The mud baths of Lo Pagán

Where exactly are they

You find them on the northern side of Lo Pagán, where the promenade ends and the Salinas nature park begins. Walk the promenade to its end with the water on your right. Where the buildings stop and the path runs between the salt lakes and the Mar Menor, you will see the pools, and usually the first people already coming out of them grey and brown.

There is no fence, no ticket office and no opening time. It is a public piece of nature. There are showers to rinse off, and benches and shade nearby.

Why people do this

The mud comes from the salt lakes next to it and is full of minerals and salt. People have been coming here for generations, first mostly locals and these days visitors from far away too. In summer it is a steady stream of families, older couples and groups of friends covering each other's backs.

We deliberately do not call it a treatment. Plenty is claimed about what the mud does for your skin and your joints, and we are not doctors. What we do know: it is one of those things you cannot simply do anywhere else, it costs nothing, and everyone who has done it once talks about it for the rest of the holiday.

How it works, step by step

Wear swimwear that is allowed to get dirty. The mud washes out, but light colours sometimes keep a shadow of it. Leave jewellery and your watch at home, and do not wear glasses you cannot afford to lose.

Scoop the mud out of the pool with your hands and cover yourself. Most people do arms, legs, body and face, but skip the eyes. Ask someone to do your back, that is half the fun.

Stand or sit in the sun and let the mud dry. That takes ten to twenty minutes depending on the sun and the wind. You will notice when it is ready: the layer turns lighter, cracks a little and tightens on your skin.

Walk into the water and rinse. The Mar Menor is shallow and warm here, so you stay on your feet for a long way out. Take your time, the mud clings to your hair and behind your ears more than you expect. Then a quick shower afterwards.

What to bring

An old towel, and we mean genuinely old. Stains do not always come out. Then a bottle of fresh water to rinse your face, because sea water in your eyes after the mud is an unpleasant combination. Flip flops help because the ground around the pools is slippery. And sunscreen, but before you start rather than halfway through: mud on top of freshly applied sunscreen does not work.

Sunglasses, phone and car keys go on a towel out of reach of muddy hands. Everyone underestimates this, and everyone ends up with mud inside their phone case.

The best time to go

The best moment is the morning, roughly between nine and eleven. The sun is already strong enough to dry the mud, but it is not yet so hot that you are baking while you stand there, and it is considerably quieter than the afternoon.

In July and August it gets genuinely busy around midday. Out of season, from October to April, there are barely any people all day and the water is fresh but perfectly manageable. We think May, June and September are the finest months: warm enough, and you almost have the pools to yourself.

With children

Children usually love this, for obvious reasons. Watch two things: mud must not get in the eyes, and the ground around the pools is slippery. For small children the shallow side of the Mar Menor afterwards is ideal, because a hundred metres out you are still only waist deep.

Be warned that a small child covered in mud looks fairly striking. It will be one of the better holiday photos you take.

What to keep in mind

This is a protected nature area. Stay on the paths, do not dig new pools and do not take buckets of mud home. It is the salt lakes and the birds that make this area what it is, and they are exactly the reason it still looks like this.

Anyone with sensitive skin, an open wound or a fresh tattoo is better off skipping it. If you are unsure, the health centre in the town is not a bad idea. We have put its details in a chapter of their own.