What are balneological resorts? These are places of rest where you can improve your health with the help of mineral or thermal springs, healing baths and healing mud. Staying on them has the most beneficial effect on the general well-being of a person. Even if you are absolutely healthy, baths, baths and mud can drop a dozen years from a tired body (and along the way a couple of kilograms). In this article, we explore balneological vacation spots in the world. Where to go is up to you. Moreover, some resorts have a narrow specialization. For example, they treat only diseases of the musculoskeletal system or a stomach ulcer. But there are options for the most "widespread use."
History of balneological resorts
Even the ancient Greeks highly appreciated the treatment on the waters. Then the Romans mastered this practice. They own the term "balneotherapy". Translated from Latin, this means "bathing treatment." The Romans are great lovers of term; they knew a lot about sulfur and other sources, as well as massages and rubbing. It was they who built the first ever balneological resorts in Europe throughout the entire territory of their empire. In the Middle Ages, healing springs were fanned with a halo of holiness, and many monasteries profited from them. Since only wealthy patients could afford to go “under water treatment”, the most comfortable conditions were created for such clients at the baths. In order to not be bored, the casinos, theaters, and golf courses were opened. And the best chefs were invited to restaurants at hydropathic institutions.
Something about balneological resorts
Now these recreational areas have specialization. All use the latest methods of treatment and rehabilitation of the body after a disease. Hydropathic balneological resorts are the use of fresh water to improve well-being. Basically, thermal and mechanical effects of jets are applied here. Baths, unlike showers, affect the patient by the chemical effects of water. The therapeutic effect of the baths is the temperature effect. In addition to water, mud at the balneological resorts is widely used - local or imported. In addition, essential oils, dry algae, various wraps, acupuncture, gymnastics, yoga, Ayurveda and massage (Reiki, Thai, Lao, Shiatsu) help to improve well-being and enhance the therapeutic effect.
Where to go to the water?
Before starting a comparative analysis of balneological resorts, it must be said that, regardless of their type, they have a beneficial effect on overall well-being. You definitely won’t get any worse, since hydrotherapy is the safest and most universal therapy. You can go to the balneological resort with the whole family. The patient will be treated, and the rest of the household will have fun, but at the same time they will remove toxins from the body, improve skin condition, lose weight and rejuvenate. Mineral water will remove stress, chronic fatigue, and normalize blood pressure. In the world there are several tens of thousands of balneological resorts. In some of them, prices are sky-high, while others are very affordable. The difference is in the related service. Who knows, maybe this is also important. In order not to come home as a “man exhausted by a narzan”, first study what a particular balneological resort offers to vacationers.
Abano Terme
This place was popular during the time of the Roman Empire. Petrarch, William Shakespeare, Byron, Mozart and Goethe were treated here. The balneological resorts of Italy are very numerous, but Abano Terme, which is fifteen kilometers from Padua, is special. It treats all diseases that can be overcome with thermal mineral water - from skin and respiratory to neurosis and ailments of the musculoskeletal system. Mud is widely used, the application of which, as they say, removes extra pounds from the hips and abdomen. Water in some sources reaches a temperature of 87 0 Celsius. The course of treatment is two weeks. In the resort of Abano, you can find many resorts, hotels from three to five stars. The “trick” of local treatment is that you need to empty your stomach on an empty stomach, then soak it in a mineral bath, then enjoy a massage and only then proceed to breakfast.
Bad ischl
Austrian balneological resorts are cute old villages in the Alps, a charm of luxury with a touch of rural simple life. The Salzkammergut region (translated as “salt storage”) was famous for its mineral springs from ancient times. But when bathing in one of them, in Ischl, cured the spouse of Archduke Franz Karl Habsburg of infertility, the whole Austrian aristocracy was frequent in this village. There was built a summer villa of the emperor, and Kaiser Therms were built over the famous source. In addition to infertility, salt waters treat many diseases: skin, muscles and joints, bones, heart and blood vessels, respiratory tract, blood. Bad Ischl is located just fifty kilometers from Salzburg, so that wellness can be combined with excursions. But even without this, the resort cannot be bored. In winter, there are lifts working with might and main and skiers and snowboarders ride. At other times, hiking, cycling and horse riding trails along beautiful trails running a thousand meters above sea level were developed. And in August, an operetta festival takes place, because Lehar, who was treated here, wrote about a dozen of his creations.
Bad Homburg
In Germany there are more than three hundred hydropathic institutions. And in general, if the name of the town has the prefix "bad", be sure - there are healing keys. It cannot be said that Homburg, which is located near Frankfurt am Main, is Germany’s best balneological resort, but it’s the most famous one. In addition, it is narrow-profile. The staff of the luxurious Kaiser Wilhelm Bad swimming pool does not promise to cure infertility, gastrointestinal tract or respiratory tract ailments, but guarantees: after a course of baths you will no longer be tormented by diseases of the musculoskeletal system. The resort was opened by the ancient Romans, but Wilhelm II gave it a second life. When the emperor’s summer residence was built in 1888 in Homburg, as if by magic, the first golf club and casino appeared in continental Europe. By the way, the famous Russian writer Fedor Dostoyevsky was playing to the smithereens at the table with a tape measure.
Bat
Many balneological resorts in the world can boast of a history dating back centuries. But Bath, one hundred kilometers from London, is probably the oldest among them. Archaeologists find evidence that people here took therapeutic baths as early as the eighth century BC. And the first written mention of Bath serves as his best recommendation: Bloodood, the king of the Celts, was cured of leprosy here. Later, the water was appreciated by other monarchs and members of their families. Henry VIII and Anna Boleyn were treated in the Bath waters, and Jacob II's wife after them was able to give Britain an heir. Shakespeare dedicated two wonderful sonnets to the baths, described by Jane Austen. In 2006, the resort was updated. Thermae Bath Spa's wonderful center treats diabetes, digestive diseases, joints and poor metabolism.
Druskininkai
The climate of Lithuania cannot be called subtropical. But in Druskininkai, balneological resorts are a real opportunity to get a beautiful even tan besides health improvement. Why? Yes, because the hydropathic facilities there are equipped with a beach with artificial ultraviolet light. And some of them also offer all the entertainment of a real water park. The town in southern Lithuania got its name from druska, which means “salt”. On the banks of the Neman River, Lithuanian princes and the king of Poland, Stanislav, were treated. Peat mud and the amazing pine-drunken air druskininkai come to the aid of healing saline waters. Bathtubs and body wraps are recommended to be combined with long walks along specially designed terrains. Diving in local lakes contributes to the treatment of gynecological diseases and the nervous system. Dirt from their bottom has the same effect on joints as in Tunisian hospitals.
Marienbad (Marianske Lazne) and Karlovy Vary
Czech spa resorts are more accessible for Russian tourists. There is a developed infrastructure and relatively affordable prices for holidays. The lion's share of our compatriots visits Karlovy Vary. This small resort has 136 keys. In boarding houses and sanatoriums they are treated with showers and baths, irrigation, as well as the intake of mineral water inside. After a three-week course, you can say goodbye or forget about skin diseases, ailments of the heart system and the motor apparatus for a long time. Endocrine problems are eliminated, women's reproductive health improves. There are 140 sources in Marienbad, each with its own unique composition. Peat mud is used here for body wraps; water is not only drunk, but also inhaled on inhalations. Even local gas is used - they are given subcutaneous injections. At this resort, Nicholas II, as well as Gogol, Goethe and Wagner, improved their health. Other places of balneological rest in the Czech Republic - Teplice, Frantiskovy Lazne - are no less popular.
Resorts in Ukraine
Our southwestern neighbor has many health resorts of different specializations. Healing mineral waters are offered by the sanatoriums of the White Church (near Kiev), Mirgorod (Poltava region), Khmelnik (Vinnitsa region). Especially a lot of such resorts are concentrated in the west of the country. These are Lviv (Morshin, Truskavets, Shklo) and Transcarpathian (Sinyak, Svalyava, Polyana, Kvasy, Shayan) regions. In addition to water, therapeutic mud is widely used in Ukraine. They are available in the Odessa region (Kuyalnik, Rasseika, Sergeevka). All these health resorts have their own specialization, and you can always choose for yourself a suitable balneological resort. The Carpathians, in addition to recovery, give the opportunity for skiing or green tourism. Gastrointestinal diseases and kidneys are treated in Polyana and Shayan. In Kvass, radon baths treat the problems of the musculoskeletal system and peripheral nervous system.
Balneological resorts of Crimea
On the peninsula, the main health resort, where they treat with water and mud, is the city of Saki. Not far from it there are a number of salt lakes, in which a thick layer of silt mud lies. Several sources of mineral water are so famous that they are used for industrial spills and sold in pharmacies throughout the country. The healing effect of the brine is enhanced by the unique climate of Sak. Local sanatoriums (Northern Lights, Blue Wave, Pirogov Military Clinical Hospital, Poltava, Yurmino and others) specialize in diseases of the musculoskeletal system, respiratory and digestive organs, cardiovascular system, gynecology, urology, infertility problems. SPA treatments include baths, showers, underwater massages, inhalations, skeletal exhaust. Non-traditional methods of treatment are also used here (hippo- and aromatherapy, acupuncture, Ayurveda).
Balneological resort of Matsesta
But what about those Russians who do not have a passport to travel abroad? Fortunately, our country is also rich in balneological resorts. They are scattered throughout Russia, and therefore you will not have to go far for mineral water and healing mud. It is enough to recall Karachi (Novosibirsk region), Taluy (Magadan), Gorny Klyuchi (Primorsky Territory), Sestroretsky resort, Nalchik. Far beyond the borders of Russia, the hydrogen sulphide chloride-sodium water of Matsesta is known. This resort is located not far from Sochi. Baths from Matsesta thermal springs improve blood circulation and metabolism in the body, fight hypertension, atherosclerosis. Inhalations and various irrigation can get rid of periodontal disease, gingivitis, pharyngitis. Souls and chamber baths improve the condition of joints, treat infertility. The effect is observed after two weeks of therapy.
Kislovodsk
No less than the balneological resort of Matsesta, the Mineralnye Vody region is known. 60 kilometers from it lies the city of Kislovodsk. Here rested Pushkin and Lermontov, Chaliapin and Tolstoy. Narzan was opened by the life physician of Peter I. Emperor Alexander I bestowed the title of "healing area of national importance" to local mineral spas. They drink Kislovodsk water, make baths and souls out of it. Narzan successfully fights against diseases of the vascular, digestive and nervous systems, has a positive effect on joints and respiratory organs.