Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Body wrap experience at the Dead Sea


Our trip to the Dead Sea was incredible. Actually it was mind boggling to me to actually be there after 10 years of studying and working with its precious raw materials.

While we were at the hotel, we HAD to see if we could learn some hidden secrets from 'the experts'. Myself, Jim & Jessica all had a full mud body wrap and massage. We felt this would 'complete' our learning experience.

Much to our dismay the experience was less than we were expecting! They never had us fill out a consultation sheet - therefore they did not know if we had any allergies, body ailments or chonic issues (such as my Fibromyalgia). They wisked us all away to separate rooms that were fully tiled, no circulation and 'cold' feeling. They weren't 'spa' rooms by any means. My therapist could not speak much English at all. She pointed at a table that was covered with a blue tarp and had me change into disposable under clothes and lay down. A few minutes later she emerged with a gallon bucket of mud. I was quite hesitant for her to slather it on me. I could smell menthol and when I looked at the mud I could tell it wasn't 100% pure product. I asked her what other ingredients the mud contained - she blew me off with 'I don't understand' and proceded to take her glove covered hand and raised my right arm and in one fell swoop - slathered the warm, menthol Dead Sea 'wanna be' Mud on. She was so fast with the application it literally took her about 5 minutes to cover my entire body. Interestingly enough she left the abdomen & chest area open. I questioned why she didn't cover those areas - she told me it wasn't good for my heart. Then I realized what she meant - because she wrapped the blue tarp around me and left me in the room with no circulation. I literally felt mummified! I tried to get comfortable and think about being in the Dead Sea. Then I started to sweat profusely. The sweat came out of the chest & abdomen area and of course my face and scalp. I was burning up! There was a fan in the room (not turned on) but I could not get to it because I was packed in tight! In about 20 minutes the therapist appeared and wiped my forehead with a lukewarm cloth. What I would have given for it to be ice cold at that point! I asked if she would turn on the fan but she didn't hear me as she closed the door. So there I lay - sweating in a blue tarp wishing I was in the Dead Sea instead of that room! I could have done a much better job at the Dead Sea and would be mobile, in the sun and able to float in the silky water instead of being trapped up like Sushie in a blue tarp! Not to mention the exhorbadant amount of money it cost! Then came time for the 'unveiling'. She followed me into the shower and hosed my back and legs off with a high powered sprayer. I was slightly embarassed. I politely asked her if I could take care of it myself and she got the hint.

I was shocked that the high end treatment did not do what our products do at home - which is firm, tone & tighten the skin while reducing the appearance of cellulite. (Sorry, it's not permanent - but it lasts for at least 24 hours!) Then came time for fresh disposable clothes and a robe. I was escorted to my massage room which had a very inexpensive treatment table and two plastic out door chairs in it. She turned around while I removed the robe and got under the sheet. I had a feelilng they were going to use cheap products on my skin - so I came prepared with my own Mud-Lite™ Mineral Creme and asked that she use it instead of her products. She opened a jar of pink cream and stuck it in my face to try and get me to let her use it. I could immediately smell the chemical fragrances in it and refused the product. She used my creme and I was soooo glad because I love the aroma I had created for this massage! It had Rosewood, Sandalwood, Jasmine, Geranium, Bulgarian Lavender, Ylang II and a few drops of Bulgarian Rose Oil. Decadent - Yep! And I deserved it! The only thing that was pleasant about the massage was the end of it! She didn't know I had Fibromyalgia so she rubbed me down like a race horse. At one point she took off her lab coat and layed on my back with her forearms and rubbed up and down on my back as if I were a 500 pound man. I let out a few grunts and she asked if she was hurting me. I told her yes. I tried to explain that you don't do deep tissue massage on Fibromyalgia patients, but she did not know what I was talking about. I made it through the massage and got back in my swim suit (I had come there directly from being in the Dead Sea!) and headed right back down to my precious mineral oasis. There I slathered on the pure Dead Sea Mud to detox the junk the body wrap had done and then I did a full body scrub with the mineral salts and floated away. That was heaven to me!

One thing I learned from the experience was - I really am The Mud Queen™! I really do know my stuff and how to implement it better than the people that live at that miraculously healing & therapeutic God-given resource. My next trip will be to stay at the Dead Sea and do my own body wraps. That was really sheer heaven to me! What can I say? I'm The Mud Queen™!!! :o)

Luv~N~Hugs!!!
Tammy D.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Scary Experience @ The Dead Sea

I LOVED floating in the Dead Sea! This was the most incredible sensation! The water felt like silk. I was quite amazed that there wasn’t an over powering sulfur odor in the air. I also enjoyed walking on the salt bars. I accidentally ended up about 3 foot ball fields out from the shore line. This actually became a dangerous situation and I didn’t like it at all! I was out there by myself in the early morning. There were only two people on the shore line and I did not know them at all. The sun was beating down and in July the Dead Sea feels like a hot tub. Of course as I was walking on the salt bar I would run my hands through the silky brine. I was looking down into the water admiring beautiful salt crystals and watching out for the occasional sink holes that had formed. I started talking to God and jokingly asked Him if Peter really walked on the Dead Sea instead of the Sea of Galilee – because I was quite sure it appeared as if I were walking on water back on the distant shore line! It was really getting hot and I started perspiring on my forehead. Not thinking anything about it I wiped my forehead with my hand. WRONG thing to do, because I wiped my forehead with Dead Sea Brine! I didn’t realize it until a few minutes later when the perspiration on my brow started to trickle the powerful mineral & salt laden water into my eyes! I was instantly blinded. There I was – about 900 feet out in the Dead Sea with no guide to get me back to the shore line, no one I knew within shouting distance to come and rescue me and I knew there were sink holes on my path back to the shoreline and the fresh water shower! I had to walk very slowly – due to the fact that the water was just below knee level and very ‘thick’ to walk through. I did a lot of praying while I made my journey back to the shoreline. It felt like it took an eternity! But PTL I made it to the fresh water shower – then I went right back out and floated again! This time I was very near the shoreline!

What an experience that was! I'm so thankful God took care of me during that situation. It's quite an unnerving feeling to be instantly blind out in the middle of the Dead Sea and not know where you're going. I had a lot of thoughts that went through my mind causing fear. But when I prayed the fear went away and it was almost as if an angel guided me to safety.

Well, that's my post for today. Hug and kiss 4 people today before you go to bed!
Luv~N~Hugs!!!
Tammy D.
The Mud Queen™