Salt Rooms

A salt room calls for the exact opposite of a steam room: a dry volume. At the survey, the moisture profile of the space is examined alongside its dimensions and ceiling height; adjoining wet areas, damp in the floor and condensation on external walls are each checked in turn. Because a salt finish is affected by moisture, how dry the space is becomes the project's first criterion for elimination.

On the same visit the electrical infrastructure, the scope for a ventilation duct and service access for the halogenerator are settled. The intended use — home, hotel spa or health facility — shapes the class of device and the layout from the outset.

• Area dimensions and ceiling height
• Moisture measurement in walls and floor
• Check of adjoining wet areas
• Electrical supply and panel condition
• Ventilation duct route
• Halogenerator service access
• Intended use (home / hotel / health facility)
• Preliminary budget frame

Salt room design proceeds on two layers: the salt wall, loungers and lighting that meet the eye, and the microclimate target that does not. The systems that will hold the room in a band of 20–24 °C and 40–60% relative humidity are engineered at this stage, according to the volume.

The lounger and seating arrangement is drawn around the session scenario; from family rooms with children to spa volumes for several people, the layout is presented as a 3D visual. The composition of the salt wall — brick, render and granulate zones — is settled in that drawing.

• Microclimate target (temperature and humidity band)
• Salt wall composition (brick / render / granulate)
• Lounger and seating layout
• Limits of the floor salt spread
• Amber lighting scenario
• Halogenerator position and outlet direction
• Sound insulation and music infrastructure
• 3D visualisation and design approval

Salt is hygroscopic; it draws moisture from the air. If relative humidity runs above 60%, the wall surface first sweats and then begins to lose its form. Air conditioning is therefore the item in a salt room that is not open to negotiation: dehumidification capacity is calculated on the volume of the room and how often it is used.

Ventilation performs a double duty: during a session it helps the dry salt aerosol distribute evenly, and between sessions it refreshes the air in the room. Ducts and grilles are installed before the salt wall is closed up.

• Dehumidifier capacity calculation
• Temperature control (heating / cooling)
• Fresh air and exhaust ducts
• Grille positions and air pattern
• Corrosion-resistant ducts and fittings
• Separately fused electrical circuit
• Humidity and temperature sensor points
• Photographic documentation of the infrastructure

We use three techniques on the wall: salt brickwork suited to back-lighting, hand-worked salt render, and a granulate rock salt finish. Bricks are laid on a load-bearing structure with a special adhesive, with the joint pattern planned around the passage of light; render, meanwhile, is applied to the wall layer by layer to a thickness of a few centimetres.

Washed, coarse-grained rock salt is spread across the floor; walked on barefoot, this layer sets both the texture and the acoustics of the room. Depending on the project, white Çankırı rock salt and pink Himalayan salt are used on their own or together.

• Erecting the load-bearing structure
• Salt brickwork and joint pattern
• Layered application of the salt render
• Granulate finish zones
• Floor salt spread
• Çankırı / Himalayan salt selection
• Skirting and door threshold detail
• Surface check and dry cleaning

The halogenerator grinds refined dry salt to micron size and releases it into the room as a breathable dry salt aerosol. The salt wall sets up the atmosphere; it is this device that actually runs the system. Capacity is selected on the volume of the room, and the position of the outlet is marked on the design for even distribution.

We build the lighting with amber LED runs filtering from behind the brick; the veined texture of the salt passes the light through, and the room takes its light from its own wall. No fitting that glares at eye level is used.

• Halogenerator selection for the volume
• Device recess and service access
• Position of the outlet
• Amber LED runs behind the brick
• Protecting transformers and drivers from moisture
• Control panel and session programme
• Sound system (option)
• Lighting scene and distribution test

At commissioning, humidity and temperature readings are monitored over a daily cycle; the balance of the room is measured both while the halogenerator is running and while it is stopped, and the ventilation scenario is tested. We run the first session together and demonstrate the use of the panel on site.

Operating training is given at handover: the rhythm of session and ventilation, the quality of the salt to be put into the device hopper, the interval for refreshing the floor salt and the cleaning rules. A salt room is never cleaned wet; that single rule alone sets the life of the finish.

• Humidity and temperature cycle test
• Aerosol distribution check
• Ventilation scenario test
• Lighting and sound scenes
• Operating and session training
• Dry cleaning guide
• Floor salt refreshing plan
• Warranty and handover record