by James Gogarty
Interpreter Lucie Průšová

He sat depressed in a Prague cafe reading reports that pollution in the city is worse than ever, and the number of children suffering from asthma and other respiratory diseases has been on the rise as automobiles multiply, and obscene levels of dust fill the air from constant construction. Next to him a young couple lit their cigarettes and blew their smoke nonchalantly in his direction. He stifled his cough, paid and exited the cafe to meet his girlfriend.

She, on a continuing search for better living with asthma, had discovered Solná Jeskyně, or the Salt Cave, and had somehow convinced the skeptical him to join her for a 45 minute session. Wading through the rush hour smog they rounded the Bubeneč corners and came to the entrance. They confirmed the reservation, slipped on the special slippers and stepped into a lightly lit L-shaped room decked-out in fake stalagmites, wait, or was it stalactites, and glowing red-salt walls.  Before the crumble of sandlike salt beneath his foot reached his ears, his nose became aware or something, something new.  What was it?  Dare he think, fresh air!  It was dry, cool and full of nostalgic notes from his Adriatic holiday.  They reclined in the specially designed chairs and the lights dimmed and began a dance of soft interchanging colors.  At first the new-age music, with the apparant sound of mating dolphins had him snickering, but the mammals soon appeared to grow bored and swam away, leaving relaxing rhythms in their wake. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier...  

Pavlína Kozová, owner of the Solná Jeskyně  Bubeneč branch, met with him a week later. She explained the tradition comes from the discovery that Polish salt miners of the 19th century appeared to recover easily from a number of ailments.  Her recent inspirition came from a vist a few years back to Slovakia, where she and her family discovered their first artificial salt cave.  Soon, her husband, working with the Slovaks, established the patent in the Czech Republic, opening 3 different caves. Each cave contains 24 metric tons of salt, making the site selection a bit difficult, and an advanced filter system.  The salt stones hail from Poland, Pakistan, Ukraine, and the Dead Sea creating an artificial microclimate filled with iodine, calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, bromine and selenium.  "While many of the health benefits attributed to these caverns, such as lowering of blood pressure, anti-aging, faster metabolism, antidepression, etc. are still theory," Kozová asserted, "science has proven that regular sessions can help asthma and other respitary diseases, chronic throat problems, dermatological afflictions and allergies." She recommended 5 sessions, every other day, equivalant to one week at the seaside, for maximum effect.

He would not know all this information a week before when he awoke, from what felt like a full night's sleep.  What he would know was that for 45 minutes his lungs felt great, his skin soothed and his nerves relaxed.  Refreshed, he reluctantly stepped out into the busy streets feeling a little less totured, a little more optimistic.

Solná Jeskyně

www.originalsolnajeskyne.cz

Korunovačni 23                             Českomoravská 18
170 00 Praha 7                              190 00 Praha 9
774 822 964                                   608 074 483
www.pravasolnajeskyne.cz        www.solnejeskyne.info

1 Session (45 minutes)
Adults       9:00 - 13:00     140Kč
                 13:00 - 21:00    160Kč
Children      :00 - 21:00      80Kč
Seniors     9:00 - 21:00    100Kč
Students   9:00 - 21:00    100Kč

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