Nearly 500 years ago, a shepherd from Salistea was passing through Borsec with his sheep. He was suffering from a duodenal ulcer. Because of the pain and bleeding, he stopped at the first spring that came his way.
For 3 days he drank water from that spring and was cured. When he got home, he told everyone the miracle. The story about the beneficial effects of Borsec mineral water spread from father to son.
The first written evidence we have dates back to 1594 - as I told you here. Then followed countless documents attesting the value of the mineral waters of Borsec. Here are 2 examples, but you can find many more in books:
* In 1783 - Gunter Valentin, an Austrian officer who was paralyzed, was brought to Borsec. After 6 weeks of foot massage with mineral water, he was cured and left the town on his own feet;
* The ethnographer Kriza Janos suffered from hepato-biliary diseases. In 1838, after only 2 months of treatment in Borsec, he was cured.
The mineral waters of Borsec are carbonated, alkaline, calcareous, magnesian mineral waters.
We have reached Fountain almost 4 months after the opening of the Spa, at the invitation of Alexandru Blandu, founder Kronstadt Hospitality Expert - the company that also provided consultancy on this project, except for the Spa area, which was taken care of Oana Manole.
After a short presentation by Mrs. Director Tamara Proca, a visit to the spa area followed.
On the way, I chatted with Dr. Francisca Szabó. He told me that at Fontana they aim to capitalize as much as possible on the natural healing factors in spa treatments.
We found out that besides mineral waters, we also find here peat mud, mopheta and a mountain climate - tonic, stimulating, which has beneficial effects in rebalancing the central nervous and vegetative system, in normalizing thyroid function, in anemia, in respiratory system diseases, in physical and mental stress, and is also recommended for people working in polluted environments.
Peat Namol is currently no longer used in Borsec, but they replace it with other thermotherapy procedures.
The natural mofeta is located near the Poienii Zanelor, treatment can only be performed after a medical consultation. It will be available next year, this year it is closed for some technical checks.
At Fontana, they have spa treatments dedicated to respiratory, cardiovascular, rheumatic, neurological, digestive, renal, endocrine and posturological diseases.
medical area, hydrotherapy area, massage area.
In the medical area they have a doctor's office, a treatment room, 5 rooms for electrotherapy with 8 beds, a physiotherapy room, a hydrokinetotherapy room and a weight - stretching pool.
Although the spa therapies were not open when I visited the center, when I saw the stretching pool I couldn't resist the temptation to try it. I asked Andreea, the head nurse who happened to be right next to me, if after the tour I could try it and she gave me the OK on the spot.
I'll tell you about the experience in a minute.
Also in the medical area they will do paraffin wraps. It consists in applying paraffin on the desired area for about 20 minutes. It is used in thermotherapy for the treatment of degenerative and chronic inflammatory diseases of the locomotor system, post-traumatic disorders, nervous system disorders.
In the massage area they have a room for medical massage, and in the hydrotherapy area they have a room with a galvanic bath and mini tubs for subacval massage of the upper and lower limbs and there are 8 tubs in separate rooms for baths with carbonated mineral water. In most cases it is also possible to take a subacval shower.
Francisca told me that they do external cures in tubs filled exclusively with carbonated mineral water at a temperature of 32 degrees C.
The mineral water used for the treatments comes from one of the existing mineral water wells in Borsec. It is stored in a special tank, which supplies the water to the treatment base.
Cures with carbonated mineral water are recommended in cardio-vascular diseases both for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes.
But they are also recommended in degenerative and inflammatory disorders of the joints, in abarticular disorders (tendinitis, bursitis), in post-traumatic sequelae of the locomotor apparatus, in central and peripheral neurological disorders, for mental rebalancing.
While I was listening to her, I was thinking with regret that I didn't stay longer to try a bath in mineral water, at least preventively. Francisca drew my attention to the fact that carbonated baths can have contraindications and cannot be done without examination.
I also talked a bit about internal cures, for which I use mineral water springs containing carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, calcium, iron, magnesium. They are recommended to treat gastrointestinal, renal and metabolic disorders.
Depending on the disease from which they suffer, patients will be recommended internal cures from the waters of the springs: spring 3 (Boldizsár), 5 (László), 6 (Lázár), 10 (Kossuth) yes 11 (Petőfi).
But apart from the facilities and the natural healing factors, I liked the team: the nurses and therapists. Starting with Andreea, the head of the nurses who is cheerful, energetic and effervescent, the whole team is young - and they seem very motivated, open to new things.
When the tour was over I was about to start the 4 Spa experiences, which I told you about in the article The 4 anti-inflammatory spa treatments from Fontana Borsec that revitalized me (desprespa.ro)
But I still had the stretching pool on my mind, so I broke a few minutes of spa time - just long enough to see how it felt to hang out in the pool.
The water in the pool was warm - at least I, who am very cold, felt very comfortable in it, I didn't feel cold at all.
But it's important to tell you that it's normal water, not mineral water.
After I got in, Francisca and Andreea guided me how to sit with my arms over the machine and then fastened the belt around my neck.
He explained to me that the weight pool has cervical supports and two axillary supports and depending on the patient's condition, the doctor chooses single-point, two-point or three-point support.
Normally I would have had to consult Dr. Francisca, so she would know what weights she can put on me. As I didn't have time, I went in without. The weights are in a belt that straps around the waist and/or ankles.
He told me that the applied weight is increased progressively: in the first day or in the first two days the patient enters without weights, then progressively the weight is increased, which depends on the patient's body weight, body habitus, the disease, the stage of the disease.
As I was telling the story, I realized that I was sitting with nothing happening in the pool. I asked what the next step was and she replied, amused, that nothing would happen, I just had to hang there for 15-20 minutes.
In a spa treatment for herniated disc, cervical radiculopathies, lumbar, lumbar cervical-dorso-lumbar pain, paravertebral muscle contractures, coxarthrosis, gonarthrosis and possibly for postural correction (if not irreversible) - the therapy is repeated daily for 10 days, or 3-4 times a week and in total 10 sessions.
I got out after 2-3 minutes, but obviously didn't feel any effect. However, if you do the full treatment, the benefits are: there is stretching of the soft tissues, it moves the vertebrae away from each other and the joint spaces.
As I toweled off and she led me to the changing rooms, I chatted a bit more with Dr. Francisca and asked her what else you can do in Borsec if you come for spa treatment.
In Borsec you can go for walks in the area - in parks, in the forest, in the Fai Fairies Glade, you can visit the Bears Cave, the Ice Cave, the travertine quarry, the Owl Fortress, the ring road with the viewpoint, the so-called Sun Bath, benefiting from aerotherapy and heliotherapy.
Patients whose disease allows them - can hike in the area, rent bicycles and admire the landscape on two wheels. We have a Kneipp alley in Poiana Zanelor and a Traditional Bath, which consists of pools with mineral baths, set up outdoors for external healing, with a gazebo and sunbeds nearby.
Patients with osteo-articular, cardiovascular diseases, recommends them to enjoy the beauty of nature, to relax, to breathe the fresh air. It should be borne in mind that the period of treatment is not equivalent to a normal vacation from which we often come back even more tiredIn Borsec the focus should be more on rest and relaxation.
And during the summer, patients staying over the weekend can take advantage of various cultural events and festivals.
The first is I'm here to fix my posture problem. I've slept on very high pillows all my life because of my bronchial asthma - as I told you in this article - which is why I'm pretty pampered. For posturology, the Fontana Balneo package includes saline, water gymnastics, therapeutic massage, physiotherapy, kinesiotherapy, hydromassage with Pell Amar salt, sapropelic mud wrap, preventive gymnastics for the lumbar spine.
And the second thought was the joy to realize that the investment in this Spa & Balneo center, with the Spa that complements the spa treatments, and the young and motivated team they have, will definitely bring Borsec in the top of health destinations!
Founder despreSpa.ro
