Slovakia's spas enjoying a long and excellent reputation.
The hidden gem of Slovakia is its mineral waters. Our country is rich in deep underground springs with varying thermal and mineral properties.
To start with it is important to distinguish between spring water and mineral water. While spring water is derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface, mineral water – although it also comes from an underground source that is both geologically and physically protected - contains a constant and relatively proportionate level of minerals and trace elements. It is these elements that give the mineral water its healing powers.
Evidence of the healing power of these waters, for various illnesses, dates back to the earliest settlements in what is now Slovakia. But it was Empress Maria Theresa who kicked off the spa industry in the region when in 1763 she ordered an analysis of all mineral springs within the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. As a result, more and more physicians turned to balneology (the study of medicinal springs) and the fame of the local spas spread even beyond the borders of the monarchy.
Nearly 1,800 mineral water springs have been identified. Local and foreign visitors enjoy treatment and pampering at one of over 20 recognised spa towns all across Slovakia, like Pieštany with its curative sulphur mud or Trencianske Teplice, Sklene Teplice or Bardejov spa just to list a few. Mineral water with recognised therapeutic effects is bottled and exported to many countries all over the world.
As the Slovaks do
Should you be seeking a more authentic spa experience, look out for signs reading vajcovka (meaning “egg water” for their typical smell caused by their high content of sulphur) or medokys. These may guide you to one of the springs that are known only locally and whose taste and effects are used mainly by people in the vicinity.
During your travels through Slovakia, you may want to stop at one of the many local mineral springs and fill a few bottles with special healing water whose mineral content and effects are usually described at the spring site or enjoy a quick soak in a hot water pool hidden in a forest.
Mária Gelingerová
Relationship Manager, Global Securities Services Slovakia