The town of Soap Lake is filled with bikers. Harley bikers, decked out in leather and traveling en masse. But there's a softer side of Soap Lake -- one well worth visiting for a quick weekend getaway covered in mud.
What to do:
1. Get muddy
The main reason to visit Soap Lake is to envelop yourself in its mineral-rich, oily-feeling water and the jet-black mud that sits below it. Pre-penicillin, people with skin ailments flocked to the lake for treatment.
Now it's mostly people of European descent -- especially Russians -- who come to take the waters in an effort to cure their arthritis and psoriasis. You won't be able to avoid hearing about the lake's virtues and glorious past. Smile, nod and then dive in.
Walk straight out from the beach behind The Inn at Soap Lake until you're about chest-deep, then head slightly right. When you feel the sandy bottom give way to pure mud, you're in the right spot.
Pull up some mud and head back to shore. Apply a thin coating wherever you want it. You may notice the experts covering just a knee or one arm, but for the complete experience, go for the full-body slather. Let the sun dry the mud and then rinse off. They say the mud sucks oil (and those elusive toxins) out of your skin. But mostly it's a fun ritual to partake in, and a messy twist on sunbathing.
The lake itself is lovely (if you turn your gaze slightly left of the RVs parked along the shore) and warm -- if a little acrid. After your mud bath, take a raft out on the water and bask in the hot, hot heat we rarely see on this side of the Cascades. In the evening, sit on the beach with a bottle of wine and watch the sun set and the stars come out.
Stay: The Inn at Soap Lake [1], $59-$125 per night
Smokiam Campground [2], $10-$20 per night; RV and tent sites; no reservations
2. Eat right
The large Russian population in Soap Lake supports a Russian deli across Main Street from the Inn. Sample sweet breads for breakfast and get sausages to grill on the Inn's patio or at your campsite.
Eat: Mom's European Food and Deli; 509-246-1121 (closed Sundays)
3. Get treated
Since you're already taking such good care of your skin (or for the non-DIYer), go the extra mile and stop for a treatment at Healing Water Spa, one block down Main Street from the Inn. The spa uses lake water and mud for many treatments, including a fabulous exfoliating body polish that will leave your skin as smooth as a baby's bum. Relax in a hot tub of -- you guessed it -- Soap Lake water, and then get wrapped in heavy blankets to sweat out any remaining toxins. $100 for both treatments.
Relax: Healing Water Spa [3]
4. Irk the locals
The best way to annoy Soap Lake residents is to bring up the giant lava lamp [4] (giantlavalamp.com). You'll see posters all over town trumpeting the lamp, which is going to be erected any time now. Like any good roadside attraction, however, the futuristic posters vastly overplay the reality of the plan. The "lamp" is really a 50-foot 3-D sign that used to hang in Times Square advertising Target. It's in the town's possession, but more funds are needed to get it set up. There's also a plan to add a walkway midway up the sign that would provide views of the town and lake. The locals don't expect to see any of it any time soon.
Some art worth looking forward to, however, is the statue "Calling the Healing Waters" by Keith Powell and David Govedare, the Spokane artist who sculpted the steel horses on I-90 near the Columbia River. The bronze sculpture/sundial is awaiting a pedestal and organizers hope to have it up this year.
5. Explore
Between Soap Lake and the Grand Coulee Dam lie a half-dozen popular fishing lakes; spooky caves at Lenore Lake; stunning cliffs at Dry Falls; and a cave formed from the cast of a rhino caught in a lava flow. Approach the Blue Lake Rhino Cave via rowboat, which you can rent from Laurent's Sun Village Resort at the northern end of the lake. Take a flashlight and be ready for a tight crawl through the cave. A plaster cast of the cave is on display at the Burke Museum at the UW if you want to see what you're in for.
Regional info: byways.org [5] (search for Coulee Corridor)
Rhino Cave details: spokaneoutdoors.com/rhino.htm [6]
Lodging was provided by The Inn at Soap Lake.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
