International travel magazine cites Israel’s landlocked salt lake for its health-promoting properties for skin, respiration and other ailments.
Travel + Leisure’s list of 10 recommended healing destinations around the world for 2022 is topped by the Dead Sea.
This unique body of water, bordered by Israel and Jordan at the lowest point on Earth is called the Salt Sea in Hebrew because it is the deepest hypersaline lake in the world, 27 times denser than Utah’s Great Salt Lake.
As a result of the Dead Sea’s extremely high salt content, it is even possible to simply lie down in the water and not sink. (See picture). Incidentally, the name Dead Sea stems from the absence of any marine life, due to the salt content.
Even the air here is uniquely healthful.
Here’s what the international travel magazine had to say about its choice of the Dead Sea:
“Besides being absolutely breathtaking, this landlocked salt lake has long been touted for its health-giving properties. From slathering the black mud over your skin for exfoliation and alleviating skin conditions like psoriasis, to its professed natural power to remedy asthma, arthritis, osteoporosis, and other issues, the body of water also boasts a low content of pollen and other allergens.”
“Another unique feature? At 400 meters below sea level, harmful UV rays are filtered through an evaporation layer above the Dead Sea, the ozone layer, and an extra atmospheric layer. This is said to mean that sunbathers can absorb the beneficial effects of vitamin D from the sun’s rays, without risk of sunburn and ensuing skin damage,” it added.
Travel + Leisure also notes that Cleopatra is believed to have “journeyed here with her ancient Egyptian entourage to bathe in the waters and let the gentle waves do their thing. This healing ritual continues to modern times, as countless wellness seekers arrive at this site to pile on the storied mud.”
(Israel 21c).