These Quirky Spa Trends Are Both Cutting-Edge and Old-School

Halotherapy

What Is It: Salt therapy has Eastern European origins and is believed to relieve respiratory inflammation and improve the immune system.

How It Works: Instead of a salt mine, like the old days, you’ll sit in a room of glowing pink Himalayan salt tiles and breathe in the negative ions they release.

Where to Try It: Ho’ola Spa at the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay, Hawaii.

Float Tank

What Is It: American neuroscientist John C. Lilly created the first version of this water-filled tank in the 1950s to help explore the mind in a relaxed state. Think of it as bathing yoga.

How It Works: More than one thousand pounds of Epsom salt saturates 12-inches of water, creating a buoyant bath you float on for one to two hours.

Where to Try It: 5B Floatation, Ketchum, Idaho.

Infrared Pod

What Is It: A jade-lined pod that generates infrared heat to yield the benefits of both a workout and a facial. A 30-minute session has been said to burn around 400 calories while clearing your pores.

How It Works: Infrared wavelengths of light heat the body, rather than the cocoon-like pod around it, causing water molecules in the body to break down and release toxins.

Where to Try It: Penelope and the Beauty Bar, Seattle, Washington.