By: Laura Shallop    

Boosting your health, fitness and well-being can take a lot of time out of your busy day. Well, there’s a new place where you can work on all three, under one convenient roof. Revive Studios, a holistic health and fitness center in Budd Lake, is a one-stop fitness destination for the body, mind and soul.

Studio owner, Claudine Nicolich, created her fitness center as a welcoming space to “refresh the body, reinvigorate the mind and revitalize the soul.” Tucked in the Village Green Shopping Plaza, the studio offers a unique blend of natural wellness modalities: latest concepts in exercise classes, healing meditation sessions, a therapeutic ‘Salt Cave,’ educational workshops and seminars, and inspiring community events.

Nicolich has over 25 years’ experience in group fitness instruction. Starting with a love of group sports in high school, she continued her journey with related coursework in college. “In college, I participated in a class called aerobic fitness, and that’s when I first really took off with the group fitness idea,” she recalls. Shortly after college she became certified as a group fitness instructor. Nicolich also runs Shape-Up, 101, a business where she teaches group fitness in different locations, organizes adventurous hikes, and leads outdoor group yoga sessions.

Newly renovated from top to bottom, Revive Studios’ interior brings to mind the chic metropolitan workout spaces in NYC. Rounded walls with rustic touches of natural stone and authentic wood pallets exude a calming effect (by Joe Schalkoff/Carnali Construction). Walls painted in harmonizing tones of gray induce a meditative mood (compliments of Paintpourri/Hackettstown). Elegant light fixtures made in Vermont (by Chester Lighting) top off the “WOW” factor.

Since 2014, Nicolich had a vision to build a studio. She wanted a place for individuals to come, feel empowered, feel a sense of accomplishment, feel more alive. “I envisioned the studio as a community hub, more like a home away from home for the community,” she says.

The Salt Cave is a calming space all its own. Nicolich added the cave for its respiratory benefits, its soothing detox effects on the mind and body, and as a tranquil space to unwind after a rigorous workout. “If we can breathe better, we will perform better, and we will think better, and we will be calmer. It’s about achieving a peaceful state of being.” Nicolich advises.

The healing powers of salt have been known since ancient times. From the Dead Sea to the Himalayan salt mines, the mineral’s antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties were a prized commodity. Ancient Egyptians used salt as a cure. Even the Greek physician Hippocrates, the father of medicine, prescribed salt water for breathing ailments.

The modern concept of Dry Salt Therapy, also known as halotherapy (“halo” is Greek for salt), began in the salt caves of Poland in 1843. A Polish doctor, Feliks Boczkowski, observed that his patients who worked in the salt mines had vastly superior respiratory health, compared with other miners. The doctor later turned his cave into a clinic.

A hundred years later, a German doctor, Karl Hermann Spannagel, noticed his patients’ health improving after they 

hid out in salt caves to avoid heavy bombing during WWII. Speleotherapy (“respiratory cave therapy”) was born. Today salt rooms are common throughout Eastern Europe, Russia and Canada.

The salt therapy buzz is growing steadily in the US. Nicolich designed the cave to mimic the natural environment of a salt cave. Glowing Himalayan salt blocks embedded in the walls emulate the fading light of sunset. A bed of loose Himalayan salt blankets the floor. Soft music helps slow down the mind as the outside world drops away. The net effect is surreal and dreamlike. As you relax on a zero-gravity lounge chair your mind travels to peaceful thoughts, and beyond.

A halo-generator machine is used to grind pharmaceutical-grade salt into tiny breathable micro-particles. The 

particles disperse in the air in a dry salt mist. After about 10 minutes you can actually taste the salt on your lips. The salty cave air imparts a therapeutic benefit when inhaled and is known to be a natural and effective way to open and cleanse the body’s respiratory tract. After 15 minutes airways are noticeably more open, allowing for remarkably deep, easy breathing.

Salt is essential to human life. Ancient sea salt is laden with minerals, including magnesium, calcium, sodium, and potassium, all of which play a key role in our body’s health, function, and cellular communication. Adding halotherapy to your wellness routine may bring relief from the following health conditions.

RESPIRATORY: symptoms of COPD, emphysema, asthma and allergies, and skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema, to respiratory conditions like asthma, sinus infections. Bronchitis, Common cold Coughs, colds and Flu. Also cystic fibrosis, ear infections, snoring and sleeping problems. Athletes increase lung capacity. Or to simply relax and unwind.

SKIN CONDITIONS: symptoms of Acne, Dermatitis, Dry and Flaky Skin, Eczema, Itching, Psoriasis, Rashes, Rosacea, Skin Aging, Swelling and Inflammation.

Spending time in a salt room may also help relieve arthritis pain and lower blood pressure.

Revive Studios offers therapeutic salt sessions lasting from 45 to 60 tranquil and rejuvenating minutes. Dry salt therapy is a complementary addition to ongoing medical treatments.

Revive Studios offers the latest in exercise trends and techniques. From Cycling to Pilates Reformer, to TRX, Barre, POUND and Zumba and Chair Aerobics (helps build endurance and strengthen the heart), there’s something for everyone. Members can stretch and strengthen their bodies in a variety of yoga classes. From Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Chair Yoga (makes yoga accessible to people without the stress of getting up and down from the floor), to Rock ‘N Roll Yoga, and more, the studio offers a full schedule of classes.

Also unique to Revive Studios are the branded exercise levels. From Genesis (beginner), to Phoenix (intermediate) to Warrior (advanced), there’s a class to challenge every ability level. Cycling, Yoga, Pilates, Barre and TRX classes are all available in graduated ability levels.

Cycling is Nicolich’s “true love.” She went the extra mile when selecting bikes for the cycle studio. She installed 6 top-of-the-line computerized cycles. “The resistance and the quick shift makes a big difference and allows a more realistic cycling experience,” she says.

The studio provides small group and semi-private classes, and one-on-one sessions. Certified instructors are trained to “see the whole person” – inside and out. The goal is to ensure members achieve the correct form and maximize their potential.

Team Revive subscribes to “body positive” principles, which advocates the acceptance of all body types, no matter the form, size or appearance. Everyone is encouraged to achieve their goals. As motivational quote Nicolich likes to recite, “Don’t limit your challenges, challenge your limits!”

Team Revive encourages a balanced life of work and play. Nowadays, with all the distractions of daily life, especially all things electronic, Nicolich feels it important to create opportunities for social interaction “with other human beings.” Building social skills and forging new relationships is part of living a healthy lifestyle. As she explains, “It brings a sense of wellbeing to know that we’re part of a community.” Staying connected leaves you “feeling younger, fresher and more alive” in body, mind and soul.

The studio offers workshops, seminars, community events, charitable events, and more. Studio workshops include: Quartz Crystal Bowl Sound Healing Group Session, Full Moon Circle Ritual, Dad/Daughter Yoga, Raiders of the Lost Park Mud Run (Mt Olive recreational event).

Revive Studios also offers carefully chosen bath and body products, Himalayan Salt lamps, t-shirts and sweatshirts, and more.

Revive Studios is located at 100 US Highway 46, Budd Lake. For more information about classes, workshops and events, call the studio at 973-527-3419 or check their website at www.revivestudiosnj.com.