Sklené Teplice: Parenica cave steam bath and thermal baths

Sklené Teplice is a small spa in a wooded valley of the Štiavnické vrchy hills, a few kilometres from the Hron valley and about 8 km from Banská Štiavnica. Its wealth is hot water: seven springs with temperatures from 37 to 52.3 °C are used today, along with deep boreholes and wells reaching down to 1,600 m. The spa calls them the most important springs of Slovakia's volcanic belt. Its best-known sight is the Parenica cave steam bath, a natural cave into which thermal water rises straight from the ground. The spa is run by the joint-stock company Liečebné termálne kúpele, a.s.

The village was first recorded in 1340. Around 1350 one of the first glassworks of the Kingdom of Hungary appeared here, which gave the place its name ("Sklené" means "glass"). The baths are first mentioned in documents in 1550, and after the Lippay family died out at the end of the 17th century they were managed by the mining office of Banská Štiavnica, which built the first spa buildings. In 1786 the scientist Ignaz von Born started an amalgamation works here and convened the first international congress of natural scientists; the spa says Johann Wolfgang Goethe was among the guests, and its finest spa house bears his name. In 1866 the baths were bought by the master mason Jozef Gasparetz, and after the Second World War they were nationalised.

Mineral waters and natural resources

The thermal water of Sklené Teplice is a sulphate-calcium-magnesium water, moderately mineralised and hypotonic, with about 2.5 g of dissolved minerals per litre, dominated by magnesium and calcium. It flows into the pools straight from the springs and is only slightly cooled, and the pools are refilled every day, so even people who react badly to ordinary pool water can bathe here. The minerals stain the floors and walls brown, green and red – sediment, not dirt. Next to the spa houses you can see travertine crusts that the hot water has deposited on the slope over centuries.

What is treated

The spa specialises in disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Indications include conditions after injuries and operations, including spinal disc surgery, pain in the spine, lower back and joints, conditions after joint replacement, arthritis, osteoporosis, rheumatic diseases and disorders of the peripheral nerves (indication group VI). Treatment is built on bathing in thermal water, mineral baths, pearl baths, underwater massage, peat baths and packs, therapeutic exercise in the pool, massages, magnetotherapy, galvanotherapy and a salt cave. Procedures and the course are prescribed by a doctor after an examination.

Without staying overnight you can take an ambulatory course: an initial medical examination and three procedures a day, from a single day upwards; courses start Monday to Friday.

Pools and baths

Parenica is a natural cave with a stone "waterfall" of mineral deposits; the spring beneath it is 42 °C, so the air inside is hot and humid. A session lasts 20 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of dry wrapping in a rest room. Entry is by time slot, booked on the spa's website; the bath is not recommended for children under 12 or people with cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure.

The Maria Theresa Bath is a pool in antique style under a stained-glass roof, divided into two parts with water at 37 and 39 °C (also 20 minutes plus a wrap). The Mining Bath (Banský kúpeľ), in a building of its own, has a large pool at 34–36 °C and a copy of Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" on the ceiling; it suits families with children too. There is also a pool in the Relax Thermal house, a sauna world and a salt cave, and in summer a thermal swimming pool complex with a 25 m pool (28 °C), a children's pool (32 °C) and a sitting pool (39 °C).

Practical information

The spa lies in the village of the same name; the bus stop "Sklené Teplice, kúpele" is right by the spa houses. It is an easy detour from the Hron valley road between Žiar nad Hronom and Žarnovica, and Banská Štiavnica is the nearest major tourist town. Parenica with its wrap takes about an hour; several baths take half a day. Tickets for the baths and the salt cave are sold at reception; bring a swimsuit, towel and slippers. Opening times differ between winter and summer, and the spa announces sanitary days from time to time, so check the schedule before you go.

Nearby: trails, peaks, sights

A short trail, Sklené Teplice – Pustý hrad, starts right at the spa and climbs to the castle ruins above the village, while the longer Sklené Teplice – Kozelník leads through the forests of the Štiavnické vrchy. After a bath, drive on to Banská Štiavnica: the Old Castle in Banská Štiavnica and the Open-Air Mining Museum, Banská Štiavnica tell the same mining story the spa is bound up with. Another thermal pool of the region is the thermal swimming pool in Vyhne.

Official website: kupele-skleneteplice.sk

Photos: Pistal, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Ľuboš Repta, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jan Starec, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.