Therapeutic Water Locations

Help heal your body and soul

We all want something special from a vacation. But what if your getaway could also help clear up your skin? If you're thinking about an alternative treatment for psoriasis, perhaps it's time to visit a place that offers "healing waters." These water-based treatments may help induce relaxation, improve circulation, stimulate the immune system, and detoxify the body.

"Healing waters" have intrigued people for centuries. In the 14th century, a watering place was established at a town in Belgium called Spa, giving us the name we still use today. Luckily, natural hot and mineral springs exist all around the world. In the U.S. and Canada alone, there are more than 200 commercial hot spring and mineral spring destinations, along with thousands of scattered, smaller, non-commercial springs. Explore this list of aquatic hot spots in the U.S. and around the world that emphasize treatment and make a splash with people with psoriasis.

• The Dead Sea
• The Blue Lagoon
• Soap Lake
• Berkeley Springs
• Paso Robles

One of the best known spots is the Dead Sea. It has been studied extensively in connection with psoriasis, and the results of these studies have been published in well-known medical journals. The Dead Sea, located on the border between Israel and Jordan, is actually a lake, long renowned for its healing properties. At 1,312 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea permits additional layers of the earth's atmosphere to filter out the sun's shorter, more dangerous ultraviolet rays. This allows the longer UVA rays to penetrate, and means visitors can stay out in the sun for longer periods without burning.

But it's not just the sun that's beneficial. The waters and mud of the Dead Sea have an incredibly high salt and mineral content. Plus, the local air is rich in oxygen and contains a high concentration of bromide, an ingredient found in many sedatives. This could be the perfect combination for relaxation and helping to fight off flare-ups.

The usual length of stay is 4 to 5 weeks, which is considered necessary to obtain high-level improvement. Studies report that 80% to 90% of people visiting the Dead Sea for treatment can expect their skin to clear or improve significantly. Less than 1% of people see no change, or get worse.

For more information about the Dead Sea, visit http://www.deadsea.co.il.

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This treatment center, near Iceland's capital city of Reykjavik, is situated on a peninsula that is composed primarily of porous lava. The extremely hot geothermal seawater, from deep within the earth, penetrates the lava and forms reservoirs. Legend has it that a local resident who had psoriasis began to bathe in the waters of the newly formed lagoon and saw his skin improve dramatically.

The water is known for its rich mineral content, organisms that are not known to exist anywhere else in the world, and an unusual concentration of silicon. The silicon-rich mud is believed to be responsible for the rapid disappearance of scales. Although the Blue Lagoon has not been as extensively studied as the Dead Sea, thousands of treatments are provided here each year.

Governments of several countries recognize the Blue Lagoon as a treatment option for their citizens with psoriasis and reimburse them for the cost of their treatments. Also, researchers at the Lagoon studied the effects of lagoon bathing combined with UVB phototherapy. They found that almost 90% of psoriasis symptoms disappeared after 4 weeks of this treatment.

For more information about the Blue Lagoon, visit http://www.bluelagoon.is.

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Embedded in the dry, rocky desert terrain of central Washington State, Soap Lake sparkles 1,075 feet above sea level. Its mineral content is high, and its history is long. According to the Soap Lake Conservancy, the lake has been famous for its spas and resorts since the early 1900s. Before that, the local Native American population built temporary hot houses, smeared their bodies with mud, and washed it off with lake water.

Although there are no established treatment centers at Soap Lake, today visitors tend to improvise their own treatments, usually with a combination of soaking in the lake water and applying mudpacks while sunbathing in the region's dry desert climate during the summer months. The water of the lake contains a unique combination of 25 minerals, and is four times as salty as seawater. Some of the small hotels and motels in the area even pipe water from Soap Lake into their guests' rooms for therapeutic purposes.

For more information about Soap Lake, visit http://www.soaplakecoc.org.

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Only 2 hours from the Washington, DC area, Berkeley Springs is an affordable choice, and one surrounded by West Virginia's splendid beauty. For more than 2 centuries, people have traveled to this tiny mountain town to soak in the warm mineral waters.

And they visit year-round. It's such a popular healing destination, that Berkeley Springs boasts of having three times more massage therapists than lawyers. Plus, it's reportedly the only place in the U.S. to claim that "George Washington bathed here." During his first surveying trip west, a 16-year-old Washington turned back to visit what appeared on his map to be medicinal springs. Then, just as now, the waters have flowed from the ground at 74 degrees and 2,000 gallons per minute. To soothe your skin and soak up some history, visit the brick Roman bathhouse, where you can relax in 750-gallon tubs of heated mineral water.

You can choose from these historic baths in Berkeley Springs State Park, fed by warm springs, as well as in five spas offering various treatments.

For more information about Berkeley Springs, visit http://www.berkeleysprings.com/.

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Located in the coastal mountain range of central California, Paso Robles is a quaint, friendly town. The Salinan Indians, who were the original inhabitants of the area, knew this region as the "Springs" or the "Hot Springs." These people found relief from various ailments in the therapeutic waters and soothing mud baths.

These days, Paso Robles is also well known for its vineyards, and is home to more than 60 wineries. If you enjoy sightseeing and wine tasting, this might be the place for you. And after a wine tour, you can relax and soak your body at the Paso Robles Hot Springs & Spa—resting, gazing at the stars all the while, in one of the hillside mineral tubs.

A message from the Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce and Visitors & Conference Bureau: After an earthquake in December 2003, Paso Robles has rebounded. All hotels and wineries, and almost all restaurants, are once again welcoming visitors. Most stores downtown have reopened (some in temporary locations), and the town is bustling again.

For more information about Paso Robles, visit http://www.pasorobleschamber.com/vcb/history.htm.

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