BATAVIA – In talking to Tim Bradley, the breadth of his knowledge about healthful salts becomes apparent – from its historic uses in healing to cooking a better burger.

When the Batavia native retired as a captain in the Aurora Fire Department, he was ready to dive into entrepreneurship with his newly opened business, The Salt Escape, perched above the Fox River in downtown Batavia.

Since this summer, he’s personally built out the idyllic setting with its scenic views as a gateway to a calming, relaxation-devoted retreat – a dimly lit cave constructed of Himalayan salts from the sand-like floor to two walls of delicately translucent blocks of salt that Bradley hand-carved and put in place.

Artist Joseph Gagnepain of Art by Joseph further enhanced the visuals with a beachfront mural replete with flora, fauna and sunset. The glassed-in front section of the space at the back of 9 N. River St. boasts another Gagnepain mural, a 12-foot-tall Cleopatra.

“Cleopatra was one of the first people documented who would go to salt caverns and bring her girlfriends with her,” Bradley said. “Back in that day, salt was equal to gold. Salt was a precious commodity.”

Bradley has been a believer in the value of salt caves for years.

“I noticed the benefit the first time I went to one,” Bradley said. “What struck me in a 45-minute session [was recognizing] a difference in the way I breathed. Sinuses, lungs open up. My skin and my hair felt soft. A couple days later, my joints started feeling better. It reduces inflammation throughout your body. It drove me to go back … and I went every week for two years.”

The Aurora resident said he’s researched the field for the last two and a half years, reading every article on salt and salt caves, such as learning about the salt rooms under a hospital in Poland still in use after centuries to improve healing for its patients. He said a 19th-century study of European salt miners documented their surprising good health compared with other people in the community, attributed to breathing in salt dust and salt particles.

“In a salt cave, your bodies ingest the same amount of salt as if you were on an ocean beach for three days,” Bradley said, calling it rejuvenating and relaxing. “[I] was a fireman for 32 years – you always want to help people. It’s in your nature.”

He said it’s been a labor of love to create an environment that also is used by children dealing with asthma, cystic fibrosis and other conditions.

Inside his salt cave, Bradley has placed eight, zero-gravity-style loungers that tilt back to alleviate pressure on the spine. A long bench offers spaces to recline. Soft blankets are available, the lights are dimmed, a gentle play of lights simulates the motion of water, and an elaborate sound system lets soothing music, ocean sounds and temple bells play from different points in the room. The salts that make up the sand-like floor are intended to provide reflexology benefits as sock-clad people walk across them as a form of alternative medicine. He said yoga and meditation groups, as well as reiki practitioners, plan to conduct sessions inside the cave.

In the outer space, Bradley offers all things salt – from Himalayan salt lamps to cooking blocks for grilling, a variety of grinders for culinary use and an array of edible salts from around the world, including his own special recipes such as wine-infused finishing salt, which he uses to prepare scallops, shrimp and fish at home.

“The problem with white table salt is it’s cooked and baked and bleached – 82 of the 84 minerals are extracted,” Bradley said, adding that people can consume healthful salts without harmful effects.

He plans to hold classes on salt-related topics.

“I came back to my hometown,” he said. “I wanted to bring something back to this community to [help] people get well.”

To learn more and to make appointments for sessions in the salt cave, call 630-708-7258 and visit thesaltescape.com.