Salt is all the rage these days- from salted chocolate to special salt scrubs to even flavored salt it seems no matter where in the world we go, we see some sort of salted souvenir. Honestly, until we started traveling I didn’t even realize there were different types of salt, nor the benefits of salt.
If you’re at all interested in salt or saline there is only one place in the world you can go to truly experience salt- the Dead Sea. Bordering Israel and Jordan, the Dead Sea has the highest content of saline in the world. Believe it or not, even the worst swimmer can float in the Dead Sea. If you go in, the rules are simple, absolutely, positively no splashing. The salt content is so high that the buoyancy will actually sweep you off your feet!
Besides being a fun way to experience total weightlessness, the Dead Sea is also home to some of the most mineral rich mud and thus skin care treatments in the world. It turns out that the same natural forces that increased the salinity of the water also increased the percentage of minerals that make your skin and body feel and look gorgeous. You may have heard of mud treatments, but no mud treatments compare to Dead Sea mud treatments. In fact, some people make a pilgrimage to the luxury spas and hotels like the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar, that line the Dead Sea, not for only a vacation, but also for body enriching mud and skincare treatments. All over the world products from the Dead Sea are recognized for their legendary properties. Some sell for hundreds of dollars an ounce, well out of the price range of this traveler!
Mud, luxury and salt, who knew that combination could be so beautiful?
IF YOU GO: The Dead Sea can be accessed from either Jordan or Israel. Many people make a vacation loop from Petra to the Dead Sea on the Jordanian side, taking in spa treatments like mineral mud facials, massages and salt scrubs to rejuvenate at some of the world’s most exclusive and luxurious resorts before returning home. Don’t skimp on the experience, Dead Sea treatments really do wonders for your skin-I even took a few bottles of product home with me!
This is a timely post for us as we are now in the process of planning a trip to Israel for the Maccabi Games in July. We were just discussing going to Jordan and wondered about others things in the area. After reading your post, we will make sure to visit the Dead Sea. 🙂
Excellent! Jordan is well worth the visit – we have some great tips on Petra as well from an expat who was living there- go LATE and stay through sunset. The sandstone is gorgeous in the late afternoon sunlight and you’ll miss the majority of the tour bus crowd! Our experience in Petra: http://ishouldlogoff.com/2010/06/10/petra-ruins-jordan/