Girls might think they are made of sugar and spice, but if they know better and want a great smooth skin, they’ll take a hint from the boys and play in the mud!

SPA stands for ¨Sanus per Aqua¨, which means ¨health through water¨. But did you know that all of that good water also produces fantastic mud? When you used in an appropriate way and comes from an adequate source, mud is one of the healthiest components of spa therapies! There is a huge variety of different types of mud, with each its own qualities.

The spa therapy in which mud and/ or clay is used for healing puposes is called Fangotherapy (fango is the Italian word for mud). Muds used in spa therapies you can faind throughout the world. Depending on the source of the mud, each mud has different characteristics. This means that each mud has different curative effects, varying from rheumatoid arthritis, immune disorders, fibromyalgia, muscular pain, pulmonary tuberculosis, bronchitis, acne, dermatitis, psoriasis, chronic dry skin, scars, etc.

Fango is an unglamorous grayish-brown slime. It is made up of a solid, clay-like component, marine or thermal water and an algae-based flurry. Fango is organic and undergoes a maturation process before being considered therapeutic. All types of fango have heat-retention properties and can be warmed up and applied to the skin, which leads to perspiration from the client. The result is increased circulation, which aids nutrient and waste exchange. The body will be stimulated to eliminate any toxic substances in the body. (Mud is therefor also very often used in Detox or Weight loss programs). While clay should not be allowed to completely dry out on skin, it can be allowed to dry slightly to aid natural exfoliation and improve skin texture.

Spanish mud

Many types of clay are commercially available from different soils and environments around the world. Spain has many natural mineral water springs and the Mediterranean sea has great sources for high quality mud with a general higher mineral contents than other clays. Spanish clay, either from the Mediterranean or the mineral water springs in the inland, is highly absorbent and is used to draw impurities and moisture from the surface of the skin. This drawing action stimulates circulation and lymphatic flow and purifies the skin.

Some great places for Fangotherapy in Spain are:

Balneario de Archena, where they use mud from their own underground hot mineral water source. You can opt for a hot mud pack, or the ¨Archena Massage¨ signature treatment of Balneario de Archena, which uses a combination of Vichy shower and Mud.

The mud used at the Hotel Thalasia Costa de Murcia is of a unique kind. The Thalasso centre is located next to the San Pedro del Pinatar salt marshes close to the Mar menor (Europés biggest inland sea) and Mediterranean sea. The mud used here is collected from the shores and mixed with local hyper saline seawater, which has a high concentration of salt and minerals. It is applied by a temperature of 45-47ºC and is effective for pain in musculoskeletal – and dermatological diseases. But also applied for general muscle relaxation, to detoxify the body and to exfoliate the skin.