The ultimate hot tub Egyptians bury themselves up to their necks

The ultimate hot tub Egyptians bury themselves up to their necks The ultimate hot tub: Egyptians bury themselves up to their necks for desert sand baths in the height of summer as natural remedy to cure everything from joint pain to infertility The hot desert sands seem the most unlikely place to 'take a bath' in the height of summer but locals in western Egypt believe it is the natural way to cure many medical conditions. At the hottest time of the day, sufferers of rheumatism, joint pain, infertility or impotence lie buried neck-deep in the sand of Siwa near Dakrour Mountain. Patients relax in the shade before treatment, which includes massages by the feet of health workers after they submerge their patients up to their neck in the desert. They spend between 10 and 15 minutes buried beneath the sands before being dug out and moving to tents that have been exposed to the sun to act like saunas. In case they are not hot enough already, they then indulge in a nice hot cup of herbal tea to round off the treatment. Raafat El-Fiqi, a maths teacher and researcher from Alexandria, has been taking the sand baths of Siwa for a few years after it was recommended by his doctor.