Lacu Sarat

Lacu Sărat near Brăila in the Danube Delta region of eastern Romania is a natural salt lake whose highly concentrated brine waters have been used for therapeutic bathing since at least the 19th century, when the lake's exceptional salt content — approaching that of the Dead Sea — was first systematically exploited for rheumatic and dermatological treatments. The saline chloride waters of the lake, produced by the evaporation and concentration of Danube floodwaters in this flat Wallachian lowland landscape, allow bathers to float effortlessly in a manner similar to the Dead Sea experience, and the black mineral mud found at the lake bottom has long been applied as a therapeutic poultice. The resort that grew around the lake in the communist era and has been partially renovated includes bathing facilities, mud treatment centers, and accommodation. Lacu Sărat offers a distinctive eastern Romanian thermal experience that combines genuine therapeutic power with the flat, sky-filled landscape of the Danube plain.