Members of Kibbutz Negba and Sde Yoav who own the site of Hamei Yoav, fondly recall how in the fifties, digging for crude oil in the area resulted only in disappointment and the discovery of a “strange” type of water.

It took some time until, in the mid-eighties, they began using the water for irrigation. Soon they discovered that the water had health benefits and could serve a broad range of people as a source of relaxation and healing. Hamei Yoav opened its doors to tourists in 1990 as a luxurious spa.