It’s a breezy day and the breeze carries the gentle fragrance of sulfur. My initial reaction is “ewwww” but my nasal passages quickly adjust as I get closer. It’s bright blue. As in, technicolor blue. It almost doesn’t seem real. As I get to the shore, the ground is white, and the rocks are crusted with what is obviously salt so all the whiteness coupled with the mineral content of the water makes it reflective, like a blue green mirror. I step in. It’s warmer than I thought and it’s oilier than I thought. I continue to walk in and reach a point where I just lean back, and my legs pop up. I’m floating with no effort whatsoever. It’s a really cool sensation. This is the Dead Sea!
The Dead Sea has over 20 different minerals resident in its waters, which makes it uninhabitable by water life, but it also makes it a place people flock to in search of healing for a variety of skin maladies. And it works. I personally saw a marked improvement in my own skin after only an hour of floating around. But be forewarned, if you have any open sores you will feel the sting of the sea. I have friends who jokingly refer to the Dead Sea as the Sea of the Stinging Rectum (or some variation thereof). I suppose if your diet is less than optimal that could be an outcome you might experience. She typed with a snicker.
What makes the Dead Sea the Dead Sea? From a geological perspective, it’s the lowest point on land in the world and it sits atop, or between, two tectonic plates. The hypothesis being that it’s an “overlap” between those two plates and that it “pushed up” the minerals. From a biblical perspective, it’s in this location that Sodom and Gomorrah suffered the fate of judgement and that the mineral composition is the remnants of such a judgement. If that is so, I find it ironic that the composition is also healing in its properties. It’s also biblically prophesied that it will “live again” following the return of the Messiah.
Present day, I bought a day pass at the Crown Plaza, which gives one access to the pool, the beach, a locker room and a little lunch. I also bought a massage. While I think the day pass is worth it for the beach access, don’t expect much in terms of a five star spa experience. The facility itself is second rate and the service was even worse. That said, the beach is fantastic!
The Dead Sea is definitely worth the trip outside of Jerusalem. It may be “dead” but it sure brought my skin back to life!
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