Water has always been a common focus of snake-oil health cons and belief systems. There is certainly something appealing and wholesome about fresh, pure water. It is easy to feel, on a gut level, that water can be more than just healthy and necessary – that it may contain magical healing properties. Our near reverence for pure water also makes sense from an evolutionary point of view – access to potable water has likely been a limiting factor on survival and human population for most of history (and still is in much of the world today).

Health spas in centuries past featured mineral water, and then carbonated water. These follow the theme I will call “water plus” -wholesome water plus a little something extra for added healing.

This continues to be a popular theme today. You can buy magnetized water, energized water, and homeopathic water (now that’s pure!).

But even this jaded skeptic marveled at the raw audacity of this water scam – Aquamantra.  No parody is better than the company’s own words.

Aquamantra: Premium Natural Spring Water is simply, water that resonates with the energy and frequency of your well-being. The quality of your thoughts determine the quality of your life and NOW your water. We deliver powerful messages to you through the mantras, I AM GRATEFUL™,I AM HEALTHY™, I AM LOVED™ or I AM LUCKY™.

That’s right – they are selling water with magic words written on the bottle. The “energy” of these magic words then infuse into the water. They thought about having another mantra called “I AM GULLIBLE” but they realized that it would be redundant.

This is pure new age mystical mumbo jumbo. Or at least it is pretending to be. The company clearly knows its target demographic.

This product is so ridiculous it does not even have to be debunked. It is self-debunking. It has inspired me to create a new skeptical equation:

Water + Energy = Scam.