what really goes on in a spa?
Ahhhh, the spa! Mention the s-word to many Czechs, and you’ll see their faces light up with pleasure. But if you’ve never been to a Czech spa yourself, you may be a little apprehensive (or at least curious) about what goes on when you surrender your tired, broken, bent, or rusty body to the hands of these Slavic sisters (and brothers) of mercy.
Fear not. The procedures for booking a stay are as simple and straightforward as the actual procedures offered at the spas.
For generations, doctors have recommended a long term stay (months or more) at a spa so that patients could take advantage of recuperative treatments. Now that 21st-century stresses and other woes have caught up with Czechs and foreigners alike, most Czech spas also offer a range of “wellness” stays – as short as a weekend or lasting two weeks or more. If your doctor recommends a spa visit as part of your medical treatment, you’ll have medical permission for your visit and some of the costs may be covered by insurance. If you just want to submerge in, or perhaps be wrapped in a mud pack and swaddled in a fluffy blanket like a baby. When you emerge, you’ll appreciate the benefit of having the newly-smoothed skin like a baby, too.
Of course, much as you’d like to, you can’t spend all day being stroked, wrapped, soaked, and pampered. Eventually you’ll have to emerge from behind the glass doors back into the residential part of the spa. And that’s where you’ll find special treatment for your other half: namely, entertainment. You can walk, ride bikes, rent horses, shop, attend tea dances and concerts, and any of several other daily programs offered by individual spas. (And don’t overlook skiing, skating, snowboarding, and tobogganing in the snowy months!)
A few more tips: Don’t be surprised to find your appetite has become as healthy as the rest of you. But don’t worry. Czech spas offer a choice of very tasty, healthy, and filling meals. (And most have an onsite “cukrarna” offering a range of cakes and other treats to sweeten the deal.) Dress is usually casual (or business casual fordances and concerts). Generally, accommodation is basic but clean and comfortable. In the Czech Republic, “spa season” runs from approximately April through October, but some spas which specialize in winter sports are open in winter, too.
The most important tip: book early. And then get ready to relax.