Feel difference of crude oil bath in Azerbaijan
By Mark Hay, Men's Journal
The Naftalan Spa's dimly lit corridors lead into a red and white
tiled treatment room almost devoid of furniture. This would all be
haunting if it weren't for the happy expression on the face of the
hairy, naked man half-asleep in a bathtub in the corner of the
room. The tub is, thanks to a recently revived and Azerbaijani
tradition, full of crude oil and its occupant is giving a thumbs
up.
An oil spa is a fitting extravagance for energy-rich Azerbaijan,
where luxury hotels are springing up around the newly wealthy
capital of Baku at an alarming rate - five new five-star
accommodations have opened since 2011, for example. Alongside local
adherents, the spa now services businessmen coming to town to buy
barrels - if not tubs - of petroleum, but the practice dates back
to the 6th century B.C.E., when local lore says a sick camel was
cured by crude. Marco Polo watched men soak in the stuff as he made
his way to China.
The oil, the doctor running the spa explains, is made up of
naphthalene hydrocarbons, which he claims are of a similar
composition to natural, human steroids. Topical application of the
oil, he says, allows the skin to breathe, widens the capillaries,
and sinks into the body to work its medicinal mojo. According to
the doc, the oils heal something like 70 diseases, including: joint
problems, neurological diseases, skin conditions, funguses, and
impotence. This is hard to believe given that naphthalene, a major
component of mothballs, is listed by the International Agency for
Research on Cancer as a possibly carcinogenic substance.
In truth, the oil is probably neither particularly helpful nor
hurtful - no one in the spa knew of anyone harmed by the treatment.
The experience, on the other hand, is wonderfully singular. The oil
tingles like Icy-Hot and it is impossible not to feel a bit like an
oligarch while slathered in the stuff. There is a swagger to this
sort of surprisingly affordable luxury and participating can make a
body feel like Scrooge McDuck taking a money bath.
That feeling of indulgence is becoming central to the Baku
experience. Visitors here shovel down fried sturgeon caviar on
Caspian beaches near the city, now a perpetual worksite in the
manner of Dubai, before driving a half an hour to ski or hike
around the decked out Shahdag Mountain Resort. The pristine
metropolis can rightly bill itself as a regional hub precisely
because it is - like its leading citizens -soaked in oil.
More Information: The Naftalan Spa is a fifteen-minute drive along
a leafy seaside from downtown Baku. Those unwilling to foot the
bill for a taxi can even take a regular and reliable bus and get
off at the Botanical Gardens. White oil samples are free and a 10
to 12 bath course costs between $200 and $240.