Stress Reduction Salons

About a dozen new "stress-reduction salons" have opened in the U.S. and also in Japan. Members of these Synchro Energize salons slip off their shoes, climb into beds and lie with eyes closed for the next 45 minutes. Spinning patterns of intense colors appear before their eyes, and a low pulsating beat follows them as they drift in and out of dreamlike states. The centers have attracted everyone from harried executives to anxious teens. Typical cost: $20 per session. Medical research has shown that light and sound stimuli affect the brain. The results range from making a person alert or relaxed, and from deep sleep to intense learning. Moreover, changing patterns of light and sound would seem to change brain states.