As visiting the Holy Lands requires much walking on rocks and up steep hills, it’s no wonder tourists gladly welcome a cool dip in the Dead Sea at the end of a busy day. Just floating in the Dead Sea is enough to refresh you after a long day of sightseeing in Israel. But you only float because you don’t want to get to swim and get water in your eyes because the minerals would sting.

The lowest place on earth, the Dead Sea is about 1300 feet below sea level (34 miles long and 11 miles wide). It’s called “dead” because nothing living can survive there as there’s no outflow, resulting in an abundance of raw chemicals. For more than 2,000 years, since the days of Herod the Great, the Dead Sea has been known for its healing and therapeutic powers because of its rich supply of salt and minerals.

Historical Significance

When you visit the Dead Sea you go back in time more than 3000 years ago. It’s here that Abraham walked. As you admire the Dead Sea’s beauty, you’re reminded of the fate of Abraham’s nephew Lot and his wife who looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19). You think of David and how he fled from King Saul into the cliffs of En Gedi (1 Samuel 24). There was the tragic story of Masada (in 72 AD) and how thousands of Jewish zealots took their lives rather than surrender to Rome. More recent historical events the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls by a shepherd boy in Qumran in 1947.

A Winter Retreat

Because of its beauty and uniqueness tourists worldwide flock to the Dead Sea for both a spiritual pilgrimage as well as relaxation. The Dead Sea is to the eastern world as Florida is to American “snowbirds”, as each winter the area draws wealthy Europeans and Asians escaping the cold. With the sun shining 90% of the year, combined with a dry climate, it provides a popular winter vacation haven. What’s more, because the sun has to break through air filters, sun burning isn’t as big a threat as it would be in other areas.

Therapeutic Services

Besides the mild climate, the vast mineral deposits make the Dead Sea a gold mine for therapeutic products and services. While guests at the luxurious Dead Sea motels, tourists can take advantage everything ranging from mud baths to massages.

• Mud baths—Dead Sea motels offer their guests mud baths for an average price of around $40. Mud baths have been around since ancient times when the Romans first discovered the therapy of mud as early as 120 B.C. Contemporary mud baths cools the body and lets the skin soak up nourishing nutrients.

• Massages—Also for about $40 tourists can enjoy a relaxing massage while staying at a Dead Sea motel.

• Cosmetic products— While staying at the Dead Sea motels you can pick up some of the best beauty and cosmetic products in the world. Because the Dead Sea contains fifteen times the magnesium found in normal sea water, it’s more beneficial for the metabolism of skin cells. What’s more it’s also anti-allergen. Besides magnesium, other minerals such as zinc, bromine, iodine, and potassium are also found in the Dead Sea.

Although the Dead Sea affords a variety of therapeutic benefits, it’s the spiritual experience that you receive when you visit that’s even more precious. As you gaze upon the calm, still waters you can see the pages of the Bible played out before your eyes.