Today we’d like to introduce you to Daryl Browne and Nastia Vanyukevych.
Daryl and Nastia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We moved to Exeter, NH in 2015 and our daughter Soleil arrived in 2016. Within a few weeks, she developed a serious case of infant eczema. When it began worsening after 4 months, we met with allergists and dermatologists and tried countless lotions and ointments. Having grown up in Ukraine, Nastia knew of halotherapy as a possible source of relief. As a child, Nastia had undergone several hospital stays that involved recovering in a salt room.
So, we initially attempted to build a salt room in our house, but when experts explained that in an existing residential setting, salt can eat the foundation and destroy the electrical systems, we agreed to look for a commercial space. We went rather reluctantly into it all as a business, because all we were really seeking was a good night’s sleep for Soleil – one where she wouldn’t scratch herself bloody by morning. We began work in January and opened our doors in May. But even before the paint had dried, Soleil’s Salt Cave was embraced by the most supporting wellness community we ever could have imagined. We take it as a daily honor to be a sanctuary for wellness and healing inside of a greater network of holistic health.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Construction costs doubled because of legacy issues with space and other technical concerns. If we had known ahead of time, we might have been too overwhelmed to begin. But fortuitously, only after we signed the lease did we learn how much catch up work would need to be done. Every calendar day had a task, and we ended up losing a few days to a winter storm, our amazing team finished construction on time. And of course, since we’ve been open, the ongoing challenge is balancing the constant demands of Soleil’s Salt Cave and the real-life Soleil herself.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Soleil’s Salt Cave story. Tell us more about the business.
Soleil’s Salt Cave is a sanctuary for wellness and healing. We provide halotherapy sessions inside two caves encased in 11 tons of salt older than the continents themselves and richer in minerals than any other form of salt – pink Himalayan salt. Our main cave sits behind two huge mahogany doors that look and feel centuries old. Our smaller cave feels like a grotto in a seaside cliff. Once inside, our guests recline in anti-gravity chairs or lay directly in the salt listening to soothing sounds as a Halomed generator infuses the chamber with dry aerosol pharmaceutical grade salt.
A 50-minute session has the equivalent sinus-clearing effect of several days at sea. Salt therapy has been used for thousands of years to address a wide range of ailments and provide relaxation. In the 1830’s, Polish salt miners were found to be immune to a respiratory plague that swept through their town. And again, during World War II, people who hid in salt mines during bombing raids emerged healthier than when they went in. Back outside our caves, Soleil’s also sells salt lamps, to help purify the air you breathe at home until you return for your next airway-clearing visit. We host several events each week, from restorative yoga to sound healing and meditation.
What sets us apart from other salt caves perhaps, is our daily presence. We are part of the community – we live here, we work here, we’re in every day. We’re striving to strengthen a community of people who believe that our own bodies are the most powerful healers of all when given the right environment.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Nastia and Daryl both agreed that they felt luckiest when working hardest. Nastia came to the United States in 2005 and worked multiple jobs to earn a degree. Along with that path, she met mentors who ended up providing what some would call lucky breaks, that were always preceded by years of burning the candle at both ends. Daryl grew up in a New Hampshire family that valued entrepreneurship, so he knows firsthand the reality of years of preparation that people often gloss over for those moments of luck.
Pricing:
- Cave Session $40 / Under 10 (accompanying adult free) $30
- 60-Minute In-Cave Massage $110 – $125
- Himalayan Salt Lamps $30 – $80
Contact Info:
- Address: 130 Water Street 1B
Exeter, NH 03833 - Website: http://saltcavenh.com
- Phone: 888-SOLEILS
- Email: info@soleilsaltcave.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soleilsaltcave/
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/soleilsaltcave
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
