The Shoalhaven Salt Therapy Centre has two rooms lined with about 4000 Himalayan salt bricks.

Nowra couple Grant and Alicia Stevens decided to trial the idea in Nowra after reading of its success in Europe and seeing it in Sydney.

“So many people I talk to have children with asthma and after seeing a salt room in Sydney I thought I’d like to give it a go here,” Mr Stevens said.

“Salt in general takes moisture out of the air so it can help people suffering with asthma.”

Mr Stevens said the bricklayers were quite surprised when he told them about the type of bricks they would be working with.

“They said, ‘Get us out of here’,” Mr Stevens said.

“The salt bricks were hard to lay. They’re as thin as a paver and it took a long time to do it. It looks amazing though.”

The idea is that people spend 45 minutes relaxing in a room made from salt, while pharmaceutical-grade salt particles are pumped into the air.

Mrs Stevens, who is a registered nurse, said while the idea was not very well known in Australia, the healing properties of salt were well documented in Europe.

“There are benefits for people with chronic coughs. There is also a therapeutic benefit in having the time in the room to relax,” she said.

“Despite the health benefits of inhaling salt, we do not promote medication cessation at all.”