body and the mind.

This self service takes place inside our newly built steam room adorned with vibrant colors, copper basins, and handcrafted tile mosaics.

By deeply cleansing and exfoliating our skin, which is our bodies’ largest organ, cleansing becomes less habitual and more of a ritual: aiding in the release of toxins, increasing circulation and bringing the whole person closer to their highest vibration. Sure to leave you feeling revitalized; body, mind and spirit.

Written by

30 Minute Express Session

Steam, exfoliate, and purify in your own Private hammam steam room session with your closest friends & loved ones. The private hammam can have from 1, up to to 5, people attending.

Express Package – 30 Minutes:  Enjoy a relaxing 30 minutes in a private session. You will have the option to use a traditional exfoliation Kess mitt, copper bowls for hydrating and rinsing off, and ending with a light lotion. Drinking water, towels and water shoes are provided.

Cost is $60 for 1 person, $55/person for 2-3 people, $50/person for 4 people, and $45/person for 5 people.

Deluxe Package – 60 Minutes:  This package includes all of what is offered in the express package, and in addition it comes with our Salt Glow Body Scrub, DRAM herbal infused bubble water, and chromotherapy (color therapy) light options.

Cost is $85 for 1 person, $80/ person for 2-3 people, $75/person for 4 people, and $70/person for 5 people.

What to Bring

  • A towel, swim suit (optional), and change of lightweight loose fitting clothes to relax in after your session.
  • Extra towels, water shoes, soap and Kese Mitt are provided 

How does it work?

  • Steam to soften, hydrate skin and relax muscles.
  • Exfoliate with all-natural handcrafted soap and cleaners and Kese Mitt (traditional exfoliating mitt)
  • Rinse away impurities with personal sinks
  • We would love for our guests to set the intentions of “What are you letting go of today?” while in your session.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What can I expect during a session?

You will sit on heated benches inside our steam room, while using copper bowls to pour water over your skin and you may chose to exfoliate your skin with a provided Kess Mitt and wash with provided soap samples, finishing with a light lotion.

Deluxe Package includes our Salt Glow Body Scrub, DRAM herbal infused bubble water, and chromotherapy (color therapy) light options.

For more detailed info and step by step process read please our blog here.

How long are the sessions?

The Express package is 30 minute session and the Deluxe Package is 60 minutes experience.  The exact amount of time spend in the steam room will depend on your comfort level. We encourage you to pour cool water over yourself if you get too hot inside the steam room or step into the dressing room to cool off.

We invite you to relax and hydrate after your session in our atrium, located just upstairs from the hammam.. Take some time here to cool down and ground back into your body.

Will I be nude?

Since these are private sessions, clothing is optional inside the hammam. We will provide you a traditional lightweight Turkish towel to cover up and use while seated or laying down during your session.

What are the benefits of using a Hammam?

Our largest organ is our skin and we tend to cover most of it with our favorite lotion and other body care products. Environmental residue, detergents, and numerous other invisible toxins build up on the skin over time. The hammam is a place to deeply cleanse the outer most layer of our physical body. Finishing with a cold pour is a great immune boost to the system as well.

As well as being nurturing experience, there are many medical benefits to using a hammam, dating back to around 200 BC. These types of services stimulate your immune system by increasing antibody production and relieving aches, pains and stiffness in joints and muscles. It detoxifies the body and can reduce cellulite by pulling toxins from the fat cells of your body.

Who should not go in a Hammam?

There are just a few folks whom would not benefit from a Hammam . Our hammam uses high temperatures and these increased temperatures could possibly harm people who are elderly, have diabetes or heart disease, as well as those with irregular blood pressure. Children under 16 years old are prohibited due to their bodies being unable to regulate high temperatures.

PLEASE DO NOT SCHEDULE IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THESE CONTRAINDICATIONS:

Severe inflammatory processes in the internal organs; heart diseases (infarction), cancerous diseases, severe kidney diseases, auditory and visual system diseases, severe diseases of the respiratory organs, infectious diseases, pregnancy, varicosity, fever or thyroid disorders, extreme vertigo.

Children under the age of 16 may also react poorly to the higher heat. If you’re concerned, please feel free to reach out to us with questions or ask your doctor.

Written by

Steam. Exfoliate. Purify.

Written by

Our hammam, which is in essence an elegant steam room adorned with vibrant colors, copper basins, and handcrafted tile mosaics, offers both a mental and a physical experience.

The cleansing rituals of the hammam are rejuvenating and luxurious. While in session we invite guests to think about letting go, shedding unhealthy habits or self talk, and cleansing anything unwanted away to make room for what might better support you. You will leave feeling calm, silky soft, and highly relaxed.

We ask you to bring a bathing suit, towel, water shoes (if you have a pair, if not we have a pair for you) and some loose comfortable lightweight clothing to relax in after your session. We will provide you with a traditional Turkish towel to use during your session, when seated or laying on the tables.

Once entering the room you will find your seat on a warmed bench next to one of the copper basins and begin to fill warm water into the basin and proceed to gently pour the warm water over you body with a smaller bowl, beginning to let go of any tension and thoughts of the day. This will cleanse and soften the skin, preparing it for exfoliation.

You may also find it relaxing to stretch out on one of the heated tables. This will begin to loosen your muscles and settle the mind in for this worldly experience. We invite you to set an intention of “What are you able to let go of?” “Can you surrender a little more into this moment?”

You will then use a traditional kese mitt (exfoliating glove) and proceed to exfoliate the skin in the direction of blood flow towards your heart. This helps to move lymph and the cleanses the blood, while removing dead dry skin. We invite you do this with some vigor as to release the dead skin cells, and deeply exfoliate your skin. Our largest organ is our skin and we tend to cover most of it with our favorite lotion and other body care products. Environmental residue, detergents, and numerous other invisible toxins build up on the skin over time. The hammam is a place to deeply cleans the outer most layer of our physical body. We have some luxurious soaps and cleansing salt products for you to use during your service to enhance the treatment. We recommend switching to cooler water to if you become to warm at any point during the service. Finishing with a cold pour is a great immune boost to the system as well.

Be sure to stay hydrated throughout your session with cold water from one of our copper pitchers. Copper is an essential trace mineral that is vital to human health. In trace amounts, it has antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties and helps neutralize toxins.

Besides being nurturing experience, there are many medical benefits to using a hammam.

The medicinal benefits of hammam date back to around 200 BC. These types of services stimulate your immune system by increasing antibody production and relieving aches, pains and stiffness in joints and muscles. It detoxifies the body and can reduce cellulite by pulling toxins from the fat cells of your body.

There is a beauty in communal bathing, that seems lost in our American culture.

In the US, showering has become primarily a functional action, simply to clean one’s own private body in the fastest and most efficient way possible, often while using numerous chemical laden “beauty” products. Bathhouses have been traditionally used in many communities around the world to connect with friends and neighbors. They served as community centers, places to share conversation, connect with one another, to mediate, and to center yourself. We invite you come experience this beautiful, mindful, traditional way of deeply cleansing.

We offer a comfortable lounging area just upstairs from the hammam, for you to relax and hydrate after you session and enjoy the feeling of slowly coming back to yourself as your body temperature begins to come down.

There are just a few folks whom would not benefit from a Hammam, due to the use of high temperatures. These temperatures could harm people who are elderly, have diabetes or heart disease, as well as those with irregular blood pressure.

PLEASE DO NOT SCHEDULE IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THESE CONTRAINDICATIONS:

Severe inflammatory processes in the internal organs; heart diseases (infarction), cancerous diseases, severe kidney diseases, auditory and visual system diseases, severe diseases of the respiratory organs, infectious diseases, pregnancy, varicosity, fever or thyroid disorders

Children under the age of 16 may also react poorly to the higher heat.

If you’re concerned, please feel free to reach out to us with questions or ask your doctor.

We invite you come come experience this deeply purifying and relaxing session.

Click here to schedule.

Written by

If you’re like me, when in a full blown headache, or even on that verge of one coming on, it can be hard to be mindful of the any kind of self care. I try to remind myself often of theses simple tips to use when a headache starts creaping in.

Tip #1

Drink 2 -4 glasses of 8 oz water. Did you know 75% of americans may suffer from dehydration. Hydration is key, on first twinge of a headache, start drinking water. Sometimes I will even add a little pinch of himalayan pink salt to my glass, salt and water its what we are made up of, so might as well start there. If you’re feeling adventurous come try out our salt cave (we are one of the only ones in the US who use the water element in our salt cave) and we have had many folks share their headache reflief after coming in for a visit. Water is vital to our wellbeing, and with adding the minerals from the salt, this can stop a headache in its tracks.

Stop reading and go drink a glass now!

Tip #2

Hydrotherapy – a fancy word but really a very simple and effective technique. Place a hot compress on your feet and a cold compress on yout head and/or neck. This allows the blood to flow away from the head. You could also place your feet in a hot salt bath and use a washcloth soaked in cold salt water on your head. The theory is that the hot water will increase circulation to the lower extremities, while the cold on the head and neck area will reduce blood flow to that area, and the salt will balance out the minerals in the body. Lay or sit a dark and quite space.

Tip #3

Essential oils : Peppermint and lavender essential oils have many healing properties. Apply one drop of each in a carrier oil to your temples and forhead or diffuse in room . Do not get in eyes, mouth or nose area. Lavender oil is great for sleep, to reduce anxiety or depression, all things that could be leading to your headaches. As for peppermint oil, it is a bit more of a stimulant, it has anti-inflammatory and pain-killing properties that feel opening and a bit tingly when applied to the body. These both smell amazing and you can purchased these high quality oils on our online store. 

Tip # 4

Self massage and Accupressure points: Press on the point between your thumb and first finger or on the tips of fingers and toes. This is an accupressure point known to reduce headache pressure. Receiving regular therapeutic massage is another a great way to decrease muscle tension and stress levels. A massage therapist may even be able to help you pinpoint specific muscle groups that are affecting your headaches. We have many skilled massage therapist at the Asheville Salt Cave and would be happy to help you find some relief.

One self care techniques I really enjoy, is using a tennis ball in areas that may be feeling tight. Some good areas to try may be between spine and the scapula on the back of the body, or in the neck region. Do what feels like good pressure for you… not to hard, but that just right place where you can breath deep. 

As a suffer of headaches, many of these tips have helped me with relief, I hope they help you too.

Written by

Christopher relocated to the Asheville area seven years ago in search of community and holistic wellness. He attended the Asheville School of Massage and Yoga, and has been certified by the Upledger Institute for Cranial Sacral 1. He spends his spare time perfecting recipes in the kitchen, and has a passion for gardening and crafting medicine. He takes pride in providing safe and inviting spaces for people to rest into their nervous systems.

Written by

Tia has a wide range of interests- from their love of nature, to yoga, different cultural perspectives and foods. The uniting theme amongst these interests is their ability to inspire connection between the individual and the whole. In everything they do, Tia hopes to lead with a compassionate mindset that ripples outwards.

Written by

Jeff experienced a re-awakening of his own physicality through massage and bodywork, and is a firm believer in the body’s ability to restore itself, through conscious breathing and nurturing touch.  His sessions blend the invigorating qualities of trigger point release with the soothing groundedness of swedish massage.

Written by

Max approaches the practice of bodywork from a background involving a trinity of Neuromuscular Therapy, Sound Healing, and Integrative Breathing. Through a combination of these elements, his techniques focus on awakening the inner healer of each client, promoting their own self-healing beyond the initial session. Outside of massage, Max enjoys playing live music and exploring the endless expanses of Asheville’s natural beauty!

Written by

Cacao is a plant medicine here to assist us in reconnecting to our heart center.

In addition, it has an abundance of health benefits:
  • Rich in macro and micronutrients, including fats, minerals and vitamins.
  • Cacao has several compounds that are known to have an antibacterial, anti-enzymatic and immune stimulating effect.
  • It is loaded with theobromine, which is useful in treating respiratory problems, asthma, coughs, and enhances lung functions. It also lowers blood pressure, supports cognition and improves sleep quality. 
  • Cacao is one of the richest sources of polyphenols which have antioxidants and are linked to reduced inflammation, improved cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. In addition, flavanols can cross the blood brain barrier improving blood flow to your brain – and can increase mental capacities.
  • Improved nitric oxide levels in the blood- linked to blood flow and reduce blood pressure.
  • Cacao has PEA, phenethylamine which releases pleasure compounds known as endorphins and dopamine. 
    Tryptophan is an essential amino acid found in cacao and is essential in creating the neurotransmitter serotonin.Another glorious compound found in cacao is anandamide. The name is derived from Sanskrit word ananda, which means joy, bliss and delight. It is a fatty acid that binds to the endocannabinoid receptors in your brain creating an anti-depressant like effect. Scientists believe that enhanced levels of happiness are a direct result of having more anandamide in their system

Overall, cacao expands consciousness, opens the heart, inspires creativity, enhances focus, increases energy, fosters connection and is a mood enhancer. 


**Make sure to look for high quality cacao that is not overly processed to receive all of these health benefits**

**Also please look for cacao that is sustainably and ethically sourced**

Written by

September 17th 2020

With the New Moon being the First Moon of the Moon Cycle, this is the time to set intentions for the upcoming month!

This is when the moon is 0% illuminated. As the moon grows and becomes more illuminated so will your intentions. This makes it the best time to ask yourself what you’re ready to manifest and what you’re ready to release. Its time to clear out the old and make way for the new.

With this New Moon being in Virgo, intentions set around the energy of Virgo will be the most powerful.

Virgo’s are naturally care givers, analytical, connected to animals, and connected to health through nutrition. Under this New Moon you may feel called to set some intentions around care giving for yourself or others, analytical endeavors, connecting more to animals, and looking more into how you can nurture your body.

Enjoy releasing all that is no longer serving you under this full moon and planting the seeds of what you wish to see manifest throughout this moon cycle.