Fit for a Queen: Dead Sea

If it’s good enough for Cleopatra, it's good enough for me. The queen of all things luxury opened the world's first reported spa on the banks of the Dead Sea where she discovered that the dense mineralized waters, thick mud and heavy salts could help her with excess flab and make her skin glow, among other benefits.  

And today people flock here from all over, soaking up the minerals and painting themselves with the sea's vitamin-rich mud in hopes of reaching some kind of wellness nirvana. Located between Jordan and Israel, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth, and boasts 32% minerals – the highest concentration of any body of water in the world.


Elle Mag just published a great piece on the Dead Sea and its beauty benefits.
And while I haven't had the chance yet to visit this intriguing destination, as I write this my hands are benefitting from the Dead Sea waters thanks to my newest skin care obsession - AHAVA Dead Sea Water Mineral Hand Cream.  

Ahava is Hebrew for love, and I give this line a lot of love. It's mid-January, and my hands are dry and tired from the weather and frequent washing. But a dab of this cream goes on my hands like silk gloves and stays that way for hours. Key ingredients include dead sea water, witch hazel and allantoin. Ahava is not a new line, it's been around for 30 years, but to me that says a lot. 

Pharmaca has generous sized samples, and you can also buy it online. Not cheap though, at $20 for 3.4 ounces. And if you can't quite make it to the Dead Sea, I suggest a trip to the charming little town of Calistoga, California. A mere 1.5 hours north of San Francisco, mud baths and fresh spring watering holes abound, for the Cleopatra in you.