Theraputic Mud Flats - Lo Pagan.

Lo Pagan, just south of San Pedro del Pinatar on the Mar Menor, is a lovely little village with a wonderful sandy beach and shallow, clear, warm waters.  It is here you will find the therapeutic mud baths. The beneficial effects of certain muds and clays have been known from man’s early history and the Chinese in particular used mud for making poultices to heal wounds and inflammations.

The mud at Lo Pagan is confined to a part of the salt lake known as ‘La Puntica’, and it has formed due to the climatic conditions of the area, long hours of sunlight and an extremely high salt content in the water. The sediment that has formed contains high levels of important minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, fluorine, sulphur and chlorine and it has been discovered that applying it to the skin and allowing it to dry in the sun results in beneficial effects for many ailments.

The mud is recommended for many types of skin complaint such as acne, ulcers, abscesses and inflammations, it is also recommended for arthritis, rheumatism, gout and for rehabilitation after a bone fracture. Due to a small amount of grit in the mud it also has an exfoliating effect on the skin, similar to that used in beauty treatments and mud face packs and it leaves the skin feeling silky smooth and fresh (if you can get rid of the smell!).

Over the past couple of years a number of wooden platforms have been constructed leading out to the best areas of mud and there are steps leading down to the water to make the experience easier to enjoy. You will find the mud to be about six inches deep and very warm, you simply apply the mud to affected areas (or as most people do all over) and allow it to dry in the sun. When the mud is dry you can then wash it off in the same lake, it is not allowed to wash it off on the main beach as this spoils the prime bathing areas.   There are also areas, rather like moats, of excessively salty water where people bathe to relieve the effects of arthritis, tendonitis and rheumatism, the warm salty water reputedly increases blood circulation and eliminates toxins giving relief to stiff and painful joints and aiding wound healing.

Close to Lo Pagan are the salt flats of San Pedro del Pinatar, declared a Nature Reserve and Regional Park in 1985, it is the most important area of marshland in the region of Murcia and is an important area for bird life. The saltworks here have a documented history going back to the 14th Century and two windmills which still exist today were used to pump the salty water of the Mar Menor into the salt lagoons. The windmills are no longer working and have been replaced by electric pumps.

Lo Pagan can be easily reached via the N332 coast road, sign posted from San Pedro del Pinatar, or from the AP-7 motorway (Junction 777).