Soap Lake has minerals in the mud and water

In Washington there is a special lake, with special mud, that is called Soap Lake.

Soap Lake is located on Highway 17 North in Grant County in Eastern Washington, about 120 miles west of Spokane, Washington and 180 miles east of Seattle.

But this is no ordinary lake. People flock there for the mud.

We were in the area camping at Sun Lakes, when my sister started talking about the mud at Soap Lake. I knew we had to go give it a try.

According to the Soap Lake tourism Web site:

"Soap Lake mud is highly coveted by visitors who use it for many different purposes. Mud packs have been found to be beneficial in the treatment of chronic inflammation, bruises, sprains, boils, insect bites, acne, eczema and other skin and circulatory disorders.

Soap Lake mud is thick and creamy like the softest cold cream. It is jet black and in its purest form is jelly-like. The mud has a pungent, organic odor. It dries to a dark grey-green color. When dry, the mud flakes off as an extremely fine-grained powder. It does not stain clothing.

When applied, the cold moisture in the mud relaxes skin pores and draws blood to the surface. After a mud pack the skin looks and feels tighter. On a summer day, dozens of people can be seen on the east and west beaches covered from head-to-toe with mud. The mud is a protected, non-renewable resource of this unique lake. It can be found in only a few locations and must be obtained from the lakebed, beneath the water."

In the picture at the top, we are covered in the thick, black mud that we located in the water that was about chest deep.

The water and the lake smell like sulfur. It is quite pungent.

Needless to say, covering ourselves in mud was a blast!

Here's a great site with answers to many of the frequently asked questions about Soap Lake and it's mud.