The Death Spa

Alright! So we're in Japan after a long hike and now we just want to go relax! Let's head west towards a sea that could be so relaxing you feel dead! O.K. the feeling of death may not be appealing, but I think you get the idea.

The Dead Sea

Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

Connecting Jordan and Israel this place is one of serenity and salinity. Though I imagine the calm nature around the sea is a little eerie. Due to the salt concentration of 33.7% in this salt water lake there is no life, with the exception of tourists and the occasional bacteria during the rainy season. The lake (yes it's not actually considered a sea by definition) is the fifth saltiest body of water on the planet. It's 9.6 times saltier than the Oceans! If you've ever been to the beach you know how salty a mouth full of ocean water is. Now imagine on top of that you dump the contents of a salt shaker in your mouth, but the salt is bitter. I recommend keeping your mouth shut while you’re in the water...

Now I've never been but it is a popular place because of a couple reasons beyond the lack of life. The salt levels make it monumentally easier to float on top of the water and it has health benefits! I personally finding floating to be more effort, physically and mentally, than just wading around in the pool so the prospect of floating without effort sounds pretty cool! On top of that the lake has low allergen levels, a plethora of different minerals, and the UV radiation and atmospheric pressure are both at lower levels! The special bitter salt also serves a dual purpose! It's known to help with a variety of skin conditions and reduce stress, muscle aches, and pain. All things considered it makes for one hell of a "death" spa.

 
Courtesy of Flickr and Wikipedia Commons

Its location is also a thing of wonder in itself. The Dead Sea can be found at the deepest point of the Great Rift Valley. The valley is the "longest geographic phenomenon" known to the Earth according to Sankalan Baidya on Facts Legend.. Being 4000 miles long and passing through 20 different countries, it's pretty impressive. The lake itself is located 427 meters below sea level and then it's another 306 meters deep!

Overall it'd be a cool place to visit and see. Ever heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls? Yeah those were here. It gets mentioned in the Bible more than a few times and I think you definitely know it's a cool place when it was one of Cleopatra's hot spots.  

Courtesy of Flickr

Alright, given it is a body of water and all I’m doing is praising it I do feel the obligation to slip in a warning. YOU CAN STILL DROWN. At 1.24 kg/L the salinity level may help you float, but the flip side is that it’s so dense it makes movement rather difficult. It is denser than the human body after all. All you have to do is STAY ON YOUR BACK. Even if you are a strong swimmer you may not be able to flip back around if you get put on your stomach. Then when you take in a mouth full of the water the salt will ruin kidney and heart function, disrupt normal blood flow, and cardiac arrest becomes inevitable. Essentially you drown without sinking. Please stay alive.