This real natural treasure is hidden in a green vegetation area only 5 km from the Black Sea resort town of Balchik. The so-called Tuzla  consists of two lakes located in close proximity to each other, literally meters away from the seashore. Besides being beautiful, the place is healing. The water here is very salty, almost as salty as that of the Dead Sea – the saltiest body of water on the planet. This is probably due to the unique composition of the mud formed at the bottom of the lake. This mud has become legendary with its properties.

Its healing qualities were already known back in the 1930s when the so-called Balchik Tuzla baths, equipped with women’s and men’s cabins for access to the mud, existed. The “estuary miracle” helps in relieving arthrosis, tenosynovitis, neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s, but also skin diseases, radiculitis, plexitis, as well as conditions after a stroke, etc. The specialized rehabilitation hospital “Tuzlata”, built in the 1950s, overlooks the lakes.

This method of treatment and prevention, or the so-called Egyptian method, has been known since ancient times. The treatment takes place on the very shore of the estuary lake.  The staff from the nearby hospital draws the mud from there and fills the bath tubs with it . The Egyptian method is based entirely on the beneficial effects of the sun, mud, estuary and mineral water.

                                   This is how the mud treatment works

You need to sunbathe for about 30-40 minutes, so that the pores of the skin can be opened, then you smear yourself with a layer of healing mud, about half a centimeter thick. When the mud is taken out of the lake it is mushy with dark gray color. When applied to the body, the liquid evaporates and the mud dries turning ash-gray in color. After it dries, people need to go into the lake to wash it off. No detergents are used, as some of the components of the mud may interact with them and cause allergic reactions. That’s why it’s good to just wash with the salt water from the estuary lake and then with mineral water.

In order to have an effect, one procedure lasts a maximum of 2 to 3 hours. The hospital has a special corner at the lake itself, which is also accessible to tourists for a minimal fee. Here, they have all the necessary amenities:

The lakeside hospital has a so-called “open mud treatment” sector on the shore itself

There are two separate wards – for men and women, or as in the old days – Adam’s and Evin’s beach. It turns out that most people prefer to rub themselves clean naked. There are changing rooms, showers with mineral water, umbrellas, and a section covered with soft sand.  There you can lie down to sunbathe beforehand, or relax on the benches after a good smearing of mud. And most importantly, you have access to the baths, which are constantly replenished with fresh mud drawn from the middle of the lake.

Balchik Tuzla is part of the Natura 2000 ecological network

The whole area is a sanctuary for several bird species, including the White Egret. So while you are soaking and enjoying the panorama of the ponds, herons and all sorts of feathered creatures will fly over your heads. Of course you don’t necessarily have to take a mud bath to visit this paradise. Just stroll past the salt ponds and fill your eyes with beauty. There are several small restaurants nearby , as well as plenty of opportunities to stroll along the seashore.

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