When you think about pampering yourself at a spa, the thought of slathering yourself with a bucket of mineral-rich hot mud might not come to mind. However, many travelers to Israel make sure to stop in the Dead Sea region of the country specifically for this service.
On my trip to Israel hosted by the Israel Ministry of Tourism this month, I was lucky enough to receive one of these treatments at the Sheraton Moriah Dead Sea. This was definitely one of the parts of the trip I was most looking forward to.
Mud bath or not, the Dead Sea region itself is simply relaxing on its own. There are many resort hotels and spas along the sea, yet I still had the feeling that I was secluded and far away from daily life.
I was exhausted from traveling and sightseeing, but I felt a sense of calm as soon as we arrived and checked into the hotel.
According to my tour guide, Ora, this could have been due to the presence of bromine, one of many minerals found in the Dead Sea, once used as an ingredient in sleeping pills.
I was a little hesitant upon arriving at my mud treatment appointment, because I wasn’t sure what to expect. But Adina, the woman who was doing my treatment, was very friendly and immediately put me at ease.
I was led into a small dimly lit room. The floor was covered in a sheet, and there was a table covered in plastic wrap. I wondered how it was even possible for the room to be as clean as it was considering what goes on in there day after day.
I was instructed to put a shower cap over my head, and to lie down on the table. Adina left the room for a few minutes, and returned with a huge metal bucket on wheels, filled with black mud.
Adina first told me to sit up, and dug right into the bucket. She rubbed two handfuls of mud on my back. The mud, which is said to increase blood circulation as well as to purify the skin, was hot, but cooled quickly. An extra hot mud treatment was also available upon request.
I was told to lie down while Adina applied the mud in thick layers to each of my arms and legs, wrapping each limb in plastic. She avoided my stomach and face because she said the heat is not good for those areas.
After I was wrapped, Adina placed several blankets over me and said that I should relax for about 20 minutes. She lit a candle, and turned on some quiet music.
I wanted to fall asleep, but didn’t want miss out on the feeling of being totally wrapped up in this squishy substance. Although it is called a mud treatment, its consistency was more like clay.
All I could think about was how I was going to be able to wash all this mud off. Since I couldn’t stop wriggling my fingers and toes, I wondered if I would I ever be able to get the mud out from beneath my fingernails, and was it ruining my toenail polish?
Twice while I lay there, Adina came to check on me, giving me water, and adjusting my blankets.
Afterwards, I was directed to a shower, where I was able to wash off. It was slightly uncomfortable as Adina insisted on spraying me down herself, and only after a few minutes allowed me to take over. When I did finally step out of the shower 10 minutes later she made me go back in and proceeded to spray down all of the spots I missed.
After I was clean and dry, I noticed that my skin had taken on a slightly greenish cast. But it was worth it, because once it was all over, my skin felt incredibly soft and smooth.
I followed my mud bath with a dip into the Dead Sea. After floating for a few minutes, and noticing the green tone of my skin had disappeared, I decided I needed just a little more time to luxuriate. I lay on a chair along the beach for another hour before dinner, for the perfect ending to my Dead Sea spa experience.
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