Smrdáky: a hydrogen-sulphide spa for skin diseases

Smrdáky is a small spa village in western Slovakia, on the edge of the Záhorie Lowland and the foothills of the White Carpathians, about 7 km from Senica and 80 km from Bratislava. The name comes from the smell: the local springs reek of hydrogen sulphide so strongly that neighbours nicknamed the people of the former village of Nová Ves (Villa Nova) "smrdáci" – the stinkers – and the nickname became the name. That very water made Smrdáky one of Europe's best-known spas for skin diseases. The baths are first mentioned in an urbarium of 1617; Matej Bel described them in 1740 and in 1763 the physician Ján Gottmann made the first analysis of the water. The first spa house was built in 1832–1833 by the owner of the land around the springs, the Nitra deputy county head Jozef Vietoris, and in 1839 a manor house for his family went up next to it. Today the spa belongs to the Ensana group.

Mineral waters and natural resources

Smrdáky water is a chloride-bicarbonate calcium hypotonic water whose main active substance is sulphur in the form of free and bound hydrogen sulphide. According to the operator it contains 680 mg of hydrogen sulphide per litre and 3,400 mg/l of minerals in total, which is why it is considered the most concentrated sulphur water in Slovakia and Central Europe. It has an anti-inflammatory effect, eases itching and pain and improves blood flow in the skin. The second natural resource is healing sulphur mud: it forms as the sulphide water seeps through loess soils, matures for a year in layers with the healing water and before use is saturated with mineral water and heated to 45 °C. The mud cools four times more slowly than water and warms deep tissues, so it is also used for joints.

What is treated

According to the spa, about 80 per cent of patients come with atopic dermatitis or psoriasis. The official list of indications covers skin diseases – psoriasis, atopic eczema, chronic dermatoses, seborrhoeic dermatitis, prurigo, ichthyosis, rosacea, conditions after burns and chemical injuries, acne and scleroderma – and musculoskeletal diseases: psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, vertebrogenic pain syndrome and ankylosing spondylitis. The main procedures are mineral-water baths, full and partial mud wraps, underwater massage, pearl baths, phototherapy, magnetic and electrotherapy, massages and therapeutic exercise. Children have their own spa, Eva, with lessons at the local school. Treatment is prescribed by a doctor, and some procedures require a prior examination.

Procedures for visitors

The spa has 39 treatment cabins: 20 for individual mineral baths, 10 for mud wraps, massage and physiotherapy rooms and a phototherapy and laser room. The regeneration centre has a Finnish sauna and a whirlpool, a gym and a sports hall. Procedures are also sold to people who are not taking a cure here: book at the procedure-scheduling desk or online, and arrive 20 minutes early. Mineral baths and wraps are given after a medical examination valid for six weeks; the sauna and whirlpool can be booked without one. The spa also offers comprehensive outpatient treatment with three procedures a day.

Practical information

The easiest way to get here is by car or by bus from Senica, which has train and bus connections with Bratislava and Trnava. The spa quarter is compact: the old spa house with its five-column portico, the Centrál, Vietoris and Morava spa houses and a 16-hectare 19th-century landscape park with the neoclassical chapel of St John of Nepomuk (1831) and a fountain. Allow two to three hours for a visit with a procedure; a walk in the park combines well with a bike ride around Záhorie – bikes can be borrowed at the Centrál reception. Contraindications include acute and infectious diseases, pregnancy, microbial eczema and unhealed skin defects. Sample prices are listed in the summary block.

Nearby: trails and other spas

The nearest long-distance hiking route is the Záhorácka magistrála, which runs through the hills and forests of Záhorie. If you are touring Slovak spas, the next stop is Piešťany: the Spa Island, sulphur mud and thermal baths in the Váh valley.

Official website: ensanahotels.com

Photos: Akul59, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; ManseLubo, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.