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A mud bath is a therapeutic spa treatment that involves soaking in a bath of warm mud, often in a natural hot spring or geothermal pool. Mud baths have been used for centuries as a way to promote health and relaxation, and are still popular today in many parts of the world.
The mud used in mud baths is usually a combination of natural mineral-rich clay and water, which is heated to a comfortable temperature. The mud is then applied to the body, and the person is left to soak in the mud for a period of time, typically around 15-20 minutes.
The benefits of mud baths are allegedly numerous. The heat of the mud helps to increase blood flow and stimulate the immune system, while the minerals in the mud are believed to have a range of healing properties. Mud baths are also said to help detoxify the body, ease muscle pain and tension, and promote healthy skin.
A 2021 systematic review of studies which investigated the effect of mud baths on osteoarthritis concluded that mud bath therapy "cannot substitute for conventional therapy" but can be used in addition to it as "treatment with mud-bath therapy may relieve pain, stiffness and improve functional status in patients". [1]
In addition to the physical benefits, mud baths are also believed to have a relaxing and rejuvenating effect on the mind. Many people find that the warm, soothing sensation of the mud helps to reduce stress and promote a sense of well-being.
Mud baths can be found at spas and resorts all over the world, from California to Italy to Japan. Some of the most famous mud bath destinations include Calistoga Spa Hot Springs in California's Napa Valley, where visitors can soak in natural hot springs surrounded by picturesque vineyards, and the Dead Sea in Israel, where the high salt content of the water and mud is said to have a range of therapeutic benefits.
Mud baths come from many sources: [2]
The practice of mud baths gained renewed popular attention through the USA Network television series Suits (2011-2019), where the character Louis Litt, portrayed by Rick Hoffman, is frequently shown as an enthusiastic proponent of mud baths. Throughout the series, Litt's appreciation for mud treatments at exclusive spas becomes a recurring character trait, often serving as both a source of humor and a reflection of his personality's focus on luxury self-care.
Calistoga is a city in Napa County, California, United States. Located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the city had a population of 5,228 as of the 2020 census.
A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa. Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits.
Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine, occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term encompasses a broad range of approaches and therapeutic methods that take advantage of the physical properties of water, such as temperature and pressure, to stimulate blood circulation, and treat the symptoms of certain diseases.
Taiwan is part of the collision zone between the Yangtze Plate and Philippine Sea Plate. Eastern and southern Taiwan are the northern end of the Philippine Mobile Belt.
A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to prehistoric times. Spa towns, spa resorts, and day spas are popular worldwide, but are especially widespread in Europe and Japan.
Balneotherapy is a method of treating diseases by bathing, a traditional medicine technique usually practiced at spas. Since ancient times, humans have used hot springs, public baths and thermal medicine for therapeutic effects. While it is considered distinct from hydrotherapy, there are some overlaps in practice and in underlying principles. Balneotherapy may involve hot or cold water, massage through moving water, relaxation, or stimulation. Many mineral waters at spas are rich in particular minerals such as silica, sulfur, selenium, and radium. Medicinal clays are also widely used, a practice known as 'fangotherapy'.
Tskaltubo or Tsqaltubo is a spa resort in west-central Georgia. It is the main town of the Tsqaltubo Municipality of the Imereti province. It is known for its radon-carbonate mineral springs, whose natural temperature of 33–35 °C (91–95 °F) enables the water to be used without preliminary heating.
Bath salts are water-soluble, pulverized minerals that are added to water to be used for bathing. It is said that these salts improve cleaning, enhance the enjoyment of bathing, and serve as a vehicle for cosmetic agents. Bath salts have been developed which mimic the properties of natural mineral baths or hot springs. Some bath salts contain glycerine so the product will act as an emollient, humectant, or lubricant. Fragrances and colors are often added to bath salts; the fragrances are used to increase the users' enjoyment of the bathing experience.
Peloid is defined as a mature clay, mud or mud suspension or dispersion with curative or cosmetic properties, consisting of a complex mixture of fine-grained materials of geological and/or biological origin, mineral or sea water, and organic compounds commonly arising from some biological metabolic activity", used therapeutically, as part of balneotherapy, or therapeutic bathing. Peloids consist of humus and minerals formed over many years by geological and biological, chemical and physical processes.
Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories, Limited is an Israeli cosmetics company with headquarters in Lod that manufactures skin care products made of mud and mineral-based compounds from the Dead Sea. The company has flagship stores in Israel, Germany, Hungary, South Korea, the Philippines and Singapore. As of 2015, Ahava income was more than US$150 million a year. In 2015, the Chinese conglomerate Fosun International agreed to purchase a controlling share of the company, which has been valuated to ca. NIS 300 million.
A peat pulp bath, a form of peloid therapy, is a bath prepared of peat pulp from wetlands. Balneotherapy in form of peat pulp baths is offered in many health resorts. Its therapeutic principle is based on thermal and/or biochemical effects of peloid application on the human body.
Polynesian Spa is a developed geothermal spa facility in Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand.
Arshan is a small resort village in the Tunkinsky District, Republic of Buryatia, Russian Federation. It is known for its mineral waters, spa, and the Khoymorski Datsan Boddhidharma Tibetan Buddhist temple. The name comes from the Buryat word for "spring."
Dead Sea products refers to cosmetic products based on materials extracted from the Dead Sea, such as salt, mud, and potash.
Calistoga Spa Hot Springs, formerly known as Calistoga Hot Sulfur Springs, is a geothermal spring system and resort located in the upper Napa Valley town of Calistoga, California. The resort has been continuously operated as a hot spring resort since the early 1900s.
The Sam Brannan Cottage, at 109 Wappo Ave. in Calistoga, California, was built in 1862. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The listing included four contributing buildings.
The Buxton Baths using natural thermal spring water are in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. The baths date back to Roman times and were the basis for developing Buxton as a Georgian and Victorian spa town. The present buildings of the Thermal Baths and the Natural Mineral Baths were opened in the 1850s. They are positioned either side of the Buxton Crescent at the foot of The Slopes in the town's Central Conservation Area. They are both Grade II listed buildings designed by Henry Currey, architect for the 7th Duke of Devonshire.
Arthur Stanley Wohlmann (1867–1943), also known as Arthur Stanley Herbert, was an English physician and balneologist, known for his significant contributions to the therapeutic use of the spa in New Zealand. Born in London, he qualified as a dentist in 1894 and moved to New Zealand in 1902. Wohlmann was appointed as the first government balneologist in Rotorua, where he played a pivotal role in developing the town into a renowned spa destination.
Jordan is [home to] the mud baths of the Dead Sea.