As spring is just around the corner, I wanted to snap out of my endless gray-day winter funk, so I decided to try out an infrared body wrap at Salt + Sweat in Rye Brook. Infrared wraps have become popular, purportedly helping to build collagen, fight acne, and burn calories.
How do they work? They heat your body from the inside out, penetrating your skin about an inch deep to release toxins and melt away fat. Salt + Sweat’s website explains that the infrared body wrap’s top benefits include “skin rejuvenation, pain relief, cellulite reduction, weight loss, relaxation, and detoxification,” and the wrap can hep you burn up to 1,000 calories while leaving you with beautiful skin. All of this while lying down? Sign me up!
After entering Salt + Sweat, I felt zen. The space’s black and white décor feels trendy, yet professional. After signing a waiver, I was shown to a private room and given a very loose sweat suit to wear during my wrap session and told that I should be prepared to really sweat. I was a little nervous as I was instructed that my heart rate would elevate and that I’d basically be a cooking burrito for the next 40 minutes. The wrap felt like the iron smock they give you when getting X-rayed. Since it was my first time doing an infrared body wrap, I decided to leave one arm out and was left with a bottle of water next to me, headphones and a remote control to access the space’s Netflix account.
My plans for meditating were squashed when I realized I’d have an uninterrupted session with my favorite binge-worthy show and time sped by. I felt hot, but not uncomfortably so — similar to sitting in a sauna, but cozy due to the heavy blanket wrapping my body. At one point, I was given a lavender-scented cold compress, which hit the spot. I was given a clementine and a body-freshening wipe to clean my sweat-drenched body after the session was over (which felt like it went by so quickly!)
Did the session check off all of the boxes in the laundry list of benefits? I think so. Driving home I felt as if I took a yoga class — calm and contemplative, and my body felt like it had worked out. I can’t wait to book my next session.
Salt + Sweat
14c Rye Ridge Plaza, Rye Brook
www.saltandsweat.com