Switzerland’s Thermal Baths Recharge Your Batteries

By Galina Stolyarova

Staff Writer

Published: December 25, 2009 (Issue # 1538)

For The St. Petersburg Times Many of the hotels in Leukerbad are equipped with their own thermal pools for healing and recuperative treatments.

There are a million and one reasons to go to Switzerland. Some go for the spectacular ski resorts, whether it be St. Moritz to Zermatt. Others go for the famous classical music festival in Lucerne, an exclusive beauty treatment in a private clinic in the Geneva Lake region, or a weekend of wine tasting in Valais. Swiss wines rank among the best in Europe, although the country produces just enough to meet its own needs, so hardly anything is exported. And one shouldn’t underestimate the country’s gastronomic lure — even if we were to ignore the ever-popular fondue and rosti, the countless ways in which perch, wild game or calf liver are creatively prepared and presented are enough to titillate any gourmand’s taste buds in a country that is peppered with Michelin-starred restaurants.

The focus of this trip, however, was the country’s thermal baths and spas.

Reigning as one of the world’s wellness Meccas, Switzerland boasts some fabulous spa resorts. The healing properties and comforts of Yverdon-les-Bains and Leukerbad rival the reputations of Italy’s Abano Therme, India’s Kerala and Japan’s Atami.

For The St. Petersburg Times Leukerbad’s public thermal center Burgerbad.

My Swiss bathing odyssey began in Yverdon-les-Bains — an idyllic spa town, only 50 minutes drive from Geneva. In my bath robe and with a huge towel over my shoulders, I entered the Centre Thermal through the glass passage connecting the pools to the Grand Hotel des Bains, the resort’s premiere lodging, and headed straight to the outdoor pools. It was a chilly morning, and a plunge into the luxurious warm and bubbly pool felt absolutely divine. As I was breathing the refreshing morning air and watching the steam rising from the 34 degree Celsius pools, I found myself almost wishing that it was snowing — I could have stretched out my arms out and watched the snowflakes melting before reaching the water. Although both the resort and the hotel are busy all year round, the pools are somehow never crowded, making the bubbly relaxation quiet and serene. There are no street sounds whatsoever, and the view of the Jura mountains and the Alps is stunning. The benefits of the Yverdon waters were described in ancient manuscripts dating back over 1,500 years to a period when the Ancient Romans set up a camp in this spa town.

The thermal pampering continued in Leukerbad, once home to an Ancient Roman bathhouse and a traditional destination for Christians in search of healing. The picturesque Swiss Alps village, just over 200 kilometers northeast of Geneva, houses Europe’s largest thermal-spring resort — 3.9 million liters of water flow into its 22 pools every day. Leukerbad boasts 60 hot springs, the water comes out of the ground at 51 degrees Celsius, and has to be cooled to body temperature before entering the pools. According to the locals, 40 years pass between the water falling on the mountains as rain or snow and it coming out of the springs, enriched with essential minerals.

At first sight, thermal bathing might appear somewhat old fashioned, practiced mainly by the elderly people suffering from conditions such as chronic arthritis. In fact, until a decade ago, as well as being popular with the elderly, Leukerbad attracted numerous athletes who came on rehabilitation programs. Since then, the situation has changed, with the appearance of the idea of “wellness,” a concept of nourishment and relaxation for both the body and the soul. Today, Leukerbad is flourishing primarily as a wellness.

For The St. Petersburg Times Gnomes on the windowsill of a house.

Though you might find it hard to coax yourself away from the languid hours spent at the spas, there is much more to do in Switzerland than just bathe. Even if you have no time to visit the country’s top art galleries, such as, for instance, the Pierre Gianadda Foundation in Martigny, Basel’s Jean Tinguely Museum or Bern’s Zentrum Paul Klee, it is certainly worth taking a ride on the glamorous Glacier Express, “the slowest train in Europe,” undoubtedly the king of Switzerland’s panoramic trains. The train links Zermatt and St. Moritz and, during the 7 1/2-hour journey, the landscapes change as though you were crossing whole countries in just hours. This is one of Switzerland’s great marvels: What you can see just before entering a mountain tunnel and what you see in the next pass are, quite simply, poles apart.

Russians flock to St. Moritz, and make up at least a quarter of the guests visiting the resort in the winter. With their passion for St. Moritz, the Russian nouveau riches are in fact following the footsteps of Russia’s last tsar, Nicholas II, who developed a taste for this elegant Alpine resort back in the early 19th century.

In 1913, he built a residence in St. Moritz, which was later turned into the five-star Carlton hotel with lavish comforts, a “tsar’s menu” in its Le Romanoff restaurant, and a gorgeous new spa.

For The St. Petersburg Times Switzerland’s slowest train, the Glacier Express, provides some stunning views.

The history of St. Moritz as a ski resort dates back to 1864, when Johannes Badrutt bought his first property here — currently the five-star Kulm Hotel, the oldest lodging in the village.This region, known as Engadine, the largest winter sports region in the country, has 88 diverse downhill ski runs from the very easy to extremely challenging, with many of them accessible from St. Moritz by cable car. St. Moritz is a pioneer of both sports and glamour. This place welcomed the first Alpine tourists and boasts the first hotel in the world ever to be named a “Palace.” It held the first horse races on snow and the first European ice-skating championship.

This resort was fashioned for big spenders and money always made wheels turn here. Even so, with care, and if you plan well, you may be able to negotiate your way between the glamorous shopping arcades of St. Moritz, adorned with Prada, Chanel, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Ermenegildo Zegna boutiques and other fancy deluxe labels, to find relative bargains.

St.Moritz originally drew the attention of visitors for the healing powers of its mineral springs. The effects of St. Mauritius mineral water were appreciated at the highest levels. In 1519, Pope Leo X promised full absolution to every Christian visitor coming to the spa.The growing numbers of Russians coming to St. Moritz may suggest some people feel the Pope’s offer is still valid.

St. Moritz’s neighbor in the Engadine, the relatively subdued and meditative Pontresina, radiates Medieval charm – you will struggle to find a designer clothes shop in the town, where the streets are adorned with thick-stoned, multi-colored 17th-century houses, though here you can relish the privilege of privacy. By contrast, in neighboring St. Moritz, everyone knows immediately who the guests are, where they are staying, and how long for. It is remarkable, that this discreet and low-key place hides a real spa jewel. The vast spa facilities at the Kronenhof Hotel – which was awarded the prestigious Gault&Millau “Hotel of the Year 2008” title – spoils you rotten with a floating grotto, underwater music, stone and saltwater grottos and a wealth of Jacuzzi and whirlpools.