Karlovy Vary guarantees a royal rest and recovery
Karlovy Vary is a Czech resort with a long history. It is named after Emperor Charles IV, who successfully treated his sore legs in the local warm waters and ordered the construction of a spa town. The word 'Vary' means 'hot water': 12 hot springs emerge to the surface from a depth of two kilometers.
Warm mineral water is the main remedy. It is drunk from signature Karlovy Vary mugs with a spout, people bathe in it, and for 200 years the famous liqueur 'Becherovka' has been prepared on its basis. This liqueur, infused with 20 herbs, is called the thirteenth source of health. Its recipe was given to the pharmacist Becher by Dr. Frobrig, who monitored the health of Count Plattenberg-Miltingen who came here for treatment and at the same time experimented with herbal tinctures.
Counts and princes were regulars at this resort for many years, curing 'aristocratic' diseases – metabolic disorders, stomach, kidney and liver problems. Since the time of Charles IV (i.e., the 14th century), those suffering from musculoskeletal diseases have also come here. Now they take baths in mineral water, and in the last century they also dipped their sore legs in warm beer, of course not forgetting to drink it. The results are remarkable.
Hotels in Karlovy Vary are built in 'imperial style' – luxurious and comfortable. A single room with treatment and full board in the 4-star 'Bristol Palace' and 'Dom Pavlova' cost at least $150 per person per day, in the 3-star 'Swiss Court' and 'Sanssouci' – half as much. There are also apartments equipped with everything necessary for a comfortable stay: kitchens have blanco sinks, jacuzzis in bathrooms, modern audio and video equipment in the rooms.
The spine, arms, legs, bones, muscles, digestive organs, kidneys, nerves, and blood vessels are successfully treated in Lithuania, at the sanatoriums of the Druskininkai resort. Even in the Middle Ages, local shepherds noticed that water from springs in this region worked miracles – relieved fatigue, healed wounds, cleansed the skin. When rumors of the healing water reached the ears of the King of Lithuania and Poland, Stanisław August, he issued a decree on the resort status of Druskininkai.
Today, 28 types of various procedures are used here to restore body and soul after work and illness. Year-round, 88 sanatoriums, a wellness center, a physiotherapy clinic, and a climate park are open for children and adults.
Water often brings back not only health but also beauty. The respectable French resort of Évian on the shores of Lake Geneva is famous worldwide for its mineral spring, which has a truly revitalizing effect on the skin. Located in the palace-like 'Royal' hotel, the 'Mieux-Vivre' Institute offers vacationers a full range of cosmetic services, carbonic baths, mud therapy, and underwater massage.
Those who choose the 'Hermitage' hotel, built like a chalet with fireplaces and wooden beams, will receive the same wellness programs at the balneology center 'Tone and Relaxation'. Which is not surprising – any treatment in Évian is based on the healing properties of water from the local spring. In addition to miraculous procedures, other joys of life can be found at the resort – a casino, tennis courts, and a riding school.
Treatment in the clinics of Évian is a pleasure for wealthy people. A week's stay with a rejuvenation course and regular sessions at beauty institutes costs from $900.
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