When longtime entrepreneurs Kari and Donnie Mullins felt the call to open yet another new business, Kari knew that this time they would need a loan to purchase equipment and furnishings to make this dream a reality. Initially the couple worked through the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to formulate a business plan that showed Halo Salt Room extremely viable, but nevertheless they were turned away by bank after bank. When their SBDC contact got the Mullins’ in touch with Community Ventures and eventually Shirie Hawins, President of CV’s Everything Equity, that all changed. Hawkins was able to access Economic Development Administration funding for Halo Salt Room through CV’s Business Resiliency Fund, established for the purpose of supporting small businesses and creating and retaining jobs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Shirie really wanted to understand salt therapy and what it does,” Mullins noted. “She did a lot of research and digging so that she could represent us well to the board. Community Ventures is a great company, and I love it that they are so supportive of Kentucky businesses and helping people get their dreams off the ground.”
It was her own battle with respiratory issues that set Mullins on the road to opening Halo Salt Room. When she discovered that the salt room off Nicholasville Road where she first found relief had a six-week waiting list, she decided that opening in the Hamburg area just off the interstate made perfect sense. The location is convenient both for folks on that side of town and for those coming from Georgetown, Richmond, Winchester and Mt. Sterling.
“Salt therapy works by grinding pure salt into tiny microns and blowing it into the air,” Mullins explained. “A relaxing 25-minute session in a comfortable, reclining chair allows the salt to get into the respiratory tract where it dries everything out. Salt is a natural anti-bacterial, so it kills the bacteria and helps achieve better breathing within 10 minutes. The salt attaches to any mucus or fluid in your lungs or respiratory tract and helps to expel it. If you’ve got pressure, sinus blockage or anything like that you start to feel it drain.”
Mullins says it doesn’t take long to make believers. “We had a woman that had had a chronic cough for months and was just desperate. She came in on a Saturday, did a session and said her cough was 75% better after one session. She came back Monday for a second session, then told us a few days later her cough was completely gone. A little boy suffering from double ear infections had completely clear ears in 48 hours.”
In addition to salt therapy, Halo Salt Room’s holistic approach to wellness offers sauna, massage, and BEMER (Bio-Electro-Magnetic-Energy-Regulation) therapy aimed at enhancing circulation and improving blood flow. As business accelerates,Mullins intends to add two more employees. For more information, visit www.halosaltroomlex.com, call (859) 809-SALT or email info@halosaltroom.com.
To learn more about how Community Ventures can help your small business, contact Lew Whalen at lew.whalen@cvky.org.
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