Thermal water in Karlovy Vary spa town
Lizet Wesselman - 10/09/2024Thermal water in Karlovy Vary spa town
Lizet Wesselman - 10/09/2024Karlovy Vary, located in the western Czech Republic, has been known for centuries for its healing thermal springs. You won’t find outdoor pools with this water here, but a wide selection of spa hotels and wellness resorts where they use this water for bubble baths, for example. You can find these hot springs all over the city, in the form of water fountains with drinkable water! Czechs swear by the healing properties of this fresh water from the mountains. In Karlovy Vary spa town, you will find a typical Czech spa experience.
The power of thermal water
The foundation of Karlovy Vary spa culture lies in its 13 main springs and around 300 smaller springs. Each has a unique composition of minerals, including sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. The temperature of the water ranges from 30°C to 73°C.
Water sources can be found all over the city. The most famous spring, Vřídlo, spouts some 2,000 litres of water 12 metres into the air every minute, like a beautiful water fountain. This water is used in many of the city’s spa treatments and is not meant for drinking. Almost every hotel has a spa bath that you can enter, sometimes for a fee. These kinds of thermal springs have been considered medicinal for centuries. A bathing session of around 20-30 minutes can help improve circulation and relieve muscle and joint aches.
You will also find a number of springs in the city, often under the most lavish building structures called ‘colonnade’. At each spring, you will find a sign with information and clear instructions on whether or not you can drink the water. Not drinking means it is too hot! So don’t stick your hand in it either, unless you feel like a one-way burn hospital.
Special Karlovy Vary spa cups
To taste the spa water, you can of course bring your own bottle or cup. But it is tradition to buy a special water cup from one of the many stalls. These are usually only €1 or maybe a little more if you want a bigger one. That way you immediately have a souvenir to take home with you and for the money you don’t have to miss out.
These spa cups have a spout that you drink from. They are designed so that the water cools slightly before you actually drink it. Although the water already comes out of the fountains in a cooled version, some are still really hot. Cup of coffee or tea hot. So a little extra cooling in such a cup is quite welcome. Want to learn more about the history of this cup? There is a spa cups museum.
Traditional spa-treatments
Besides the ‘regular’ themo baths you sit in for half an hour, you can go to Karlovy Vary for all kinds of wellness treatments. It really is a spa town where you can completely unwind. There is something for everyone and also for every budget. You can stay in the most luxurious wellness resorts, or in a budget hotel with a single spa day at those resorts.
The wellness options range from small spas with just a hot tub and pool, to full resorts with massages, saunas and all the trimmings. You can even do a medical spa, where you get a health check-up, with a treatment plan. Part of the treatment plan is a drinking cure of the springs’ water. For such a cure, you do have to stay in Karlovy Vary for several days or even 2 weeks.
A unique and typically Czech wellness experience is the beer spa. In a beer spa, you can relax in baths filled with hot water, hops, malt and brewer’s yeast, ingredients that are also found in beer. These baths are said to be good for your skin, help detoxify your body, and reduce stress. Most beer spas allow you to drink beer at the same time. Of course, not from the bath itself, you get your own tap next to your bath.
Where to go for a Karlovy Vary spa day?
Almost all hotels have something like a hot tub, pool or full spa. Want to stay more budget and just have a spa day? Then you can pop in for a massage or relaxing hour of bathing at many of these hotels. The range of true wellness venues as we know it in the Netherlands is quite limited. The most famous is Saunia, where you can enjoy saunas, a rooftop pool with themed water and various treatments. A day ticket is around €25 in 2024.
For a beer spa, visit Beerland beerspa. You can rent your own bath here or rent a room with a group of up to four people with several bathtubs and a relaxation area. A beer spa also always comes with unlimited beer and at Beerland with homemade beer bread. Prices vary a bit by day and time of day, but range from €80 for a single bath, up to €250 for 4 people.
But of course, you can also stay in one of the many spa hotels in Karlovy Vary.
How to get to Karlovy Vary?
Karlovy Vary is in the western part of the Czech Republic, near the border with Germany. There are trains from Prague, but rarely direct and they are quite slow. In about 3.5 hours, you’ll be in Karlovy Vary by train. The Flixbus is a better option for this route, as it takes only 1.5 to 2 hours and costs just €6.50. You can also do an organized daytrip from Prague, which usually include a guided walking tour. Few reasons not to put Karlovy Vary on your list as a day trip from Prague. I can especially recommend autumn in the Czech Republic, and of course a spa day fits in perfectly with that!
