A great spa treatment that many guests often ignore is the mud bath.  You can trace the origins of the mud bath back to Cleopatraís time when she used mud bath therapy.  Soon any place that had access to mineral springs and volcanic ash began to offer the mud bath therapy.  Grupo Mayan spa professionals recommend the mud bath for its ability to relax you.

If you have never tried a mud bath, you can imagine a cocoon of a warm soft mud that will buoy you and suck the stress out of you.  Mud baths can help to improve your complexion, relieve joints, muscle pain, and remove toxins.

What can you expect to find in a mud bath?  Indians used warm springs and volcanic ash to create a mud bath that was first commercialized in 1946.  The primary ingredients of a mud bath are springs water and volcanic ash.  Some places will add peat moss to the mixture to make it softer and allow the body to float.  Grupo Mayan spa professionals explain that fresh ash is brought in each day and mixed with boiling mineral water and peat moss is then added.  Boiling spring water is important to help sterilize the mixture between guests.

For the first ten minutes of your mud math, the mixture is soft and warm.  You will float in the mixture just below the surface.  The mud will be kept at about 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  You will receive help getting in and out of the mixture.  The mud bath is often compared to being back in the womb.  You are warm, floating, and feel very secure.  After you finish your mud bath, you will be able to wash off in a mineral whirlpool bath.  Then you can enjoy a steam room treatment and follow it up with a blanket to help you cool down slowly.  From beginning to end, you can expect to spend about one and a half hours unless you decide to get a massage afterwards.

The mud bath is not for everyone.  If you suffer from claustrophobia, you may not be able to handle being submerged in a thick black mud for the recommended time.  Mud baths have a high level of sulfur and may be too much for some people who are sensitive to odors.  If you are pregnant, you should make sure your doctor approves of the mud bath before using it.

Grupo Mayan spa professionals hope you will try a mud bath experience the next time you visit the spa.  There is not many other treatments that will give you this feeling of weightlessness.