The Healing Black Sands

Image from Jakarta Post

   Several years ago, I would often stop by a certain little food stall on a quiet beach as I would come home from water projects. There were no tourists, no surfers, just the occasional fisherman.  However, there were lots of people (adults) scattered across the beach that were buried in the sand. 

   It soon became clear that this beach was well known as a place for healing of minor back and leg pain.  The sand gets very hot in the afternoon, and these people would come from all around to take advantage of the healing benefits.  Just think of it as a huge, sandy heating pad.

   I would often sit down with the people as they were going through their 'therapy'.  I talked with them about life and the pain that brought them to the sands.  It worked out well, because they were kind of bored and happy to talk, but they were also literally stuck in the sand for at least an hour so they couldn't go anywhere even if they had wanted to...

   As with most things in Bali, there is often a spiritual connection as well.  This article tells an interesting story about how the Balinese people combine the heat therapy, local priests, and Javanese traditional medicine in order to find a solution to their pain.  You can read it by clicking here.