If the stories of Cleopatra bathing in virgin woman's blood or donkey milk to retain eternal beauty amaze you then be prepared for a shock of a lifetime. It seems the women of oil rich Azerbaijan have gone little further  in finding ways to keep their skin glowing forever. They apparently bath in crude oil, believing this will help them fight skin diseases, rheumatism, arthritis and even 'nerves' besides making the skin look prettier, a belief shared by ancient traveler Marco Polo .

This unbelievable treatment is being offered by Gucci and Oscar de la Renta outfits . Oil is everywhere in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan and the elite city ladies are using it to the weirdest possible manner  in the luxury spas.

Recently, the country has seen huge inflow of petro-dollars , changing city skylines and the rise of certain high income groups. But it's not as rosy as it looks because there are enough reports of rising corruption as well. The country played host to the latest Eurovision final, staged in the new Crystal Hall and all set to to have the tallest building on the planet (or so it is claimed): the £1.25 billion Azerbaijan Tower, soaring 3,445ft and 189 floors, or more than one kilometre, into the sky. It will be 30 per cent higher than Dubai’s Burj Khalifa tower, the current record holder showing it's intent to cross all the limits that an oil rich country can afford.

By contrast, the news of top political class being highly corrupt puts a grim shade to the outer shine and sizzle of the country once known for dusty streets and traditional carpets. According to the reports SOCAR, the state oil and gas company may have brought in revenues of £19 billion last year making small group of people comprising politician and businessmen fabulously rich. President Ilham Aliyev tops this list with a multi-million dollar networth.

Just wondering if bathing in crude oil gives a certain sense of living in denial too..!

(With inputs from Internet)

(Aw-Jyotishman)