Haapsalu's fame as a resort town rested almost entirely on its therapeutic mud. The blue-black sulphide mud from the bay has been used medicinally since the early nineteenth century, when physicians began prescribing it for nervous disorders, rheumatism, and gynaecological complaints. The first mud bath establishment opened in 1825, and the town was soon drawing wealthy patients from across the Russian Empire.
The Läänemaa Spa carries on this tradition with modern facilities offering mud wraps, mud baths, and other spa treatments based on the local mud. The therapeutic properties are well-documented — the mud is rich in sulphide compounds absorbed from the seagrass-rich sediment of the shallow bay. A mud treatment followed by a rest is the authentic Haapsalu experience; you don't have to be unwell to enjoy it.