Mud Baths as a Beauty Treatment: Sanatorium Visit in Evpatoriia, Crimea, ca. 1920

The first spa and recreational establishments in the Crimea emerged during the economic boom at the end of the 19th century. The trend increased in the 20th century. So-called "sanatoriums", or health and beauty resorts, offered a wide variety of health-improving treatments. As the postcard shows, there was for example the option of taking a mud or moor bath. The thick, mineral-rich mud was believed to stimulate blood circulation and to have a positive effect on the immune system and the metabolism.

Nurses giving women mud baths at Saki sanatorium in Evpatoriia in Russia, black-and-white postcard, ca. 1920, unknown photographer; image source: National Library of Medicine, Images from the History of Medicine, http://ihm.nlm.nih.gov/luna/servlet/s/l327m3, public domain.