Have you ever thought about putting mud all over your face to make you feel years younger? I have on rare occasions admittedly bought overpriced mineral mud with the hopes of “total exfoliation” of my skin. Although it definitely worked, it’s hard for me to rationalize spending all that money on mud.
But at the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth at 417 meters below sea level, the greatest mineral mud is literally at your toes. By the way, this sea has four times more salt than the world’s oceans, making it literally impossible to sink. So when I stopped at the Dead Sea last week, I globbed the natural mud all over my body before slowly emerging myself into the water. After nervously lifting my feet up, I began floating and bobbing around, almost like those weeble-wobble toys from when I was a kid. It really was a one-of-a-kind experience.
Once I pulled myself out of the salty water and all of the mineral mud was rinsed off, my skin immediately felt much smoother than it had before. I definitely recommend this (free!) spa-like treatment to everyone who visits Israel – but if you can’t make it down to the Dead Sea during your visit, there are many mineral mud products that come directly from the Dead Sea, and for a fraction of the price than if you find them in department stores in the United States. From mineral foot creams to gentle body exfoliators and even anti-aging serums, Dead Sea products can be pre-ordered online through EL AL’s duty-free program and picked up during your flight.
Although I’d love to travel back to the Dead Sea every time I’m in need of some anti-aging spa treatment, I suppose buying the mineral mud products directly from the source and duty-free will have to suffice some of the time!
-Emily