Salt Therapy (Halotherapy): What the Sources Say and Safety
Salt therapy (halotherapy) means breathing salty air in a salt room. Trials are small, there are no guidelines, and people with asthma or COPD should ask their doctor first.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
What is Salt Therapy (Halotherapy) good for?
What the body uses it for, and how strong the evidence is. A normal job in the body is not proof that extra supplements add benefit; each card says which.
Salt rooms and mild asthma in children (pilot trial)
Preliminary or mixedA pilot trial of 55 children aged 5 to 13 with mild asthma found less airway over-reactivity after 14 sessions in a salt room with a salt generator than in a room without one, and better quality-of-life scores. Breathing tests (spirometry) and exhaled nitric oxide did not improve.
Supplements: Not shown to treat asthma; do not replace asthma medicines.
Salt rooms and COPD
Not enough evidenceA 2014 review found only one randomized trial that met its rules and added three case-control studies (1,041 people). It questioned the quality and concluded that halotherapy cannot be recommended for COPD at this point.
Supplements: Insufficient evidence; ask your doctor first.
Natural salt caves (speleotherapy): not the same as a salt room
Preliminary or mixedA 2026 trial of 208 people with asthma, COPD or long COVID gave 6 cave sessions over 3 weeks. The main airway-inflammation test did not improve in asthma; questionnaire scores for asthma control and COPD symptoms did, and lung function changes were small. Controls did not receive a comparison stay.
Supplements: Questionnaire gains only; people stayed on usual treatment.
Inhaled dry salt and mucus clearance in COPD
Not enough evidenceA crossover trial of 25 people with COPD found no difference between a dry salt powder inhaler and an empty inhaler in how fast the lungs cleared mucus after 1 or 2 hours. It stopped early and was too small to rule an effect out.
Supplements: No effect shown in this trial.
Detox, immunity, skin and sleep claims: claim check
Not enough evidenceSellers promote salt rooms for detox, immunity, skin and sleep. Proper evidence not found in the sources we read. NCCIH says only a small number of human studies of detox methods exist, most of low quality.
Supplements: No good evidence of benefit.
Guidelines and oversight
Not enough evidenceThe American Lung Association says there are no evidence-based findings to create guidelines for salt therapy and that scientists are not sure how it would work. A 2022 review also says no official guidelines exist for salt rooms or dry salt inhalers.
Supplements: Talk with your doctor before trying it.
Children, babies and pregnancy
Not enough evidenceSchool-age children with mild asthma were studied in one pilot trial. The sources we read do not cover babies, toddlers, pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Supplements: Ask a pediatrician or midwife.
Connected topics
Open a group to see how each topic connects and how strong the evidence is.
Health goals (2)
- Breathing SupportPreliminary or mixed
One small pilot in children with asthma and mixed or negative results elsewhere; no guidelines.
- Lung SupportPreliminary or mixed
Same limited evidence for lung conditions; not shown to treat lung disease.
Body systems (2)
- Respiratory HealthPreliminary or mixed
Studied for asthma and COPD with small trials; safety questions include room hygiene and dust.
- Respiratory SystemDocumented risk
Lung organizations advise discussing it with a doctor; room hygiene and dust are concerns.
Body parts (1)
- LungsPreliminary or mixed
The treatment is breathed in; evidence for benefit is limited.
Functional actions (1)
- Respiratory SupportPreliminary or mixed
Reported as helping mucus clearance in reviews, but a crossover trial of dry salt found no difference.
Conditions & symptoms (1)
- AsthmaPreliminary or mixed
One pilot trial in children with mild asthma improved airway reactivity but not breathing tests; larger trials are needed.
Documented risks and interactions (3)
- Room cleanliness and bacteria. The American Lung Association questions how well salt rooms are maintained, because warm, humid rooms could encourage bacterial growth. We did not find a study of salt room hygiene.
- Asthma and COPD: check with your doctor first. The American Lung Association says salt therapy should be discussed with your doctor. Salt aerosol is also used in clinics as a challenge test for airway reactivity, so people with touchy airways should not assume it is harmless. Studies and reviews that reported side effects found none, but many were small.
- Dust and air quality in salt chambers. A 2026 study of a salt-mine health resort found larger dust particles higher indoors than outdoors, probably stirred up by visitors, and said ventilation and crowding need monitoring. It measured a mine chamber, not a salt room.
The short answer: salt rooms have not been shown to treat lung disease. The American Lung Association says there are no evidence-based findings on which to build guidelines for salt therapy, and that scientists are not sure how it would work. [1] One small trial in children with mild asthma found one test of airway sensitivity improved, but breathing tests did not. [3] A review of halotherapy for COPD could not recommend it. [2] Ask your doctor before using it for any lung condition. [1]
Salt therapy is a spa-style treatment: you sit in a room with salt on the walls and floor while a machine puffs out very fine dry salt. This page keeps seller claims, lab findings and human trials apart, and it does not cover swallowing salt or bathing in it.
What salt therapy is
Halotherapy means breathing in tiny dry salt particles (sodium chloride) inside a chamber made to copy the air of a salt cave. [2] The room is usually above ground. Some rooms use a machine called a halogenerator, and the pilot trial compared a room with one against a room without one. [3] Speleotherapy is the older practice of staying in natural caves or salt mines, and halotherapy is often described as a copy of it. [2][6] A natural cave and a salt room are not the same thing, so a result from one does not carry over to the other. Other names: salt room, salt cave, salt chamber, dry salt therapy. A "dry salt inhaler" (a small device you breathe from) is a third, different product. [7]Claims and what the sources found
| Claim or use | What the best source found | Evidence label | Route, product and who was studied |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salt rooms help asthma | A pilot trial of 55 children aged 5 to 13 with mild asthma (29 in a room with a salt generator, 26 in a room without) found less airway over-reactivity after 14 sessions over 7 weeks, no change in breathing tests (spirometry) or exhaled nitric oxide, and better quality-of-life scores. The authors called it a pilot and asked for larger trials. [3] A review of 18 asthma studies reported positive effects with no adverse events but said larger, evidence-based studies are needed. [5] | Promising but limited | Salt room with generator; children with mild asthma not on anti-inflammatory medicine [3] |
| Salt rooms help COPD | A 2014 review found 151 articles but only one randomized trial that met its rules. It added three case-control studies (1,041 people in all) and judged the quality questionable. It concluded that halotherapy cannot be recommended for COPD at this point. [2] | Insufficient evidence | Halochamber; adults with COPD [2] |
| Natural salt cave stays (speleotherapy) | A 2026 trial of 208 people with asthma, COPD or long COVID (six 2-hour sessions over 3 weeks) found no improvement in its main airway-inflammation test in asthma. Questionnaire scores for asthma control, asthma quality of life and COPD symptoms improved, while lung function changes were small and COPD lung function did not improve. Controls did not get a comparison stay. [4] | Mixed | Natural caves in Germany, Austria and Italy, not salt rooms; patients also on usual treatment [4] |
| Breathing dry salt thins and moves mucus | A crossover trial in 25 people with COPD found no difference between inhaled dry salt and an empty inhaler in how fast the lungs cleared mucus. It stopped early and was too small to rule an effect out. [7] Reviews describe mucus clearance as a proposed benefit. [5][6] | Insufficient evidence | Dry salt powder inhaler, one dose; adults with COPD [7] |
| "Detoxes" the lungs or body, boosts immunity, helps skin or sleep | Claim made by sellers. Proper evidence not found in the sources we read. NCCIH says only a small number of human studies of detox methods exist, most of low quality. [10] | No good evidence of benefit | Not studied for salt rooms in the sources we read |
| Mold-related illness and sinus problems | A 2021 article by salt-therapy authors says clinical trials show benefit in several lung and sinus conditions and that salt therapy is "safe and well tolerated." [9] We did not read the trials behind that statement, and the article is a narrative review. | Insufficient evidence | Mixed products; narrative review [9] |
Limits: most studies are small, many did not hide who got the real treatment, a few reviews are written by people who offer the therapy, and the sessions, salt amounts and rooms differ from study to study. [2][5][6] A review of 13 papers noted that no official guidelines exist for salt rooms or dry salt inhalers. [6]
Safety by group
- Asthma and COPD. Check with your doctor first. [1] Salt aerosol is also used in clinics as a "challenge" to test how touchy the airways are, which is one reason to take the question seriously. [5] The sources we read do not give a rate of asthma flare-ups from salt rooms. Studies and reviews that reported side effects found none, but many were small. [2][5][7]
- Room hygiene. The American Lung Association questions how well salt rooms are kept clean, because warm, humid rooms could encourage bacteria. [1] We did not find a study of salt room cleanliness. In a salt-mine health resort, a 2026 study measured larger dust particles higher indoors than outdoors, probably stirred up by visitors, and said crowding and air flow should be watched. [8]
- Breathing. Dust from dry salt is breathed in on purpose. The sources we read do not describe long-term effects of repeated sessions.
- Medicines. Do not stop or lower asthma or COPD medicines because of salt therapy. One 2014 review described studies in which people cut back medicines, but it also said the studies were poorly reported. [2] See how interactions work.
- Children. The only controlled trial we read was in school-age children with mild asthma. [3] Babies and toddlers: the sources we read do not cover them. Ask a pediatrician. See children and teens.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding. The sources we read do not describe them. See pregnancy and breastfeeding.
- Swallowing, skin and mouth. Not the route used here. If anyone swallows a large amount of salt and seems unwell, call Poison Help (US 1-800-222-1222) or your local emergency number. See urgent poison help.
- Not regulated like a medicine. The ALA page describes no guidelines. We did not find a regulator's statement about salt rooms in the sources we read.
How it is used and what to look for
- Session length and salt amount vary, and we did not find a source that sets a standard, so we give none.
- Ask how often the room is cleaned and how the salt aerosol is made. Bring up any lung or heart condition with the staff and with your own doctor.
- Salt lamps and salt bricks are different products; see Himalayan salt lamps: claims checked.
- Rinsing the nose with salt water is another way salt is used for the airways; see Neti pot and saline nasal rinse.
Related pages
Frequently asked questions
Does salt therapy work for asthma?
Not proven. One pilot trial in 55 children with mild asthma found one airway test improved but spirometry and exhaled nitric oxide did not, and it called for larger trials. [3] A review reported positive effects but also called for larger studies. [5]
Does halotherapy help COPD?
A 2014 review could not recommend it, because only one randomized trial met its rules and the quality of the rest was questioned. [2] A small crossover trial of dry salt powder found no change in mucus clearance, though it was too small to be sure. [7]
Does it detox the lungs or the body?
We found no human evidence for that claim. NCCIH says the human studies of detox methods are few and mostly low quality. [10]
Is it safe for children or in pregnancy?
School-age children with mild asthma were studied in one pilot trial. [3] For babies, toddlers and pregnancy, the sources we read say nothing, so ask a clinician.
Should I try it if I have asthma?
Talk to your doctor first, and keep taking your prescribed medicines. [1] The American Lung Association says salt therapy should be discussed with your doctor. [1]
References
- American Lung Association. Promising or Placebo? Salt Halotherapy. Posted 2016, updated October 2025. Read 2026-10-24.
- Rashleigh R, Smith SMS, Roberts NJ. A review of halotherapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2014;9:239-246. Read 2026-10-24.
- Bar-Yoseph R et al. Halotherapy as asthma treatment in children: a randomized, controlled, prospective pilot study. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2017;52:580-587 (abstract read through Europe PMC). Read 2026-10-24.
- A randomized controlled trial of adjunctive speleotherapy in asthma, COPD and long COVID. Scientific Reports. 2026 (abstract read through Europe PMC). Read 2026-10-24.
- Halotherapy: an ancient natural ally in the management of asthma: a comprehensive review. Healthcare (Basel). 2021 (abstract read). Read 2026-10-24.
- Halotherapy for chronic respiratory disorders: from the cave to the clinical. Altern Ther Health Med. 2022 (abstract read). Read 2026-10-24.
- The effect of inhaled dry salt on pulmonary mucociliary clearance in obstructive lung disease: a randomised, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Clin Physiol Funct Imaging. 2026 (abstract read). Read 2026-10-24.
- Underground vs outdoor air in the Wieliczka Salt Mine health resort: particulate matter and selected gaseous pollutants. Environ Geochem Health. 2026 (abstract read). Read 2026-10-24.
- Salt therapy as a complementary method for the treatment of respiratory tract diseases, with a focus on mold-related illness. Altern Ther Health Med. 2021 (abstract read; narrative review). Read 2026-10-24.
- NCCIH (US). Detoxes and cleanses: what you need to know. Updated March 2025. Read 2026-10-24.