Ancient royals from Herod to Cleopatra numbered among those who availed of the Dead Sea’s curative powers. The secret of its success, then as now, is a rich cocktail of minerals and salts caused by evaporation of the river water flowing into it.

A string of gorgeous luxury hotels and spas now overlook the fabled shoreline, where guests can smother themselves in black mud before a bob in the extra-buoyant waters, whose high salt content keeps bathers afloat without effort.