Slovenské liečebné kúpele Piešťany

The Piešťany spa fills the Kúpeľný ostrov, a wooded island in the river Váh in western Slovakia, with its bath houses, treatment buildings and spa hotels. It has treated rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions for more than a century.

The operator gives the thermal water 6 to 10 mg of sulphur and 4.7 mg of hydrogen sulphide per litre. The pools run at 32–34 °C; the older mirror pool is at 38–39 °C and the mud pool at 39–40 °C.

The mud is what the spa is built on. It is soft, warm at about 45 °C, carries the same sulphur and hydrogen sulphide as the water, and is used in wraps and in the mud pool.

Treatment is for chronic conditions of movement — arthritis, rheumatism, musculoskeletal and inflammatory disease — and for rehabilitation after injury and surgery. It is prescribed and supervised by doctors.

The spa is run by Ensana Health Spa Hotels, whose houses on the island include the Thermia Palace, with its Irma bath, and the Esplanade. Bathing comes with a stay and a course of treatment; there is no public entrance as at a town bath.