Mobile Saltworks is the world's first all-electric mobile salt cave, bringing a spa-like retreat experience inside a customized electric van through an innovative combination of salt therapy, massage chairs, virtual reality relaxation, red light therapy, and chromotherapy. Based in North Carolina, USA, it is dedicated to improving the accessibility of alternative wellbeing modalities for those unable to travel.
Mobile Saltworks was founded in 2023 by Quentin McAddoo, a healthcare leader with a decade of experience in government and corporate project management.
| Mobile Saltworks at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Business | All-electric mobile salt cave, North Carolina, founded 2023 |
| Relax VR headsets | 4 |
| Sessions | 15 minutes, 4 clients at a time |
| Biggest day | 32+ employees served at a City of Durham event |
| VR uptake | About 97% of clients choose VR over a salt eye mask |
Working long hours in the corporate world led Quentin to burn out. He started looking for ways to improve his overall wellbeing and eventually went to a salt cave which he loved. He realized there was a gap in the market for mobile wellness services for people that don’t have the luxury to travel because of school or work, and the idea for Mobile Saltworks was born.
Quentin started thinking about VR more seriously after experiencing some VR games. He saw how different VR was to watching something on YouTube on his laptop or phone - with VR he really felt like he was there. While he wasn’t a huge fan of using VR for gaming, Quentin started looking up VR for relaxation, VR for therapy and VR for guided meditation.
During his research Quentin eventually came across Relax VR. He found a number of things that stood out about it. At that time Quentin found that:
All of this convinced him to purchase one to try and experience how it actually was. After spending quite a bit of time testing and exploring with one unit, Quentin subsequently decided to invest in 3 more units.
After custom fitting his EV with a salt cave and installing massage chairs, Quentin implemented Relax VR. His basic workflow was:
Quentin typically runs sessions for 15 min, which are tailored for organizations with staff, students, or athletes as most organizations provide at least 2 breaks during the day of 15 min.
In addition to the salt therapy, massage chairs and Relax VR, Quentin also implemented chromotherapy and red light therapy into the van.
Electronics can be susceptible to damage from excess salt exposure and temperature. Quentin reduces the risk to equipment such as massage chairs and VR headsets in several ways:
Quentin encountered some technical issues with the equipment a few times, though they were rare. These included the volume not being at the correct level for certain VR locations, and the VR landscapes oriented off center so the user was facing a different part of the scene than expected.
Quentin had to optimize his workflow to minimize the time taken to set up the VR headsets. In order to do this:
Quentin found Relax VR to be a critical part of his business success:
“I would say [VR] is everything to this business. I don’t think this mobile salt cave van would function without the VR experience.”
Relax VR helps Quentin attract new customers and keep existing customers coming back:
“VR plays a huge role in repeated customers, getting new customers, being invited to certain things.”
“Having the VR has clearly opened up doors. I’ll give you a quick example. I was at an event, and there's a social media person that's very well known in the area. This person walks by and they see the van. They're like, oh, this looks amazing! I'm having a huge event where the mayor is going to be there. There are going to be representatives from the town, the city, the county, some of the universities and colleges. There are going to be a lot of people at this event that I'm having but we can't fit the van inside the building. I noticed on your van that you have VR inside? I said yeah, I have VR, I partner with Relax VR. The main component of her event was technology, so she said we can't bring the van inside, but hey, let's bring the headsets inside. I want you to be a vendor at my event.”
When asked who is most attracted to using Relax VR, Quentin said:
“Literally everybody. From elementary all the way up to high school students, counselors, teachers, universities, athletes, employees and staff members. Even government segments, federal, state, local, all different types of organizations.”
Relax VR helps Quentin stand out:
“Out of all the modalities and services, I would say VR would be the main talking point that I get.”
“We served over 32 employees in one day at a huge event hosted by the city of Durham - one of the most recognized, recognizable cities in North Carolina. When the event was over, everyone was talking about Mobile Saltworks, the van, the VR experience.”
Quentin said he received a lot of positive feedback from clients:
“I haven't had one person that has said, ‘I didn't enjoy the VR experience.’”
“Customers have the option where they can utilize just the salt therapy in the massage chair, and then they can put a Himalayan salt mask on their eyes. I would say 97% of the time, once they experience the VR, they say I want to do the VR. I don't want the eye mask.”
“If people experience it, they're going to really feel like they're there, especially with the 360.”
“There's people that have been to Australia, and they're like, oh, I saved thousands of dollars because of this experience.”
What clients say
“This was my first time with a salt therapy experience and I loved it! So relaxing & the VR took me to a beach. What a wonderful way to chill. Thank you!”
Tamma K., Google review“Quentin is amazing! Had a great experience sitting on the beach and breathing in the Himalayan salt. Highly recommend!”
Brandi T., Google review“I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in the ‘mobile spa’. It was like a relaxing mini getaway, between the VR headset and immersive sound, the lightly salt-infused air, the massage chair, I felt really at ease…”
Wendy H., Google review“First time experiencing this salt cave. I must say I am very happy with this experience. I was so relaxed to the point I fell asleep.”
Colleen S., Google reviewMoving forward, Quentin anticipates significant growth for his business:
“I'm going to have another van and another van and another van. So in another three, four years, I might start franchising. So I don't know, I'm going to probably have a hundred VR headsets, the sky's the limit.”
“We have a proven concept and are making a huge impact on wellbeing across North Carolina. So it's just a matter of obtaining some more contracts and then getting ready for the next project. So I'll be ordering more, another four.”
“The food truck industry has been around forever and we're doing what food trucks do but for wellbeing. It has never been done before. So yeah, VR plays a major role in terms of us and scaling.”
Mobile Saltworks shows that Relax VR is not limited to a traditional treatment room. A handful of headsets, a 15-minute session and five minutes of staff time turned a van into a destination. If you run a spa, salt cave or mobile wellness service, get in touch to see how Relax VR could fit your treatments.