TRecently, there has been a noticeable revival of the practice of taking mud baths as a means of beauty and treatment of various ailments. Mud baths are especially effective for rheumatism, radiculitis, lumbago and gout, and even where a person does not suffer from any of these ailments, mud baths have their advantages, because there is nothing like it that ensures clean skin and gives general tone to the entire body. It is becoming increasingly popular among women interested in the most effective beauty culture. The mud bath of cosmetologists is actually a peat bath. Much of the peat used comes from the Goole area in Yorkshire, and many tons are sent weekly to centers where such baths are available.
Taking a mud bath is an acquired art. Trying to jump, as is sometimes done when entering a regular bath, would be as stupid as trying to dive. The bather carefully steps into the peat mixture and plunges the body into the mud until only the head remains. He or she must remain there for 20 minutes. Contrary to expectations, a mud bath is not something unpleasant. The dirty mixture gives a feeling of warmth. After a 20-minute immersion, the bather climbs out, leaving as much dirt as possible in the bath, and takes a warm shower, which soon washes away the remaining peat paste. Then, wrapped in heated towels, the body glowing with new life, the bather lies down on the couch.
A newcomer to “swimming in the mud” usually has a lot of doubts. Even the certainty that peat is specially prepared, that it is rich in organic acids and contains some iron, does not entirely calm fears, but after trying a mud bath and feeling its beneficial properties, a beginner soon becomes an enthusiast. Just how popular mud baths have become can best be understood by saying that in Harrogate, home to Europe's largest peat bath installation, around 25 tonnes of specially selected peat are used each week during the season.
Although the benefits of mud baths have only become more widely recognized in relatively recent years, mud baths are nothing new. It gained some popularity 150 years ago and was recommended in those distant times as an excellent beauty preservative. One of Nelson's most famous beauties Lady Hamiltontook mud baths and at one time so maintained her belief in its effect that she sat neck-deep in a peat bath in some public place to advertise the theory of the “doctor” who at that time was trying to make mud baths popular. Real doctors of the time would have had nothing to do with this new idea, but doctors now recognize the cleansing effect of such a bath on the skin and recognize its benefits for all sufferers of diseases arising from the presence of uric acid.
