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Resort towns

This page is all about spas - resort towns that are made for you to enjoy a great health holiday. Read about what makes a spa, what the differences are between the respective spas and where to discover the most beautiful resort towns in Europe. We also explain how you can book your perfect spa vacation!
Characteristics·Types·Resort towns in Europe·FAQ

Characteristics of resort towns

There are different types of spas and in every country in the world also always very specific rules that define exactly when a place is a resort town and thus suitable for a health holiday. Only if this municipality has been awarded a corresponding predicate, it may call itself a "resort town" or "spa town". Somewhat simplified one can say, a resort town exists mostly there, where the following 4 points come together:

  1. The occurrence of a natural remedy (e.g. natural thermal water or mineral therapeutic mud),
  2. A particularly health-promoting local climate (e.g. particularly pure air without exhaust fumes or a particularly salty sea breeze),
  3. Local spa businesses have developed special therapies for the treatment of conditions (e.g. spa hotels)
  4. In addition to the above points, there is a particularly relaxing environment (e.g. spa parks, architecture, nature or traffic-calmed city centers).

The different types of spas

If you look back in history, you will always find resort towns. Already the Romans used mineral and thermal springs for therapeutic purposes and healing therapies. To pay attention to his health was in every age "in trend" and who could afford it, traveled from time to time to one of these special places to let it go well. If you look at the map of Europe, you can still see the spa tradition in many place names. The English "bath", the French "les-bains" and the German "Bad" are all references to spa tradition.

Thermal spas, mineral spas or places with spa operations

In these resort towns, as the name suggests, everything revolves around water. There is mineral or thermal water, which is used for therapeutic purposes. The water usually comes from natural healing springs directly on site, sometimes from hundreds of different sources that could have different effects. The thermal water or mineral water can be hot, of course, but also cold. Treatment it is usually external, for example, baths or casts. Depending on the water, however, the internal treatment can also be useful, for example, as a mineral water therapy. How exactly the water is used depends on the respective composition of the healing spring. This then also results in the recommendation for which treatment is best to travel to which spa.

Primary indications: Kreilauf diseases, muscle tension, joint diseases (osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, gout), diseases of the digestive tract, respiratory diseases, stress.

Our special pages on therapies in thermal baths & mineral spas:

  • Spas in Europe
  • Thermal springs
  • Spa hotels

Therapeutic climatic resort towns

A health resort town is all about the local bio-climate. This has a special therapeutic effect, which one makes oneself for the promotion of the health to use.

Often it concerns here the air and the air quality. The largest distinction with the welfare-climatic health resorts is that in Reizklima and Schonklima.

Reizstarke regions are usually Kurorte at the sea like for example the Baltic Sea, North Sea, the Atlantic coast, in addition, regions like the dead sea. Irritant climate can be found next to the coast also in the high mountains - often above 1500 meters.

Between the sea and high mountains, usually in the locations between 300 and 1000 meters above sea level, we find the so-called gentle climate. While the climate type of the stimulating climate rather serves to stimulate the metabolism and the vitality of the body, the gentle climate with its balanced temperature and even humidity has a calming effect.

Primary indications: Diseases of the respiratory tract

Our special pages on therapies in healing climate resort towns:

  • Climate therapy
  • Respiratory therapy

Air spas

In addition to the climatic health resorts, there are also "simple climatic health resorts". These we treat in this guide only briefly, because air health resorts usually do not offer medical healing therapies. The focus here is rather on tourism in beautiful surroundings and good air. Therefore, air health resorts are certainly worth a nice trip, but usually not suitable for the specific treatment of a health problem.

Primary indications: Increase well-being & recovery.

Seaside resorts, seaside spas or thalassotherapy centers

Here, too, you can already guess it from the name. Seaside resorts are of course at the sea! In these resort towns one makes oneself the natural remedies of the sea, like salt water, sand, algae and the fresh salty sea air - in addition, the sun to use.

In addition to bathing tourism in the classic seaside resorts, spa businesses with thalassotherapy centers specialize in all kinds of therapies using the fresh therapeutic remedies of the sea.

In addition to baths, there are also special thalassotherapy courses, seawater showers, hydromassages and many other exciting treatments to discover.

Primary indications: skin diseases such as neurodermatitis and psoriasis, rheumatism and back pain, stress

Our special pages on therapies in seaside resorts:

  • Thalasso
  • Thalassotherapy
  • Thalasso hotels

Mud spas and mud baths

The natural occurrence of moor, peat or healing mud, like the Italian Fango, distinguishes the Moorheilbäder and Fangothermen. The stung moor is often used as a remedy in the form of body-warm baths (approx. 39°C) - you have certainly seen corresponding pictures of this before.

The thermal healing mud Fango is usually applied rather locally as a fango pack and is applied to the back or other parts of the body. With mud, both the temperature and the mineral composition of the healing mud itself have an effect. By the way, fango does not necessarily have to be applied warm; if necessary, there are also packs with cold healing mud. In addition to Italy and Hungary, there are also very well-known healing mud at the Dead Sea.

Primary indications: joint pain and immobility, post-treatment of accidents and operations, women's disorders, stress

Our special pages on therapies in mud spas & mud baths:

  • Fango treatment
  • Moor treatment

Kneipp resort towns

Kneipp spas and Kneipp health resorts often also fall into the category of normal spas. At the center of Kneipp therapy are treatments from the field of water or hydrotherapy. Here, so-called alternating baths with hot and cold water are often used. In addition to water therapy, however, modern Kneipp teachings also revolve around exercise and nutrition. A central factor is the strengthening of the immune system. Since Sebastian Kneipp was a German, most Kneipp resort towns are located in Germany. Through the internationally known Kneipp bath supplements, however, it also attracts more and more tourists to the Kneipp spas to get to know this therapy better.

Primary indications: cardiovascular diseases, chronic bronchitis, shoulder and back pain, metabolic diseases, nervous or chronic gastritis, osteoarthritis

Our special pages for therapies in Kneipp resorts:

  • Kneipp therapy
  • Hydrotherapy

The most beautiful resort towns in Europe

You would like to get to know the most beautiful spas in Europe even better? Then let yourself be inspired by our country pages and discover the healing therapies that best suit you. Explore the resort towns in Europe.

FAQ about resort towns and spas

Where are the most beautiful resort towns in Europe?

Among the most beautiful resort towns in Europe are Baden-Baden, Bad Kissingen, Bad Ems, Wiesbaden, Bad Homburg, Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, Františy Vary, Budapest and Montegrotto Terme.

Are all German cities with "Bad" (translated "bath") in the name considered resort towns?

Yes, in Germany all towns with "Bad" in their name are officially recognized resort towns or spa towns. Only if a town is an official resort town is it allowed to carry this title. In exceptional cases, however, a town may be stripped of its resort town status but still be allowed to bear the "Bad" suffix in its name. On the other hand, if a town is recognized as a resort town, it is not obliged to include the word "spa" in its name. There are quite a few spas in Germany, such as Aachen, that do not recognize their resort town status by their name.

What are the different types of resort towns?

The most common types of resorts include the following categories:

  • Thermal spas
  • Mineral spas
  • Sorts with medicinal spring spa operations
  • Healing climate resorts
  • Air spas
  • Lake spas and lakeside spas
  • Moor spas
  • Kneipp spas

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