What is a health resort?
What does health resort mean? The name balneario in Spanish is the evolution of the Latin term balnearius, where the word bath (balneum) and the suffix -ario indicative of place embrace.
Thus, according to the Real Academia de la Lengua Española (RAE) a health resort is a building with thermal baths in which accomodation is usually given, although not necessarily; while for the Sociedad Española de Hidrología Médica (SEHM) a health resort is a health center where medicinal baths are applied, that is, hydrotherapy and, sometimes, also crenotherapy or balneotherapy. It is the perfect place to enjoy a balneotherapy or thermal cure.
What is the difference between a health resort and a spa
Although both health resorts and spas and sea salt resorts are hydrotherapy centers for quick relaxation and fighting stress, they have different characteristics.
They have different characteristics.
Health resort tend to have a hotel more or less historic (some are centuries old!), be located in a pleasant natural or landscaped setting, and focus more on health and relaxation treatments than beauty treatments.
But the main difference between a spa and a health resort is the type of water used in its hydrothermal facilities.
And spas almost always work with tap water, while health resorts use thermal or medicinal water that springs from a spring of its own.
To soothe the nerves and reduce anxiety the water of any spa is equally useful, but if you are looking to placate some physical pain or improve some aspect of your health concrete (in the skin, respiratory tract, joints, etc.), you will do well to look for a health resort with thermal waters suitable to solve your health problems.
Are you looking for a health resort to take care of your health?
HAVE A LOOK TO OUR WEB BROWSER TO FIND HEALTH RESORTS IN SPAIN!
What do you do in a health resort
As with spas and thalassotherapy centers, there are no certain facilities that a health resort must have in order to be considered a thermal center.
Thus, depending on the type of waters and their own tradition and evolution, in health resorts we can find an infinite number of styles and facilities although, yes, all or almost all of them usually place special emphasis on health care.
Thermoludic circuit of medicinal waters (active pools)
There are very traditional health resort and very modern health resort but, in general, they all have at least one pool with a thermoludic circuit (or thermal ludic pool). This pool is usually more or less large, usually has thermal water and has different devices that apply hydrotherapy. The most common elements in this pool are the jacuzzi, the water beds, the swan necks and the jets of all kinds. These pools can be very simple or very outlandish, it depends very much on the health resort in question.
Depending on the health resort and the type of water or water it has, there may be more pools (in some there are more than 20 pools!). Therefore, in a health resort, you could find indoor or outdoor swimming pools, floating tanks, cold water pools, hot water pools, salt water pools, or even tap water pools (although normally the health resort water is always thermal). But as in everything, there may be exceptions).
Thermal showers, inhalations and saunas
In health resorts we also find different types of showers(vichy shower, contrast shower, mist shower, etc.) and inhalations(breaths of vapors produced by certain plants or oils in order to decongest, are widely used to treat diseases of the respiratory system). Sometimes showers are combined with inhalations and vaporizers, so that in the same service the benefits of hydrotherapy, thermal water and the inhalation of certain vapors are combined.
Also, health resort also have saunas. Just as in spas and sea salt resorts, in health resort we find Turkish baths, Finnish saunas, contrast saunas, salt saunas, etc. And you can also find more recreational facilities such as, for example, a Roman bath.
The types of thermal waters in health resorts
There are several types and classifications of thermal waters. One of the most common in health resorts around the world is the categorization according to the temperature of emanation of the water, that is, depending on how cold or hot the medicinal water gushes from its spring.
If we classify according to their emanation temperature, the thermal waters can be of 5 types:
- Cold waters (at less than 20 degrees)
- Hypothermal waters (between 20 and 35 degrees)
- Mesothermal waters (between 35 and 45 degrees)
- Hyperthermal waters (between 45 and 100 degrees)
- Superthermal waters (between 100 and 150 degrees)
According to their chemical composition, according to the SEHM thermal waters are classified as:
- Bicarbonated waters (with bicarbonate)
- Carbonated waters (with free carbonation)
- Chlorinated waters (with chloride and sodium, calcium and/or magnesium)
- Ferruginous waters (with iron)
- Oligometric waters or weakly mineralized waters (with between 50 and 500 milligrams per liter)
- Radioactive waters (with radon)
- Sulfated waters (with sulfate, the salts of sulfuric acid)
- Sulfur waters (with sulfur)
If you want to know in more detail what medicinal waters are like and what they are used for, read on types-of-thermal-water.
Are you looking for a health resort to take care of your health?
HAVE A LOOK TO OUR WEB BROWSER TO FIND HEALTH RESORTS IN SPAIN!
What treatments, therapies and massages are offered?
As we have seen, in health resorts the health component almost always stands out. That is why there is a doctor always ready to assist you and recommend the treatment that suits you best for your personal, physical and mental situation. Because, at the end of the day, each person is different!
Traditionally, health resorts used to combine hydrotherapy in thermal waters (with all the relaxing benefits, etc. of hydrotherapy and the power of medicinal waters) and coverage, almost always in the form of mud, clays, etc. All this was usually complemented with massages, a healthy diet and an immersion in nature(walks in the gardens or forests surrounding the health resort buildings).
Today, in a health resort we still find this type of body treatments for health, but there are also beauty and relaxing treatments. Don't be surprised to find mud toppings, but perhaps there are also gold, caviar or chocolate ones. And the same with the massages, you may find them descontracturantes, but surely there are also relaxing, with pindas, with bamboo or Thai. In a health resort you are going to find body treatments, but increasingly also facial, foot and hand treatments and massages. It all depends on the health resort in question!
Also, it is still common for rehabilitation therapies for joints, muscles, etc., to be performed in health resort. And stress cures. A health resort is a perfect place to learn to relax! If you want to know more about the treatments, therapies and massages you can find in a health resort be sure to read the section body treatments, facial treatments and treatments for feet and hands.
What to bring to a health resort?
If climate change concerned us as much as whether or not to wear a hat to a health resort, we would have nothing to worry about. So, should we wear hats? The answer is it depends. It depends on the policy of the health resort in question.
Regarding the towel, it also depends although, if you are staying at the health resort, you will almost certainly have a bathrobe and one or several towels for when you want to make use of the thermal areas. The flip-flops you know they are always a must, although it can happen the same thing, that if you stay overnight there are included in the service.
But what we always say at this point: we always take a swimsuit, a towel and some flip-flops when we go to the health resort, spa and sea salt resort just in case. And, if you are really worried about this question, call the thermal center you want to visit and ask them. I'm sure they'll be happy to answer.
