A worker waits near a tent after digging holes and erecting "sauna" tents for patients in Siwa, Egypt, August 11, 2015. In the searing heat of summer in western Egypt, at the hottest time of the day, sufferers of rheumatism, joint pain, infertility or impotence lie buried neck-deep in the sand of Siwa near Dakrour Mountain. Locals say taking a sand bath is a natural therapy with powers to cure many medical conditions. Patients relax in the shade before treatment, which includes massages by the feet of health workers after they submerge their patients up to their neck in the desert. Patients drink mint tea in tents following the treatment. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih PICTURE 5 OF 24 FOR WIDER IMAGE STORY "THE HOT SAND BATHS OF SIWA". SEARCH "ASMAA SIWA" FOR ALL IMAGES