Healing and recreation in the best spas

When you talk about truly traditional Hungarian thermal baths, the natural environment of Lake Hévíz is the first thing that pops into your mind. No wonder, as the classic healing therapy, which includes thermal bathing, a medicinal mud wrap and weight bath as well, is now considered a true Hungarikum. The weight bath, which actually involves painless stretching of the spinal column and slightly distancing the vertebrae, was first used here in 1953 on the recommendation of Dr Károly Moll, who is considered the father of Hungarian balneology. The traditional healing therapy may be supplemented with therapeutic massage, electrotherapy and hydrotherapeutic treatments. The medicinal water of Hévíz has excellent effects on rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, osteoporosis, degenerative spinal and joint diseases, and rehabilitation after surgery or injury; it also alleviates chronic gynaecological problems. 

The medicinal water of Bük, surging to the surface from four wells, is considered almost miraculous for those suffering from calcification, cartilage abrasions, lower back pain, inflamed joints and chronic gynaecological diseases. The alkali-hydrogen-carbonated medicinal water, which contains a high level of calcium, magnesium and fluorine, has such a high mineral content that it is considered unique, even by international standards. It has an anti-inflammatory effect, supports bone metabolism, facilitates muscle activity and improves circulation. The medicinal water can even be used internally for water therapy to cure chronic gastritis, ulcer and in digestive disorders.

One of the special services offered by the Bük Thermal Bath is the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, with traditional therapeutic and pampering spa treatments combined with painless bone density testing. Traditional massages and body treatments are supplemented by modern wellness treatments such the Alpine hay steam chamber or the wellness water bed.

The Thermal Bath and Spa in Harkány attracts visitors with the regenerating effects of its medicinal water, alongside something very special. The unique micro-climate and special natural features of the thermal bath, and the 2,100-2,200 hours of sunshine per year in the region, can turn a bath therapy into a genuinely enjoyable summer holiday. The healing water – which is unique in Europe – wells up to the surface from a depth of 50-70 metres, at an average temperature of 62°C. From a medical point of view, the most important mineral of the water is carbonyl sulphide, which also lends a particular smell to the water. The therapy offered in Harkány may be successful in treating musculoskeletal diseases, which are diseases affecting joints, but can improve osteoporosis, chronic gynaecological inflammations and lymph circulation disorders as well. As a local specialty, the water will soothe symptoms of psoriasis, which can be cured with similar results in only two other places in the whole world other than Harkány. 

The medicinal water in Hajdúszoboszló broke through the surface from a depth of 1,100 metres in 1925 as a result of a deep drilling process. It contains iodine, bromine, sodium chloride and hydrogen carbonate as well as a number of trace elements. It can cure rheumatic diseases, as well as degenerative changes. You may want to visit the spa for rehabilitation after surgery, to ease chronic gynaecological inflammations and to help remove obstacles that may prevent conception in young couples, since the water contains oestrogen linked to bitumen. The most well-known spa treatments here are the mud wrap, weight bath, underwater jet massage and therapeutic massage. The vast Hungarospa spa complex in Hajdúszoboszló has indoor and outdoor adventure pools and a waterpark, which make it a perfect place not only for those who come here to heal, but for every member of the family to have fun and enjoy themselves. This way, a spa treatment can easily be turned into a family holiday.

The medicinal water that bubbles to the surface in Mezőkövesd has the highest concentration of sulphur in the whole country and, of course, you can smell this on the water used in the Zsóry Thermal Bath and Spa, but the effects of the water are just as unique as its smell. The medicinal water has many curative effects that make it suitable for treating rheumatic diseases and degenerative joints; it can also be used as rehabilitation after surgery and injury, and to ease gynaecological problems and skin conditions, as well as certain nervous system disorders. The spa and bath have more than 20 indoor and outdoor pools, and consist of four units, one of which is the medicinal unit where you can enjoy mud wraps, weight baths, carbonated baths, massages and physiotherapy exercises, as well as several relaxing wellness treatments.