Salt is fundamental to life on earth. It’s a core component in geology and in the human body, and it is present in almost all of the water on the planet. For Carlo Overhulser, his life basically revolves around the stuff.
It started in 2015 when he was hit with a wave of inspiration (and an actual ocean wave) that led to creating his business, Big Sur Salts, focused on cultivating and harvesting local sea salt. Seven years into building a burgeoning salt empire, and at a pivotal time in his life, he was struck with a new salt-infused business idea.
“Everything I have done, from salt to this new project, has all been inspired by something else – and it’s usually when I am at a crossroads,” says Overhulser. “It felt like I was at rock bottom and I was handed this idea, just like the salt. And then I realized I could put the two ideas together and bridge the two companies.”
The new venture, Aqueous, combines the therapeutic properties of salt water and the calming effects of practicing yoga. While participants don’t dunk in a float tank or swim in the sea, they do get a bit wet from practicing in custom pools of half-inch deep salt water. Getting wet, though, is at least half of the experience and how the healing happens.
Salt water, even when absorbed by the skin, can provide electrolytes and conduct electric waves throughout the body. Practicing yoga, meanwhile, activates the parasympathetic nervous system, sending pulses to signal a shift into “rest and digest” mode.
“You’ve got electrical impulses coming from your brain and electrical impulses coming from the salt water through your skin, so you’re essentially this little battery,” says Overhulser. “Not only are you going to feel relaxed from the yoga but you’re also going to feel exhilarated because of the saltwater. A lot of people are like, ‘I don’t understand what it is but I love going to the beach.’ That’s why you love it, it’s the electrolytes coming into your skin.”
As with most good ideas, Aqueous came to Overhulser while he was in the throes of a personal crisis and struggling to get a good night’s rest. After trying myriad remedies, he did a beginner yoga class on YouTube and his sleep improved. The next few days, he did more yoga and slept better than he had in weeks.
The daily yoga did a lot more than just help him sleep; it seeped into his subconscious and sparked the Aqueous concept. “I woke up one morning and immediately started writing and drawing shapes for an hour. Then I realized I drew a yoga bed, and then I realized I could put saltwater in it, and the ideas just kept building,” says Overhulser.
“Once I was done drawing, I immediately ran off to Home Depot and got a bunch of PVC pipe and built it in my backyard … and the next thing I know I’m buying a web domain and figuring out the logo.”
A handful of months of research and development later, he started sharing the concept with the local yoga community to get feedback and find teachers interested in leading classes. In April 2023, he collaborated with See Monterey on a launch event at Lovers Point Park in Pacific Grove.
From yoga teachers with years of experience to passersby witnessing a class take place, the feedback has all been along the lines of, “I don’t fully know what this is, but I like it and I want to do it.”
After a brief hiatus to focus on Big Sur Salts, Overhulser is now bringing Aqueous back into the community with some of its original elements plus a few new twists. Participants get their own “lotus bed” to practice in – a rectangular pool with a yoga mat lining the bottom. Every bed contains a small amount of seawater from Overhulser’s salt operation, which is “filtered to remove the toxins and slightly evaporated so it works better with your skin and you can absorb more electrolytes,” he says.
Classes are held in a variety of scenic outdoor locations and range from vinyasa flow to gentle yin and even acro yoga, all based on the teacher’s style. Overhulser recently started using hot massage stones to keep the water warm without needing a power source. He now gives each participant an extra-plush towel to dry off with and French body lotion for a post-class spa experience.
He has also woven color theory into the sessions. Upon arriving, each yogi receives a color card with information about the psychology behind the hue. The cards correspond with a lotus bed of the same color, offering attendees a way to infuse their practice with the qualities associated with their selected color.
“We’re essentially setting an intention with the color,” he says. “With the color psychology and saltwater, it’s a completely different vibe than a regular yoga session. By the end, you have completely relaxed yourself and you’ve been absorbing this color energy the whole time, which is eliciting emotion.”
The community of Aqueous is what truly makes it special. Corporate groups, bachelorette parties, special events, and wellness retreats are some of the available opportunities, aside from the scheduled classes around the Monterey Bay. As Overhulser continues to ramp up, he is building a roster of yoga teachers throughout the region to bring a variety of yoga forms to the lotus beds. He will also be hosting more special events, like one coming up later this spring in collaboration with See Monterey.
The best part of Aqueous, according to Overhulser, is actually the combination of all the parts. Its true power comes from the unique melding of all the elements—an opportunity to soak in the breathtaking sights and sounds of the region, while soaking in the benefits of a carefully designed yoga and saltwater therapy experience.
“Anyone anywhere can roll out a mat and do yoga, that’s not the thing. Absolutely nobody is doing this anywhere in the world in this format, ” says Overhulser. “When I learned what electrolytes do for your skin and body, I was blown away. And once I started studying why yoga made me feel so good, I realized it was about electrolyte on the outside and electricity on the inside and I want people to experience that. I think it will help. It helped me a lot.”
For more information and to book, visit aqueousyoga.com.
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