Nature’s Healing Mud

STEPPING into the seaside town of San Pedro del Pinatar is like stepping back in time. Unlike other tourist resorts, this town has held onto its traditional values and its authenticity. Locals sit in the shade eating watermelon and chatting, Spanish families haul everything but the kitchen sink to the beaches of the Mar Menor and tourists enjoy a caña and a tapa while watching the world go by.

Among this setting sits the Lodos del Mar Menor or the Mud Baths of the Mar Menor where people come from all over to cover themselves in this healing mud. Although this is a popular attraction in the area it is never overcrowded or packed with tourists. With locals and tourists side by side slathering on the mud, it has a friendly and relaxing atmosphere. Locals frequently extend helpful gestures, offering visitors tips and encouragement.

A Gift From Nature

Crafted over centuries by a combination of the sun and the lagoon’s high salinity, these muds possess extraordinary therapeutic properties. They have become a natural haven for those seeking relief from various ailments. Enriched by calcium, magnesium, potassium, and fluorine, along with anions like chloride and sulphate. Unexpectedly, the mud exhibits significantly higher concentrations of these elements compared to the surrounding waters.

Additionally, the muds contain fine and very fine sands, including silts and clays, which are responsible for their remarkable healing attributes. With a slightly alkaline pH ranging from 7.12 to 8.45, these muds offer an optimal environment for therapeutic applications. Applied to the skin, the mud displays remarkable absorption abilities, drawing out toxins from deep within. They act as nature’s remedy for rheumatism, arthritis, and skin conditions. Their excellent heat conductivity renders them potent anti-inflammatories as well.

Locals and visitors apply this mud and then bask in the sunlight until the mud dries naturally and then rinse it off with the water from the salt lakes while flamingos stroll by searching for a snack along the salt lake floor. The mud baths are located beside the Playa Villananitos you can enjoy them at any time just like the beach and are completely free of charge.

Have you ever visited these or any Mud Baths? If so let us know what you thought, would you recommend it?

For more information about the area click here