Lacu Sărat has healed generations, ever since the therapeutic properties of its mud and hypertonic water were discovered.
Recognized since the beginning of the 20th century as one of the most famous spa resorts, Lacu Sărat was visited by the personalities of the time, both for the healing properties of the lake and in order to spend their holidays in its charming atmosphere.
“Near Brăila, the resort of Lacu Sărat was flourishing, equipped in the style of its time, with an English park, a music kiosk and a casino where they played “chemin de fer” and ”bulă’. People came from all over the country… Nicu Filipescu and Lilli Gheorghiade, Take Ionescu and Mița Biciclista, poets and famous journalists came to spend their holidays at Lacul Sărat.” (Nicolae Carandino, journalist)
The legend of the lake begins with the story of the horses who healed their wounds in the salt water. But the history is that of more that 140 years of documented existence, with the mud and hypertonic water being a proven cure for a wide range of ailments. Established in 1879, Lacu Sărat resort has the most mineralized sapropelic mud in Romania and the most sunny days of all Romanian tourist resorts.
The lake’s very salty water heats up quickly in summer and reaches up to 30 degrees Celsius. The lake’s depth is no more than 1.5 meters, making the resort suitable for the whole family. Just five kilometers from the city of Braila and two kilometers from the Danube, Lacu Sărat is a permanent spa resort. Although it is located in the Bărăgan Plains, the resort is surrounded by forests, which tames the dry climate, protects it from wind and dust, and makes it a healing and protected place.
In the beginning of the century, the resort was famous not only for its therapeutic properties, but also for its chic hotels and guesthouses, casino, theater hall, open-air theater or the English park.
There were tennis, bowling and croquet courts, French and German
restaurants, a hospital, shops and an exhibition of photographs from all over the world.
In 1889, the resort’s name crossed the country’s borders and it was presented at the
Congress of Hydrology and Climatology in Paris. Shortly afterwards, the chemistry
laboratory of the Paris School of Mines checks water and mud samples and certifies the valuable chemical composition of the lake water.
In 1900 the electric tramway line was built, still open today. The year 1924 marks the peak of development for Lacu Sarat.
Within the economic crisis of the 1930s, the modernization process of the resort
ceased. Then, the bombing of the Second World War led to the resort’s degradation. From 1947 onwards, restaurants, guesthouses and hotels were
nationalized and no more investment was made.
In 2021, Lacu Sărat becomes a resort of national interest. With the investment in the
development of a new modern spa center – Alma Health & Spa Retreat – the dawn of the revival of what was once the hidden treasure of the Bărăgan is in sight.
With Alma Health & Spa Retreat, we want to
restore Lacul Sărat to its former glory and charm, when it rivaled the renowned spa
resorts of Europe.
The lake creates a mud with a high concentration of minerals. It is an ideal spa therapy for treating a wide range of ailments, including rheumatic, inflammatory, dermatological, gynecological, endocrine, post-traumatic conditions, respiratory and central nervous system disorders. People of all ages can be successfully treated here. Although the treatments may seem to appeal more to older people, they are actually beneficial to everyone: athletes, people with a sedentary lifestyle, women with fertility problems, children with skin or musculoskeletal conditions. Obtained from the decomposition of algae and the crustacean Artemia Salina, this mud is a veritable treasure, hidden at the bottom of the lake. There are over 90,000 tonnes of sapropelic sludge, in a layer of up to 30 cm. It is constantly renewed and it takes two to three years to produce a millimeter of mud.
Our mission is to protect this priceless natural resource and the salt lake that creates it, and to contribute to the sustainable development of the destination.
Recommended for healing rheumatic, inflammatory, dermatological, gynecological, endocrine, post-traumatic conditions. It, as well, an effective remedy for modern man’s diseases, memory, concentration and sleep disorders, metabolic and endocrine disorders, blood pressure oscillations, mild depressive states or burnout.
