SPELEOTHERAPY AT LUŽEC CASTLE

Speleo room in Chateau Lužec Spa & Wellness Resort ****

The speleo room is a room whose walls and ceiling are lined with tiles of natural ecologically pure fossil potassium salt from the Siberian mine Verkhnekamsk. Due to the natural evaporation of salts, the indoor air reproduces almost all the microclimatic properties of the mine in the potash mine.

Unlike a normal salt room, whose main chemical is sodium chloride (NaCl – 98%), the salt of the Verkhnekamsk reservoir forms more complex minerals: halite 62% – fossil salt or sodium chloride (NaCl), sylvin 32% – potassium chloride (KCl) and 3% carnallite – potassium chloride and magnesium (KCl * MgCl2 * 6H2O). These substances, with the natural evaporation of salts, form a complex multicomponent composition of the salt aerosol.

The Verkhnekam deposit of potassium and magnesium salts is located in Siberia in the Russian territory of Perm. It has been open since 1934. The multi-colored patterns covering the walls of the mine are part of the mineral layers.

Because the salt deposits are the bottom of the Silurian Sea, their color is of organic origin and is associated with the presence of the remains of many ancient microorganisms, such as algae, various protozoa and plant spores.

Most often, mineral deposits are colored red and yellow. Much less common colors are blue, white and black. In colorless deposits, which occur very rarely, potassium predominates and does not contain any other substances.

The minerals in the Speleo room in the Lužec Spa & Wellness Resort are mainly gray, dark brown to almost black, due to the high magnesium content.

In the Verkhnekamskoye area, the industrial production of a mineral of this chemical composition was stopped in 2012. After that, only mineral extraction was carried out, mainly for decorative purposes.

In 2015, a group of Siberian entrepreneurs developed a project to create a sanatorium in the mine and conducted a study of the therapeutic potential of the mineral. But in 2016, the mine was partially flooded. At present, the mine is closed without further mineral extraction.

The healing effect of a Speleo room is based on several factors.

Due to the natural evaporation and the special ventilation system in the air, a multi-component finely dispersed aerosol of sodium chloride (NaCl), potassium chloride (KCl) and magnesium chloride (MgCl2) is formed in a high concentration, approximately 5,000 units per liter of inhaled air. The linear dimensions of most particles, about 80%, do not exceed 5 microns, easily penetrate the bronchioles into the blood and are rapidly absorbed.

The most important factor is the almost complete absence of allergens in the air, including allergens of microbial origin, as well as the extremely low number of microorganisms and the almost sterile air. Depending on the season, in speleological rooms the total microbial number in one cubic meter of air is 130-700, while the air of medical facilities is considered sterile with an indicator of 600 m3, and clean in living quarters if the indicator is below 1500 per cubic meter.

Compared to ordinary air, the air in the speleo room increases the content of negatively charged light aeroions – 760–960 per 1 cm3, due to the evaporation of salt, and in atmospheric air it usually contains 115–160 aeroions. Increased content of negatively charged particles accelerates metabolic processes in the body, activates immune mechanisms.

Negatively charged NaCl particles that enter the human respiratory system irritate the nerve endings in the lungs, thereby stimulating airway epithelial activity, improving their blood supply, activating natural lung cleansing, and also partially penetrating the walls of the pulmonary alvioli into the blood. Due to the saturation of the blood with ions from the bronchopulmonary system, toxins, allergens, pathogenic bacteria and viruses are excreted.

Detailed clinical observations have shown that the salt aerosol stimulates the protective mechanisms of the respiratory tract, has a mucolytic, bronchodrightage effect, has an anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effect, and increases the mucosal resistance to infection.

Therapeutic effect of Speleo room

Zámek Lužec SPA & Wellness Resort provides our guests with opportunities for active and quality relaxation and we do not specialize in medical services. If you plan to use our Speleo room for medical purposes, we recommend that you request a recommendation from your doctor and inform our Spa staff about this recommendation. We also know that a long course of 2 to 4 weeks is required to achieve a therapeutic effect.

Contraindication

This procedure is not recommended for people:

• with exacerbation of chronic diseases with active stage ODS, influenza, bronchitis, etc.;
• due to limited space, people with mental disorders, in the presence of various types of phobias, especially claustrophobia;

Without prior medical advice:

• pregnant women, nursing mothers and children
• people with heart complications and high blood pressure

Rules for visiting the Speleo Room

• This is a “dry procedure”. To maintain the correct humidity in the room, it is not allowed to visit the Speleo room after visiting the pool, in damp clothes, with wet bath accessories, with towels or sheets, etc.
• Entry only in slippers, home shoes and lightly dressed. It is not allowed to enter in outdoor shoes, outdoor clothing, bathrobes or sweaters.
• Eating and drinking are not allowed during a session in the Speleo Room.
• The length of the session for an adult is 40 minutes.
• Be silent during the session. It is not recommended to listen to your own music, as the musical accompaniment for the session is selected specifically.
• Children under 13 are admitted to the procedure only if accompanied by an adult.
• The recommended session duration for children under 13 is 20 minutes.

Pay attention

• During the session, the salt particles cause irritation of the nerve endings in the lungs, after the session there may be a sore throat and a cough.
• Chlorides in the air can cause increased heart activity and the heart system as a whole.