SPA Salino

SPA Salino is run by Água-Mãe, Lda, a company founded in 2008 to produce and sell traditional sea salt and flor de sal from the salt pans at Castro Marim. The spa occupies part of the Salina Barquinha, on the Estrada Nacional 122 opposite the town, where a specially deepened salt pond lets visitors float in mineral-rich water at a salinity close to the Dead Sea. The experience centres on a floating bath in the salt pond, followed by an application of mineral-rich mud taken from the bottom of the pan and an exfoliation with flor de sal, the delicate salt crystals hand-skimmed from the surface of the pans at the end of the harvest. Massage and yoga sessions are available by advance booking. The company's name, água-mãe, is the traditional Algarve term for the mineral-rich water left behind in the salinas after the salt has been harvested, long used locally for its skin benefits. Água-Mãe also produces and packages its own traditional sea salt and flor de sal, sold under its own brand and for other companies, continuing salt-making methods refined over centuries in the wetlands around Castro Marim.