Healing Starts Here

By Chanelle Hayes-Sessions / Photography courtesy of Ava Mucikyan

For Ava Mucikyan, building The Salt Room — Las Vegas’ first natural Himalayan salt cave — has always been about more than just self-care.

“When I first started The Salt Room, I was dealing with a significant life change and going through a very difficult period. I had just been fired from my job and my marriage was failing. I was in an identity crisis, just trying to understand what was happening in my life,” she said.

In that moment, Mucikyan turned the experience into something positive, admitting that while she knew about therapy and energy healing, she felt a strong inner pull that said, “I’m going to open a salt room.” And she did.

“It was really strange because I was very high-functioning at the time and a high-paid professional,” she said, reflecting on her background in finance as a banker. “I researched a couple of places, but I actually never sat through a full 45-minute salt therapy session — not even once.”

From there, what began as a salt therapy center expanded to include massage, facials, body treatments, Reiki and other energy-based modalities. Now, more than a decade and three locations later — Summerlin, Henderson and Stripside — The Salt Room has evolved into a full spiritual wellness center.

“I’ve always said it’s a mind-body-soul connection, but I don’t think I fully understood that until much later in the journey,” she said. “Now we offer services that address mind, body and soul as a holistic healing experience, rather than treating them separately.”

The business is also expanding into corporate wellness, as companies increasingly prioritize employee mental and emotional health. “We’re focused on vertical growth rather than horizontal expansion. We’re bringing healing into workplace environments.”

In addition, Mucikyan leads some of The Salt Room’s events and community programming. “Two years ago, I really felt called to step into my own path, which came from my healing over the last 10 years after that breakdown in my life,” she said. “I realized I had accumulated all this knowledge and experience, and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. So I framed it under coaching so people could understand it more easily.”

As a trauma-informed somatic and mindfulness coach, she guides women through the Conscious Women’s Circle, held in person and virtually. She has also developed the Salt & Soul Retreat — a three-day intimate experience at the Summerlin location that blends somatic healing, mindfulness, meditation, group connection and reflective practices.

“The world is very noisy,” she said. “We often operate on autopilot. We rarely pause to ask, ‘What is right for me?’”

When guests enter The Salt Room, she hopes they feel something simple.

“Peace,” she said.

“I want them to feel loved when they leave. I can’t say I achieve that every single time, but I want them to feel at least 10% better than when they walked in — whatever ‘better’ means for them. Whether that’s feeling more peaceful, cared for, able to breathe better or just lighter in their body, I want them to leave improved in some way.”

For more information on The Salt Room’s services and events, visit saltroomlv.com.