The Salt Cave of Alaska opens for business inside The Clock Tower

WASILLA — There’s a new business inside The Clock Tower in downtown Wasilla, offering a new way to relax.

The Salt Cave of Alaska celebrated its arrival to the community with a ribbon cutting ceremony with Wasilla Mayor Glenda Ledford and other city officials Saturday, June 19.

“I’m wishing you all the luck in the world because when you make money, we make money,” Wasilla Mayor Glenda Ledford said.

Salt Cave co-owner Jason Johnson said they had a successful soft opening welcoming their first customers June 10. He said it was exciting to open inside the iconic Clock Tower (previously known as Meta Rose Square), marveling at the renovated facility’s bustling and well-laid-out shopping experience.

“It’s nice, isn’t it? They did a good job with this place… They just cut this little space out and we fit in perfectly,” Johnson said.

According to Johnson, this salt cave experience is the first of its kind in South Central, and the only other one in Alaska is in Juneau. He said it’s a growing trend with several similar sites across the Lower 48, and it’s exciting to be one of the state’s pioneering proprietors of salt caves.

“It’s neat that we’ve got something that’s different. There’s nothing like it in the Valley or Anchorage,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the Salt Cave is a joint venture that he and his wife Kim share with Christopher and Haylle Kurka. He said that Haylee was inspired by the Juneau salt cave, so she brought the idea back and pitched it to her husband and longtime friends.

“It was a team effort,” Johnson said. “We hope to give people in the Valley another avenue of relaxation and healing.”

Johnson said that Halotherapy (also called salt therapy) can offer a wide range of health benefits including better breathing and immune support. He said they feature pharmaceutical-grade salt that contains anti-inflammatory properties and other effects.

The manmade cave tucked behind the welcoming area and reception desk is a dim and warm room molded with real-looking stalactites hanging from the ceiling, giving visitors a cozy getaway. Johnson said that guests do not bring cell phones into the cave to focus on the calming experience.

“It really looks like a cave,” Johnson said.

The Salt Cave of Alaska is located inside The Clock Tower at 290 North Yenlo Street in downtown Wasilla. For more information, call 907-414-6865 or visit thesaltcavealaska.com.

“Hopefully, it creates a buzz,” Johnson said. “If this one takes off and goes, we’ll possibly open one up in Anchorage. We’ll see where it goes. I don’t see why it wouldn’t. It seems like people love it. The feedback we’ve gotten so far, they’ve really, really liked it,”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com