New salt cave in downtown Mt. Pleasant uses salt therapy to offer relaxation

“It’s like a mini vacation.” 

Holly Hansen-Watson opened Calm Cove Salt Cave in November with one main goal: to give Mt. Pleasant residents a break. A chance to escape the cold Michigan weather, set down their phones, and relax.

And, so far, that’s exactly what she’s done. 

Most wellness offerings are known for services that cater solely to adults and focus on quiet, independent relaxation. Calm Cove Salt Cave, on the other hand, offers several experiences that include all ages and definitions of “relaxation.” 

“75% of people who come in here relax so much that they go to sleep. And then 25% of people are in there having a good old time. So it’s like one extreme or the other,” says Holly Hansen-Watson, owner of Calm Cove Salt Cave.

Calm Cove Salt Cave has three different rooms: the salt cave, the family room, and the beach room.

The family room is beach-themed, where kids can play in the salt and feel like they’re at the beach—even in the dead of winter. And, in the beach room, people are encouraged to participate in a virtual reality (VR) experience that further simulates a tropical vacation without the travel. 

But aside from beach toys and VR, how does Calm Cove create such a relaxing environment?

“We use a halogenerator, which grinds pharmaceutical salt into a really fine grain and disperses the particles into the air. You can control the machine to release a little or a lot,” explains Hansen-Watson. 

“Some caves do not use a halogenerator. They call it a salt cave, but it’s just because of the salt on the floor and the salt lamps; that’s what would be called a passive room. Ours is considered active because we have the machines,” adds Hansen-Watson. 

Halotherapy, or salt therapy, is found to have a number of health benefits that target respiratory problems, skin conditions, and allergies. 

It is safe for all ages, and Calm Cove encourages all audiences to come in and experience the benefits of salt therapy themselves. 

“Kids come and play in the family room like it’s a giant sandbox. And the beach room is where you can really feel like you’re sitting on the beach, especially if you use the VR headset,” says Hansen-Watson.

“In the cave, we have a group of women who come and crochet, couples who come for a date night, and some people who lie back in the anti-gravity chairs and just relax,” she says. 

Calm Cove currently features two themed cave nights: “Crochet with Lilly” on Mondays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and “Trauma Informed Yoga” on Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. They also have two weekly specials: BOGO Tuesdays and half-off Wednesdays.

Since opening in November of 2025, Hansen-Watson says the community has responded positively.

“The community response has been excellent—I haven’t had anybody who tries it not love it. We haven’t had a negative review yet.” 

Hansen-Watson and her husband, Mark Watson, are both postal workers and got the idea to open Calm Cove Salt Cave after a trip to Tennessee. 

“We were looking for local things to do, and we had seen a salt cave and were like, ‘Oh, what is this? Let’s try it.’ And after we left, [Watson] said, ‘I can breathe so much better.’ And for me, I was like, ‘Yeah, that was so relaxing,’” remarks Hansen-Watson.

Although the vacation was a few years ago, Hansen-Watson and her husband never forgot the experience and, when a suite opened up downtown, they took it as their opportunity to share their experience with the Mt. Pleasant community. 

“[Salt therapy] is more popular in Europe and has just recently been introduced, roughly in the last 10 years, to the States. There are other ones in Michigan, like in Lapeer and Traverse City and down in Lansing, but there are none close by here,” says Hansen-Watson.

Since opening the salt cave, Hansen-Watson says that she is able to reap the benefits of salt therapy all the time. 

“I started this for relaxation, for stress and anxiety. But now that I’m here working here, my lung capacity is amazing, and I can really breathe in really well,” she says.

In the future, Hansen-Watson plans to open more rooms, including a pirate-themed room and a scoop bar for bath salts. But, for now, she encourages people to come out and give salt therapy a try, hoping that they can experience the calm relaxation for themselves.

“I hope that they get a break from everything that’s happening in the world … It doesn’t change anything that’s happening in the real world, but it’s nice to give our minds and our bodies a little break from it all,” Hansen-Watson shares.
Calm Cove Salt Cave accepts appointments and walk-ins. To learn more, visit them online or on Facebook.