Beauty, Body Care, Skincare, Treatments
It is even a cure for infertility. “Couples arrive as two and leave as three,” a Latvian doctor told me when describing the 3-week mud fertility programme at his health resort, which virtually guarantees a pregnancy! For those of us steeped in the drug culture mindset, swapping IVF for mud baths, wraps and insertions sounds quite incredible.
Pregnancy may not be on our agenda now. But Europe’s rich mineral and peat muds have been used to treat a host of medical issues, for nearly 200 years. Just not in the UK, until now.
I’m sure, like me, you’ve had the underwhelming spa treatment experience: stepping down from the bed, £100 and one hour later, and thinking: ‘so what?’
Not so, when I tried the slap-and-wrap style mud therapy in the famous Szechenyi Baths in Budapest. Despite the therapist’s Marigold gloves and tarpaulin body cover, this was one of the most relaxing, balancing and cleansing therapies I’ve ever had. And I’ve been working in the spa industry for 15 years.
This healing mud is certified ‘curative’ by Hungary’s National Health Service and is prescribed by doctors to treat a range of inflammatory conditions, most commonly chronic arthritis, joint and muscle disorders, back pain and gout. It is used in hundreds of treatments daily, holding a long-held therapeutic role in Budapest’s renowned medicinal spas. When I visited I met a woman midway through a 3-week course in which she plunged her arthritic hands into a bucket of warm mud. She grinned while showing how her clawed fingers were starting to unfurl.
The mud’s rich mineral content stimulates blood flow, drawing out toxins and absorbing minerals into deep and superficial layers of tissue. When packed onto problem areas it has a unique ability to heal.
But it offers more: especially an all-natural answer to radiant skin. The mud’s detoxifying effect and, again, the absorption of its uniquely rich mineral content regenerates skin cells for a brighter, tighter complexion. After a mud mask, you will get compliments, I can guarantee!
I was so excited by the simplicity, effectiveness, and versatility of this mud that I’ve brought it to the UK, branded Hungary Mud. Originally it was supplied to spas and product manufacturers but the response from everyone who’s tried it has been so positive that you can now buy it to use at home. Here are some suggestions:
• FACE – blend 1 tsp of mud with 1-2 tsp of hot water and apply to your face and neck, avoiding your eye area. Leave to dry (15 minutes is ideal) and remove with warm water. This mask helps to reduce pores and the appearance of fine lines and blemishes for a more radiant face. Its silky texture dries hard to increase blood flow to the skin. It can cause mild redness that will soon subside.
• BATH – 1-2 tablespoons in the bath to soak away aches and pains soothe the nervous system and ease internal congestion. Joint problems can benefit from bathing in Hungary Mud. Perfect before bed for a deep sleep. Very ‘grounding’.
• BODY – for a more intense treatment blend 3 tbs of mud with 2-3 tbs of hot water and apply to areas of joint and muscle stiffness and pain. Leave for 20 minutes for maximum benefit. Mud can be removed and reheated.
Hungary Mud comes in its dry natural state straight from the protected nature reserve where it has been mined since it was discovered in 1893. It is easily blended and thanks to its fine granule size flushes cleanly away.
Along with her company Hungary Mud, Sophie Benge is an author, journalist and product agent. She is currently writing a book on the traditional healing cultures of Eastern Europe.
Hungary Mud 200g £20.00 available from Victoria Health
