Usually, the best thing that comes out of being buried in the sand at the beach is achieving your lifelong dream of turning into a mermaid, with a perfectly-sculpted sand tail and all. Here’s the thing, though: Would you spend 15 minutes covered in super-hot, 125-degree Japanese volcanic sand in order to reap a slew of potential benefits that go far beyond a great Instagram pic? Well+Good’s video producer Ella Dove would.

In the very first episode of Well+Good’s new YouTube series What theWellness? Dove explores the benefits of a volcanic sand bath at the SoJo Spa Club in Edgewater, New Jersey. For the treatment—which Dove says feels like “part sauna, part gravity blanket“—the spa transported 120 tons of black lava sand more than 7,000 miles from the Ibusuki area in Japan, making them the only spot outside of the country to have it. While being buried in a giant sandbox might sound, umm, interesting, it’s supposed to bring on some pretty impressive benefits, including detoxification, better circulation, and reduced inflammation…but does it really work?

Check out her experience above to see how the sand bath checks out, and stay tuned for even more episodes, where Dove explores the most interesting treatments the wellness scene has to offer, from electro-current facials to CBD massages to tell you what to skip and what really works.

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