Charles’s Spa Town: A tale inspired by the Karlovy Vary legend

In Loket Castle, the gothic stronghold surrounded on three sides by the River Ohře in Bohemia, the king felt his gout flaring up in his right foot as he rose in the morning. He tried to walk but he couldn’t hide the pain. In the early morning light, the king could not see the concern on his valet’s face though he heard it in his voice. “Your Highness. Forgive me. Shall we cancel?” Absolutely not. We shall get through this.  

The king felt better as he stepped outside the royal palace into the fresh dawn, the earth moist and the air redolent of wet bark and leaves from the storm the previous night. He greeted his entourage, who were in high spirits, bundled up and ready for the hunt. After happy banter on the castle grounds, the nobles were absorbed in a silence wholly receptive to nature; they rode to the sounds of the river, the tread of horses’ hooves on the soft earth, birds’ singing, and occasional barks, as the hounds jostled each other.

When they reached the confluence of the Rivers Ohře and Teplá, a gust of wind delivered a warm, wild scent. ⥵ The hounds darted feverishly higher into the forested hills. The king’s best hound got closest to the hart – and then disappeared from sight. Moments later, they heard loud thuds; branches breaking, then woeful howling. The king and one of his dukes exchanged looks and urged their horses onward. 

As he rode to the rescue, the king could not help but remember the Battle of Crécy – where he had been wounded; where he had lost his finest warriors, and his father…The battle came back sharply, darkening the day’s hunt. He steeled himself for a bloody scene and felt a searing pain rise up from his foot. He continued riding.  

But the hound had only fallen into water, and was more surprised than injured. The king laughed loudly then, relieved – but stopped himself when he saw his powerful dog dissolving into embarrassment. Attendants pulled out the hound. “It’s a pool of spring water from the earth, your Highness,” they reported. The king’s hound had lost the game, but he’d discovered natural springs bubbling up to the surface. On the advice of one noble who was a keen scholar of ancient healing techniques, the king soaked in the springs before they returned to the castle.  

That night in his chambers, the king felt a softening in the joints of his right foot, and all throughout his body. Something shifted inside – and he started to breathe differently. He giggled at the memory of his hound swimming in the pool. “We just laughed,” he thought, as he fell asleep. He then dreamt of his father, who seemed gentler and kinder than he remembered him from life; in his dream his father was full of forgiveness – or was it he, the king, that felt the forgiveness?  He entered a deep, restorative sleep. The next morning, his pain had gone away. He walked about in wonder, then knew what he had to do.  The King of Bohemia, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV founded a spa town around the springs where the hart had led his hound. In Anno Domini 1370, he granted the village royal town rights. Today, you can visit Charles’s spa town in Czechia — known as Karlovy Vary in Czech and Carlsbad in German — and experience for yourself: healing springs.

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Karlovy Vary Part 1: Wellness Weekend

October 2019, Czechia — Our first impression of Karlovy Vary is that it is cozy and whimsical, sophisticated and humble, earthy and grand. Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad), Mariánské Lázně (Marienbad) and Františkovy Lázně (Franzensbad) form the “West Bohemian Spa Triangle”.

These spa towns offer mineral springs, natural gases, peloids (peat, silt, mud) and their climate – for drinking, bathing, inhalation, irrigation, personal care products, and spa treatments.

Karlovy Vary has attracted a cosmopolitan crowd for centuries, including luminaries such as Goethe, Beethoven, Schiller, Wagner, and Chopin. It is located about two hours from Prague, easily accessible by car, bus, and train – drawing in tourists from around the world, even for a day-trip. Traveling by car from Germany: it’s about 2.5 hours from Dresden, 3.5 hours from Munich, and 4.5 hours from Berlin or Frankfurt. From Moscow, there’s a three-hour direct flight to Karlovy Vary. 

Many hotel spa centers in town offer bespoke medical programs for guests, starting with a 7-night stay, although they recommend two to three weeks for the treatment of specific health issues.  

They specialize in treating digestive system diseases, metabolic disorders and endocrine diseases, diseases of the nervous system and of the musculoskeletal system. These spa packages include medical examinations and consultations, a “drinking cure” prescription for the hot springs, spa treatments, and medical procedures as required.  

Holistic health care goes deeper – into lifestyle and habits: wellness visitors should take daily walks in the forested hills in addition to strolls through the town, with its historic colonnades and pavilions, fountains, attractive architecture, art, boutiques and shops, cafés, Bohemian and international cuisine, theatre and music concerts. 

We travel with our spaniel, a natural Ambassadeur du Bonheur. He likes to play and bounce around in nature when he’s not busy charming people or taking power naps. Our criteria for accommodation thus include a dog-friendly hotel, offering special or unique spa treatments using the natural resources of the area; it should also have a central location, so we can explore the town on foot. For our visit, we decided on the Savoy Westend Medical Spa and Wellness Center, which made it known that it is the “only hotel in Karlovy Vary which has been accredited by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic.”

The Savoy Westend in the Castle Hill neighborhood comprises five historical villas with rooms and suites, restaurants, medical spa center and wellness center. Our room in the Villa Rusalka was just a couple floors above the wellness center, which included a large swimming pool, saunas, Kneipp pool, contrast pools, and “salt cave.” The view from our window was of a vibrant forest across the street; the beginning of fall colors added golden splashes daily to the tapestry of trees.     

If one is counting on a mineral wellness experience in Karlovy Vary for a few days, the Savoy Westend is not recommended; they do not allow guests to book a medical consultation or spa treatments ahead of time for short-term stays. High-occupancy during a short stay means that they most likely cannot provide a medical consultation for you, or the special Karlovy Vary treatments. Booking anything less than a one-week medical program could leave first-time visitors uninformed about the drinking cure and thermal springs in town — and directed by staff to generic spa experiences, such as saunas and massages. 

To highlight the experience in Karlovy Vary: it’s about drinking the mineral spring water (which requires knowing the springs in town you should drink from), soaking in mineral water baths; carbon dioxide baths, inhalation and mouth irrigation that use the mineral water; and treatments using the peat and mud; the salt, and the climate. Experienced spa professionals describe how visitors who achieve significant health benefits in Karlovy Vary are those who visit twice a year for two-week, supervised medical programs.  

The Savoy Westend could be recommended for its medical expertise, modern facilities and procedures, and its location — but only if you are planning a longer stay and treating the specific illnesses that they specialize in.

Even for shorter visit, it is valuable to book a medical consultation for a “drinking cure” prescription, visit the springs daily, sip the mineral water, and experience the special treatments. Other hotels with medical spas and wellness centers that allow short stay guests to book an in-house medical consultation ahead of time, and thus allow all of their guests to get a drinking cure prescription for the thermal springs in town: 

Hotel Imperial (30-minute examination for about €51*),  

Grandhotel Pupp (20-minute examination for about €20*), and 

Carlsbad Plaza Medical Spa & Wellness (20- to 30-minute examination for about €47*). 

*Prices quoted by hotels / current as of October 2019.

These are luxurious and historical properties, but they also have weak points. For example, Carlsbad Plaza’s fee for dogs seems to have been designed to be prohibitive while allowing them to also claim they are dog friendly.

You might recognize the Grandhotel Pupp, along with the Imperial Spa nearby, from scenes in the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale. Their café has a view to the river and town.

Hotel Imperial is another grand Karlovy Vary property. It is located away from town center, though accessible by funicular. 

Alternatively, you could stay at a holiday home in town and book medical consultations and special treatments ahead of your visit at the historical Elisabeth Spa. 

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Karlovy Vary Part 2: The Thermal Springs

As you walk through Karlovy Vary, you will find the drinking stands in pavilions and colonnades, and the ubiquitous porcelain spa drinking cups (lázeňský pohárek) — designed to retain the temperature and carbon dioxide in the water. These cups also make it easier to sip the water while strolling.  

There are more than 80 springs in Karlovy Vary and more than a dozen of these flow into drinking stands.

The effect of each spring varies with the temperature and the specific level of mineral elements and gases. The recommended procedure is to drink one spa drinking cup (about 100 ml) of mineral water about 45 minutes before a meal, up to three times a day. 

The Springs

Near the center is the geyser of the Vřídlo Spring, considered a symbol of the spa town. 

The geyser shoots up to 12 meters, gurgling and attracting visitors to pause and observe and feel the water and steam. In the modern Hot Spring Colonnade, there are several drinking stands for the Vřídlo (Spring No.1), at various temperatures, from about 30 to 73°C. 

·      All the way to the south of town, there is the Štěpánka Spring (Spring No. 14) in the wooden Alois Klein Gazebo. It is about 13°C, which makes it one of the coldest Karlovy Vary mineral springs. 

·      North of town is another colder spring at about 12°C, the Ferrous Spring (Spring No. 16), in the Ferrous Spring Colonnade.  

In between you can find the other drinking stands with considerably warmer mineral water. Walking south from the Ferrous Spring Colonnade, returning towards the Hot Spring Colonnade you will find:

·      The Park Spring (Spring No. 12) at 41.6°C  is in the Park Spring Pavilion.  

·      The Snake Spring (Spring No. 15) at 28.9°C  in the Park Colonnade is said to contain fewer minerals than the other springs, but more carbon dioxide.  

·      The Freedom Spring (Spring No. 11) at 62.4°C can be found in the Freedom Spring Pavilion. 

·      The Neo-Renaissance Mill Colonnade has 124 Corinthian columns and 12 statues representing the months of the year. The five mineral springs here are the Mill Spring (Spring No. 6) at 56.6°C  (once widely available in Czech pharmacies as well), the Rusalka Spring (Spring No. 7) at 60.2°C, the Prince Wenceslas Spring I (Spring No. 8a) at 64.3°C and Prince Wenceslas Spring II (Spring No. 8b) at 65.6°C (the spring water used for the medicinal salt from the town), and the Libuše Spring (Spring No. 9) at 62°C, and the Rock Spring (Spring No. 10) at 48°C. 

·      The Upper Castle Spring (Spring No. 4) at 49.8°C is in the Art Nouveau Castle Colonnade. 

·      Clients of the Castle Spa & Wellness Center have access to the drinking stand and spring: Lower Castle Spring II (Spring No. 3b). 

·      The Market Colonnade offers the Market Spring (Spring No. 5) at 62.6°C, the Lower Castle Spring (Spring No. 3a) at 55.7°C and the Charles IV Spring (Spring No. 2) at 64°C; the Charles IV Spring is the spring that is said to have inspired the foundation of the spa town. 

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Karlovy Vary Part 3: Walking, Dining, Shopping

Another part of the holistic wellness experience in Karlovy Vary is to take daily walks in nature, and there are plenty of paths and self-guided tours in the forested hills near the town. The tourist information office has put together detailed walking tours – or you can choose to wander; entry points into quiet wooded areas abound.  

For a good view of Karlovy Vary, the Diana Observation Tower is a popular choice and it can be accessed on foot or via a cable car starting near the Grandhotel Pupp.

The Charles IV Lookout is not far from there, and in the other direction is Deer Leap (Jelení skok), crowned eccentrically with a statue of a chamois.

My thoughts were racing but slowed down at the curious sidewise glance of our spaniel on the path ahead: making me wonder when the hound’s role in the story would be properly acknowledged – with a statue or lookout point. 

The forest feels protective and inspires contemplation. And these walks whet the appetite. As a soft rain began to fall, we returned to town, ready for Bohemian cuisine.  

For an apéritif, there is the renowned Becherovka liquor, which originated in a Karlovy Vary pharmacy in the early 19th century. The recipe is a well-guarded secret, but we do know that it includes the local mineral spring water and a combination of herbs and spices. 

Venari, in Latin, means ‘to hunt’ or ‘to pursue’ and it is the root of the word venison. As we perused the menu, I had to reread the description of their venison: “sleepy steak over the moon with a creamy parsley”. We started our meal with a fresh mushroom soup, which tasted especially savory after our walk in the forest. Foraging mushrooms is no recent trend in Czechia, reserved for celebrity chefs; for many Czechs living near forests, it’s a hobby and a part of seasonal, local cuisine. 

Other specialties you will find in Karlovy Vary include beef goulash (Hovězí guláš) with bread dumplings (Houskový Knedlík) and roast pork with dumplings and cabbage (pečené vepřové s knedlíky a se zelím/vepřo-knedlo-zelo). And the highly recommended restaurant Tusculum also offers a tasting menu for vegetarians, with seasonal ingredients from local farms. 

The town is pedestrian-friendly, which naturally also makes it shopper-friendly. There are brand-name stores and local boutiques if you’re looking for special items to take home. Some of the famous products from the town and region are made by Becherovka (liquor), Kolonáda (traditional sweet wafers), Carl’s (spa cosmetics using Karlovy Vary mineral water), Thun (porcelain), and Moser (masterful handmade glass and lead-free crystal). 

And let’s not forget the Bohemian garnet: a bright red stone that is said to help overcome sorrow and to increase vitality…

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Red Garnet: a tale inspired by the Bohemian Legend of Libuše

Libuše’s mother was a true mother, with a generous heart, natural piety and nurturing spirit. Libuše’s father was a powerful magician who was a fair and respected judge for his tribe. After their mother passed away, the three sisters grew up with their father, Krok. He continued nurturing them to be powerful women who followed their inner guidance. Kazi the eldest, became a healer; Teta, a priestess, and Libuše, the youngest, developed into a seer. She would become the next judge after her father’s 30-year reign. 

Though their story has been distorted by some to suggest that Libuše was the “wisest and most beautiful” sister, this is not truth. The sisters were beyond comparisons or superlatives; they could not even think in this way: all three were educated and skilled in ancient arts and knowledge; all three were wise and beautiful, uniquely and beyond measure; and all three were supportive of each other and interdependent.

Libuše accepted the responsibility of being the next ruler when her father suggested she could handle the duties, while her sisters’ work took most of their time; Kazi worked as a physician and Teta the Priestess guided people through rituals. Libuše received visions which came in dreams and flashes of insight. She had time to counsel people and adjudicate disputes. The decision was a collective one, of Krok and his daughters, and all agreed wholeheartedly. When Krok passed away, Libuše continued in the wise and fair tradition. 

Then came a difficult trial in which Libuše’s gentle rule was challenged by dark forces. On that afternoon, Libuše quietly adjourned the assembly, rose from her seat, called for her sisters Kazi and Teta, and retreated into the sacred grove.  

The dark forces had emerged through an older man who had been harboring anger and resentment in a conflict with his young neighbor. On the surface of things, it was about land rights but it really was a power grab from someone who felt his relevance fading. While Libuše had fairly judged the surface matter, and found in favor of the young man, she had missed the other layers of conflict. She had also forgotten that the older man was a skilled spellcaster. (How she missed her father and his magic! Krok would have directed his staff at the old man — arresting the destructive force, asserting truth and protecting his daughter.) But Libuše had had to face the dark force alone. 

After hearing her announce the resolution against his interests, the older man had turned his wrath on Libuše at the public trial. He had revived a dormant fear in the people: that leaders and warriors in other lands might see them as vulnerable and seek to attack them, because they were ruled by a gentle woman. Hence the Council of Twelve  — who had always shown deference to Libuše and had approved all her resolutions — felt doubt stirring and they remained silent.

Libuše had been able to catch herself from reacting and she had responded to the attack with dignity, but something had shifted. Defying the impulse to shut down, Libuše had amplified her awareness and scanned the whole scene. She had perceived: the silence of the Council of Twelve Wise Men. And something else – something significant she could not yet register in words or other symbols. She had called for all the people to assemble the following day, so that they all could directly hear her response. 

“That was the moment things shifted.” Libuše confided to her sisters in private when they joined her in the grove. “The council members were listening and heard his words. By their silence and inaction, they condoned the attack.” Teta looked deeply into her eyes, with unwavering belief. “Yes, that changes things. Your feeling is, as always, to be trusted, Libuše. Yet there is more to consider.” Libuše listened solemnly. The Priestess continued, “many of them have grown fearful. They have forgotten to pray correctly; they only pray for themselves – if they engage in prayer at all.”  Kazi added, “Yes. And there is more. The older man: he is ill; he does not seek to be well because darkness is giving him a sense of strength that he had thought was lost. It feels good to him to gain strength at the expense of another. And that practice can spread to others…” 

Libuše finished the thought, “because of spellcasting. Yes, sisters. There is more. The desire to have a strong man judge and lead our people has taken root in some women as well as men.”

This was the element that Libuše had recalled in the hours of reflection after she had left the trial: the manner of some women watching the proceedings. Those women who had silently been against her prominence for years had suddenly straightened their backs, glad to see her humiliated in public – as if it had removed a heavy burden from their shoulders. 

“Misogyny is a weapon wielded by ignorant men,” Teta said, “but ignorant women wield it, too. They feel belittled and threatened when a courageous and capable woman is heard, seen and respected. Misogyny is used against the feminine by ignorant men and women alike.”

After a long pause, Libuše continued. “Our people – yes, men and women – want men to rule them even if this might hurt them. But if we fight it…”

Teta continued, “It will grow. And if we yield to it?”  

Libuše stared into the air beyond the sisters and surroundings. She then stated in a detached tone: “There will be intense challenges for all of society from the imbalance. Feminine power will be overlooked and undervalued. When it does arise, there are those who will fight it. So it will grow. I cannot say more – only that when the masculine truly respects the feminine again, balance will be restored and all will benefit. Of that we can rest assured.”  

Libuše did not add that she had seen another vision: that some women in the land would revolt after their status in society fell: that there would be a brutal war between these maidens and some of the men. Her sisters saw the images from Libuše’s mindscreen, as they sometimes could when they were all together. They grew close to comfort each other so that the grief could be felt and learned from, and released. Kazi murmured then, “women and men must not make each other the enemy; our energies are interdependent.” At once, she knew. “You are going to marry, sister?” 

Libuše replied, “Yes: I saw him in a vision. I shall marry and the people will have a man to rule them. For centuries thereafter there will be only men ruling them. When people are ready for gentle rule again, she will rise to the call.” Her sisters did not ask “who” or “when” because it felt too far in the future to see.

The next morning, Kazi gave Libuše a necklace made of bright red stones from the earth, to soothe and strengthen her. Kazi and Teta sat on either side of Libuše, as she delivered her announcements to the people with the soft, feminine spirit of a fair and wise leader — once upon a time.

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Karlovy Vary Part 4: Spa Experience

On the last day of our wellness weekend in Karlovy Vary, I visited the Castle Spa (Zámecké Lázně) for a two-hour Wellness visit.

After donning a bathing suit in a private cabin and showering, I entered the main hall and dipped into the swimming pool, which was comprised of 40% mineral water. It was early morning, and I had the 12 x 6 meter pool to myself.  I felt myself spontaneously stretch and release tension; I began to observe more mindfully the natural rock structures and a relief carved at the other end of the hall, lit up with warm, dark tones and a golden green. 

The Kneipp pool for the feet, with alternating hot and cold sections felt invigorating. Afterwards, I went up the stairs to the first landing. I rested in the inhalation room, which had a few wooden chairs in a natural grotto, with mineral water misting into the chamber. Subtle and refreshing.

Further up the staircase is a floor with private cabins that can be booked for baths and other treatments. I returned to the main hall below and waded into the acupressure pool, my feet happy to get another massage from walking on large smooth stones on the floor of the pool. After a visit to the saunas, followed by a brisk cold shower, there was the final ceremony to attend to: drinking the mineral water. 

The Lower Castle Spring II (Spring No. 3b) is just for Castle Spa clients. The drinking stand is enhanced by a relief of the Spirit of the Springs carved into the sinter (mineral deposit around hot springs). This is the thermal water I tasted in Karlovy Vary, and it was warm and refreshing, without any particularly strong flavor. 

As I sipped the mineral water facing the relief, I reflected on the legend of the Spirit of the Springs, the story of the town’s mystical and ancient protector, who reposes inside the rock and manages the elements of fire, water, and wind — so the natural resources are not depleted and the town does not fall into decay or destruction. The Spirit’s mastery of the elements (and intentions of order and balance) promote well-being and peace in the spa town. And this is a reminder: to take care of our own natural resources so that we do not feel depleted — a skill to learn and master in daily practice.❂

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Further Information and Links

Karlovy Vary Information Center

Lázeňská 14 | 360 01 Karlovy Vary | Tel: +420 355 321 176 or +420 773 290 632

Accommodations 

▪️Savoy Westend Spa and Wellness Hotel

Petra Velikého, 16 | 360 01 Karlovy Vary | Tel: +420 359 018 888

▪️Hotel Imperial

Libušina 1212/18 | 360 01 Karlovy Vary | Tel: +420 353 203 900

▪️Grandhotel Pupp

Mírové náměstí 2 | 360 01 Karlovy Vary | Tel: +420 353 109 631

▪️Carlsbad Plaza Medical Spa and Wellness Hotel

 Mariánskolázeňská 25 | 360 01 Karlovy Vary | Tel.: +420 353 225 502 or +420 777 258 838

▪️Spa Hotel Thermal

I.P. Pavlova 2001/11 | 360 01 Karlovy Vary | Tel: +420 359 001 111

▪️Windsor Spa Hotel (formerly Spa III)

Mlýnské nábřeží 507/5 | 360 01 Karlovy Vary | Tel: +420 353 242 500 

Cafés and Restaurants 

▪️Savoy Royal Restaurant

▪️Café Pupp

▪️Růže Hotel Restaurant

▪️Tusculum Restaurant  (vegetarian, seasonal specialties sourced from local farms) 

Spa and Wellness 

▪️ Elisabeth Spa (also known as Spa V)

Alžbětiny Lázně, a.s. | Smetanovy sady 1145/1 | 360 01 Karlovy Vary | 

Tel: +420 353 304 210 or +420 353 304 250 | Email: info@spa5.cz

Special Items 

Becherovka herbal liquor

Kolonáda spa wafers

Carlsbad salt

Carl’s spa cosmetics

Thun porcelain

Moser glass

Bohemian garnets