In a Lee's Summit strip mall there's something unexpected.
A beach.
"It's definitely like being at the beach," said customer Devon Plumberg. "It's very unique. Well, that fits my personality actually."
At the Kansas City Salt Mine, there are stars in the sky and salt on the ground as well as in the air.
"Kansas City Salt Mine is a dry salt therapy. It's called halotherapy," said owner Sarah Wagner. "Forty-five minutes in a room is equivalent to three days by the ocean side."
Wagner decided to bring the beach to Lee's Summit to not only help people relax but also to feel better.
"People come in who suffer with any kind of respiratory issues be it sinuses, allergies, asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis, psoriasis, eczema," said Wagner.
And in cases like Plumberg's, it works.
"Over the course of a couple of weeks, a wheeze that I had from having bacterial pneumonia last year has virtually disappeared," said Plumberg.
There's also a salt bed, which delivers an even higher dose of salt-filled air that can help detoxify or clean out the respiratory system.
"Anyone who breathes would be benefit from salt therapy," said Wagner.
Most people visit the Salt Mine multiple times with prices ranging from $30 for a single session to $180 for a 12-pack.
Most clients stay for as long as 45 minutes.
After all, it's hard saying goodbye to a day at the beach.
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Justin Wilfon can be reached at justin.wilfon@kshb.com.
