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Spa treatment and wellness

The Karlovy Vary spa is the largest resort of its kind in the Czech Republic. It mainly provides the treatment of the digestive tract, the motor system and metabolic disorders. The city offers a large number of spa facilities where you can seek a comprehensive package of spa procedures as well as a broad variety of wellness programs. The local curative springs find all-purpose applications.

Spa procedures and their history

David Becher, Jean de Carro, and other notable physicians were very instrumental in introducing a balanced spa therapy. The treatment involves pleasant walks on colonnades and spa forest paths, drinking mineral springs right at their sourced wells, a special diet, and naturally a broad range of appropriate procedures.

Listed below are individual procedures. Moreover, you will learn something about the development of the Karlovy Vary treatment and about the ancient, sometimes rather drastic methods of treatment.

Spa treatment

The therapeutic transport provided in Karlovy Vary consists of specials procedures formulated mainly on the use of mineral springs. To bring about desired effects, spa treatment must take at least three weeks. After arriving at a spa facility, a client consults one of the spa physicians who perform an initial medical examination and prescribe the most appropriate treatment procedures. The daily schedule of massages, curative baths and drinking cure has to be strictly observed. The effects of the treatment will soon set in.

Clients come to Karlovy Vary to seek:

• Outpatient treatment
• Comprehensive spa treatment
• Spa treatment partially funded with health insurance company contributions (co-pay treatment)

Outpatient treatment

This type of treatment requires that a client (patient) undergoes therapeutic procedure (baths, massages, etc.) as prescribed by their physician who can suggest outpatient treatment after injuries, surgical procedures or in case of chronic problems. Prescribed outpatient treatment is usually fully paid by a health care insurance. The number of prescribed procedures is about 10 sessions and the client comes to receive them at a spa facility from their place of stay.

Comprehensive spa treatment

This treatment is usually recommended by a physician - specialist who sends a medical report along with an application for comprehensive spa treatment to the client’s insurance company. The insurance company (or rather its panel doctor) sends the approved application to one of Karlovy Vary’s spa sanatoriums. If the respective sanatorium has available accommodation capacity, it notifies the client no later than 5 days prior to a designated treatment beginning date. Simultaneously, the client receives treatment-related information. If the addressed sanatorium is fully occupied, it forwards the client’s application to two alternative sanatoriums.

The client must start their spa treatment within one to three months from filing their application - depending on the urgency of their physical condition.

The client’s insurance company pays the costs of treatment, accommodation and catering at a standard level.

Co-pay treatment

Co-pay treatment is proposed by an attending physician who sends a medical report along with an application for comprehensive spa treatment to the client’s insurance company. If the application is approved by a panel doctor, the insurance company mails back to the client who himself chooses and contacts a spa facility to arrange for the commencement date of their spa treatment and other particulars.

The client must present themselves to commence treatment within six months from the issuance of the treatment application.

The insurance company pays only the standard spa procedures lasting 21 or 28 day while the client bears the costs of accommodation and catering.

Wellness

Wellness therapy is actually very similar to spa treatment. The main difference is in the fact it is not prescribed by a physician. Every client chooses wellness programs to suit their specific needs and wishes. They can go for a two-day beauty program or a one-week comprehensive package. The combination of procedures and the time spent in a spa sanatorium is only up to the client’s choice.

„Relax and be beautiful!“

Enjoy sauna, whirlpool, steam baths... The hands of our professionals will bring you relaxation massages and baths and warming wraps. Ladies can enjoy special „beauty programs“, including facial masks, peeling or anti-cellulite treatment. Wellness, however, is not designed only for women. Men can also come into their own. Choose the right thing of the multitude of programs available.

• Beautiful skin
• Down with cellulite!
• Relaxation
• Regeneration
• Hydration
• Aroma therapy
• Etc...

List of spa and wellness procedures

„Let your worries drift away“

The first baths were actually taken by Emperor Charles Karel IV immediately after the first spring had been discovered. Ever since the spring water of Karlovy Vary has been used exclusively for this purpose. A typical medieval bath involved up to ten hours of soaking all the body or its part. The main reason was to make the skin chap so that „harmful substances“ could be washed out from the body. These drastic methods remained in place until the 16th century.

In the 21st century, you are likely to come across a half-hour bath. Every bathing procedure exploits only the Thermal Spring water (72°C) that is cooled to about 40°C for the purpose of baths. The other springs are used for drinking cure.

Baths	Description
Bubble bath	Immerse your body or its part in thermal spring water (38°C) and let the little bubbles gently massage your skin, thus promoting its blood supply and overall muscular relaxation.
Carbonic bath	Your skin absorbs CO2 contains in thermal spring water enriched with this gas (35°C); this procedure enhances your nervous and immune system, provides better blood supply to tissues and brings about muscular relaxation.
Dry carbonic bath	Your body is sealed in a plastic bag stretching from neck to feet, the bag is gradually filled with CO2, increases the oxygen content in blood, dilates veins, and improves overall blood supply.
Peat (mud) bath	Immerse your body or its part in water containing beneficial substances and minerals obtained from peat; these substances facilitate muscular relaxation and wound healing.
Mineral bath	Mineral salts contained in water whose temperature is up to 40°C have beneficial effects on the regeneration of the body, positively affect the function, of heart and kidneys, and improve blood supply.
Whirlpool	Whirling water massages all your body or its parts and helps to eliminate pain. The bath takes place in thermal spring water that is about 38°C.
Additive baths	Thermal spring water is added with special substances such as iodine, herbs, salts, etc. These baths convey relaxation effects and are helpful in case of skin or motor system disorders (depending on the type of admixtures).

„Becher’s drinking cure“

Mineral water began to be taken internally as late as the 16th century. This type of use is mainly attributed to the physician V. Payer who first described this method in his book dealing with the Karlovy Vary treatment. In the course of time, the drinking cure sometimes went to extremes. The daily recommended amount of water springs was even more than five liters. These alarming approaches were put to the end by the physician David Becher who was very instrumental in formulating well-balanced spa procedures.

Since Dr. Becher’s time, the spa guests have drunk no more than 1 liter of mineral water a day. Drinking cure is based on 12 springs. The so-called 13th spring - the Becher liqueur - should always be taken with moderation.

Drinking cure	Description
Drinking cure	Specific springs are used upon a physician’s recommendation, in prescribed amounts and frequency, and over a set period of time. Every single spring is characterized with its own composition of mineral salts, ions and gases that altogether define its singular effects. Simultaneously, every client must observe the „Ten Rules of the Karlovy Vary Drinking Cure“.

„H₂O - what a powerful molecule’“

The other procedures offered in Karlovy Vary make use of the pressure and temperature of water in its liquid and gaseous state.

Hydro therapy	Description
Warm and cold water jet	Repeated application of the stream of warm and cold water of constant pressure from a distance of 3 m invigorates blood supply and loosens stiff muscles.
Foot bath - treading	Treading water by turns in containers with cold and warm water will help you with varicose veins, poor blood supply in your feet, and headaches.
Sauna	Dry hot air and subsequent cold shower improve your immunity and blood supply and help prevent respiratory diseases.
Steam bath	Air full of hot steam and subsequent warm shower gradually warms up your whole body, relaxes your muscles and mind.

„Relax please“

Massages are an integral balneological method. They aptly complement the treatment of the motor system and of the lymphatic system. Their also have positive effects on the nervous system. They promote overall body relaxation.

Massages	Description
Classical massage	This massage has positive effects on your lymphatic system, blood circulation and muscles; it is beneficial for the nervous system, helps to remove pain, and has general relaxation effects.
Lymph drainage (manual or device-aided)	This special massage helps the body to get rid of toxins, enhances immunity, and provides cosmetic effects (it removes cellulite, regenerate the skin, etc.).
Reflex massage	During this massage pressure is applied onto individual acupressure points, which helps to eliminate pain and remove its cause; compression of specific points has positive effects on the function of the respective associated organ.
Reflex foot massage	This massage also stimulates acupressure points. Every point on your foot affects another body organ or its part.
Hydro massage (hydro puncture)	While sitting in a bathtub filled with warm thermal spring water and being massaged by the pressure developed by a water jet, your body unfolds in relaxation, the blood supply improves and the proper function of the lymphatic system is restored.

„Get charged“

This spa therapy exploits the beneficial effects of electric power on the human body. Electrodes send electric current to the body in short impulses. There is nothing unpleasant about this method; its effects are relaxing and mainly curative.

Description
Electro therapy	The term electro therapy means several therapeutic methods based on the use of electric current. Low, middle and high frequency current is applied in the form of impulses of various duration. Electro therapy helps people suffering from the diseases of the joints, motor system, and metabolic disorders. It eliminates pain, improves blood supply in tissues and promotes muscular relaxation.
Magnetotherapy	One of the methods of electro therapy that uses electric current to create magnetic field with anti-inflammatory and effects as well as the ability to stimulation better blood supply in tissues.

God said: „Let there be light!“

You may feel somewhat skepticalwhen a physician subscribes light therapy for you. Such feelings, however, are misguided.

This therapy uses light, its varying wavelengths or spectrum parts.

Light therapy	Description
Bio lamp	Polarized light heals up skin wounds and diseases, its application is beneficial in case of motor system disorders, induces healing processes, and its anti-inflammatory effects reach up to 3 cm deep.
Quartz lamp	It employs ultra-purple radiation, heals up skin disorders and inflammations; also proves helpful in patients with osteoporosis.
Solux	It exploits the infrared part of the spectrum, improves better blood supply in tissues, has analgesic effects in the motor system, and promotes muscular relaxation.
Laser therapy	In medicine, this method is used to suppress pain, to provide healing and anti-inflammatory effects; laser can also be used as a substitute for an acupuncture needle. It is also used in esthetic surgery.

„Warm your joints“

Pleasant warming of various body parts has positive effects on the motor system.

Heat therapy	Description
Paraffin	Warm wraps and compresses are helpful in the treatment of the motor system; wax transfers heat (over 50°C) through the skin to the deeper layer of tissues and bones.
Peat (mid) packs	A thin coat of peat thoroughly heated to 42°C is filled in a permeable foil and applied onto various body parts to stimulate blood supply and suppress chronic pain.

„Weightlessness improves your health“

Spa sanatoriums provide modern as well as time-tested treatment methods. Some of them are derived from recent medical studies and observations. A therapeutic factor can be provided by a specific movement, oxygen, special additives or by temperatures falling far below the freezing point or by administering mineral water through a body orifice other than the mouth.

Other	Description
Therapeutic physical exercise (individual or group	Exercise is always conducted by a trained physical therapist. It enhances your mobility and overall fitness. Once you master the exercises, you can practice them at home.
Water gymnastics	This therapy employs the nature pressure and resistance of water that make it gentle to joints. Water thus makes exercising feasible even for people with limited mobility.
Cryotherapy	This therapy takes 2 - 3 minutes. in a chamber whose interior tempt is about -160°C, it is effective against inflammations and pain, it improves the quality of sleep, immunity and sexual drive.
Gas injections (pneumo puncture)	This version of acupuncture applies CO2under the skin, thus alleviating pain, supplying blood to the site of application, and promoting healing processes.
Oxygen therapy	This therapy consists of inhaling almost pure oxygen and sipping on a special antioxidant drink. It regenerates the body, has positive effects on the brain, heart, memory and psyche; improves sleep and prevents a number of diseases.
Inhalation	The inhalation of finely sprayed mineral water helps to fight allergies and respiratory diseases. Water can be added with additives (medicated substances, oils, salts).
Ultrasound	Ultrasound generates waves with positive effects on tissues and their blood supply. It also facilitates tissue regeneration and is used to treat the motor system.
Floating	This therapy induces the feelings of weightlessness and takes place in a special vessel filled with the water from the Dead Sea it is eliminates tension and stress, and helps to treat aching joints, eczema and psoriasis.
Enema	Mineral water is used to wash out sediments from the large intestine; it prevent colon cancer and alleviates digestive problems.