Mud baths: the new beauty culture – archive, 1925 | Health & wellbeing
TThere has recently been a marked revival in the practice of mud bathing as a beauty aid and as a curative treatment for various illnesses. Mud baths are particularly effective against rheumatism, sciatica, lumbago and gout, and even when one does not suffer from any of these disorders, the mud bath has its advantages, because there is nothing like it to ensure the clearness of the skin and give a general tonic to the whole body. It is becoming more and more popular among women who are interested in the most effective beauty culture. The beauticians’ mud bath is actually a peat bath. Much of the peat used comes from the Goole area of Yorkshire and several tonnes are shipped each week to centers where such baths are provided.
Taking a mud bath is an acquired art. Trying to jump as one sometimes does when entering an ordinary swimming pool would be as foolish as trying to dive. The bather gently steps into the peat mixture and forces his body into the mud until only the head is clear. He must stay there for 20 minutes. Contrary to expectations, the mud bath is not unpleasant. The muddy mixture gives a warm feeling. After 20 minutes of immersion, the bather exits, leaving as much mud as possible in the bath, and moves on to a hot shower, which soon washes away the rest of the peaty paste. Then, wrapped in heated towels, his body radiant with invigorated life, the bather rests on a sofa.
The novice in “wallowing in the mud” is usually beset with many qualms. Even the assurance that the peat has been specially prepared, that it is richly charged with organic acids and contains a certain proportion of iron, does not completely allay fears, but once the mud bath has been tried and its beneficial qualities experienced, the novice soon becomes an enthusiast. The best way to understand how popular mud baths have become is to see that in Harrogate, home to Europe’s largest peat bathing installation, around 25 tonnes of specially selected peat are used each week during the season.
Although the benefits of mud bathing have only recently been recognized, mud bathing is not a new institution. It achieved some popularity 150 years ago and was recommended in those distant times as an excellent beauty preservative. One of the most famous beauties, Lady Hamilton of Nelson, was a mud bather and at one time stood up to her neck in her belief in peat bathing in a public place in order to promote the “doctor” theory which at that time sought to popularize mud bathing. Real doctors of the time would have had nothing to do with this new idea, but doctors now recognize the skin-clearing effects of such a bath and admit its benefits for all those suffering from diseases caused by the presence of uric acid.
