Štós spa: climatic cure, speleotherapy and pool

Kúpele Štós is a climatic spa in south-eastern Slovakia, in the settlement of Štós-kúpele a few kilometres north of the mining village of Štós, where the Volovské vrchy hills meet the Slovak Karst. Its natural healing resource is not mineral water but climate: the valley, at about 650 m, opens to the south and is sheltered on the other sides by ridges and fir and spruce forests, so the air is clean, free of industrial dust and fragrant with resin. Slovak sources note that under the Swiss classification Štós has a healing climate of stimulation degree 1 – the only one in Slovakia. The spa is run by the joint-stock company Kúpele Štós, a.s.

The spa grew out of a craft. Mining and smithing flourished on the upper Bodva from the 14th century, and in 1803 the first knife factory opened in Štós (later the well-known Sandrik). Here worked the master cutler Róbert Komporday, an enthusiast of hydrotherapy; on his initiative the people of Štós decided in March 1881 to found a spa, construction began in 1882 and the first season opened in 1883. Its fame came with the work of the physician Dezider Czirfusz after 1888, when the villas Mária (today Bratislava), Hungaria and Tatra and a ballroom were built. In 1963 the first classic Finnish sauna in Czechoslovakia opened in Štós. Guests included President Edvard Beneš, the writer Ivan Olbracht and the poet Laco Novomeský, and the composer Jaroslav Ježek gave concerts here.

Climate and natural resources

Clean, dry air and many sunny days bring strong ultraviolet and infrared solar radiation – the basis of climatotherapy. The heart of the spa is a forest park with more than 200 species of rare trees and flowers, a national cultural monument, complemented by a brook with cascades and a fountain. Climatic treatment is reinforced by speleotherapy – a three-hour stay in an underground karst environment with breathing exercises and rest under medical supervision; according to Slovak sources the spa takes patients to the nearby Jasovská Cave. The spa holds a licence for speleotherapy under Slovak law.

What is treated

According to the spa's official list, it treats respiratory diseases, occupational diseases, metabolic disorders and diseases of the endocrine glands, oncological and mental illnesses. It treats adults, children and children with an accompanying parent, and has contracts with all Slovak health insurers. Procedures include speleotherapy, climatotherapy with terrain walks, inhalations, oxygen therapy, pearl baths, whirlpool, massages, electro-, magneto- and laser therapy, peat packs, paraffin and local cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen. Procedures are prescribed by a doctor after an examination.

Pool and wellness

Visitors can use the pool and the Vitálny vodný svet ("Vital Water World") wellness zone: pool tickets are sold for an hour and a half, Vital World tickets for two hours, and children under 12 get 50 % off. The pool runs during the day and the Vital World in the evening; Monday is a sanitary day. Massages, pearl baths, whirlpool or infrared sauna can be booked separately, and at certain times the spa offers one-off speleotherapy trips.

Practical information

Štós-kúpele lies on road II/548 between Jasov and Smolník; Košice is about 45 km to the east and Rožňava 35 km to the west. The bus stop "Štós, Štós-kúpele" is right in the spa. A walk through the forest park and a swim take half a day. It is best to book the Vital World by phone in advance; prices and hours are given below in the "At a glance" block.

Nearby: trails, peaks, sights

Trails start right at the spa: Štós, spa – Pod Osadníkom up to the ridge of the Volovské vrchy and Smolnícka Huta – Štós, kúpele, and the long-distance route Pred Čuntavou – Dukliansky Pass passes nearby. With children, drive to the Háj waterfalls in the Slovak Karst, and the mining past of the region is the subject of the Mining Museum in Gelnica and the Jozef Adit.

Official website: kupele-stos.sk

Photos: Ing. Mgr.Jozef Kotulič, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Kúpele Štós, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Ing. Mgr. Jozef Kotulič, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.