Grafton spa taps into the healing powers of salt

Salt is an essential part of life, used for everything from flavoring food to deicing roads in winter.

But one of its newest uses — or perhaps an old use made new again — is for wellness. And that resurgence in popularity is something Alati salt and light spa in Grafton is counting on.

Alati — the name means salt in Greek — has two salt rooms, as well as a red light therapy room and an infrared sauna.

Himalayan sea salt takes center stage at the spa at 1012 12th Ave. Bricks of the salt are used as accents in the wall, Himalayan sea salt lamps are on display throughout and the salt rooms not only have a wall of the bricks but four inches of loose salt covers the floors.

“It’s kind of like you’re at the beach,” Maria Sardo, who owns the business with her husband Tony, said, noting clients can walk into the salt rooms wearing socks or booties supplied by Alati or go barefoot.

In all, there is almost four tons of Himalayan sea salt sustainably mined in Pakistan in the spa, Maria said.

The spa melds the Sardos’ business experience and interest in holistic wellness.

“Maria has been on a holistic journey,”   her husband said. “This is a chance for her to dive into these things.”

The couple are looking ahead to the day Maria, who has worked for Sysco for 42 years and is the head of global learning and development for the company, retires.

“He wants me to retire,” she said. “But I can’t just sit around. I’m a doer.”

That, Tony said, is an issue.

“She needs to get more into the being,” he said. “This is a time out from the outside world.”

The Germantown couple thought about buying an RV or getting a summer or winter home, Tony said, “but it just didn’t fit us. We were looking for something to do for the next 10, 12 years.”

The idea of opening a spa was a natural one, Maria said.

“Every vacation I would look into a spa and drag Tony along,” she said. Two years ago, they stopped at a salt spa in Illinois and on the way home she thought, “Why don’t we have a salt spa?”

A family trip to Greece cemented the decision, the couple said.

“It’s been in Europe for centuries. It’s huge in Europe, especially the Slavic countries,” Tony said. “It’s a cleansing system for your skin and lungs.”

When Europe was ravaged by the plague, Maria noted, the people who worked in the salt mines didn’t get sick.

It took two years to find the right location and create their spa, the couple said, adding when they saw the former Roto Buff  building they knew it was the place. 

They found the listing on July 4, 2024, looked at the property the following day and put in an offer to purchase two days later.

They bought the building in August 2024 and set about renovating the structure, constructing a roughly 500-square-foot addition and creating the spa itself.  

At the same time, they said, they set about educating the public about the benefits of salt and light therapy — a mission that continues today.

Salt, Maria said, is an antimicrobial, antibacterial mineral that has myriad benefits. It create a calming atmosphere, and its benefits include stress relief, a reduction of inflammation in airways, better sleep, skin rejuvenation and detoxification.

The spa uses a halogenerator to crush pharmaceutical grade salt into tiny particles that are dispersed into the air, Maria said. When inhaled, the salt helps relieve issues with allergies, asthma and sinus, along with “the little tickle we all get because we live in Wisconsin,” she said.

The salt also offers a mild scent that wafts through the spa, adding to the calming environment.

The large salt spa room is ideal for a communal experience, although people can just book one chair in the room, while the small spa room is ideal for a family.

The infrared sauna seats two to three people and offers temperatures from 88 to 145 degrees. It’s good for detoxifying the body, Maria said, adding that the sauna’s benefit are supplemented with the salt air in the spa.

“I think in winter when people want to warm their achy bones it’s going to be popular,” she said.

The red-light room seats two people and is ideal for muscle recovery, Maria said. The light penetrates the microderm and goes into the deeper layers of the skin, and it also helps in collagen production.

People don’t need to change when they’re at the spa, the couple said, noting that while there is salt in the air it won’t coat people’s clothing.

“All you have to do is breathe,” Tony said.

They’ve worked hard to ensure the spa is a welcoming place for men and women. 

“We just want to make this an oasis for people,” Tony said. “We don’t want it to be stuffy. Take time for yourself when you’re here. The outside world’s going to be there no matter what.”

There are few rules at the spa, Tony added.

“Cover your drink is about as much as it gets,” he said. “And no street shoes in the salt rooms.” 

Tony is in charge of the day-to-day operations at the spa, while Maria is working on events and creating a community there.  The events so far have included a sound bath in the salt room, yoga in the spa and an upcoming tarot card reading in the salt room.

The response so far has been “fantastic,” Maria said. “We feel very supported by the community. Grafton’s been great.”