In Sopot Poland, Healing Saline Waters and a Plunge into the Chilly Baltic Sea

Did you know that there are many unique spas in Poland for people who love making their bodies feel good? While this northern European country may not come to mind right away as a spa days destination, writer Agata Chabierska discovered what some call “The Pearl of the Baltic Sea,” in Sopot Poland.

A thin layer of snowfall made her run to the Baltic Sea beach even more of a rush, she said during one of her spa weekend breaks  around the world.

“The history of Sopot Spa dates back to the era of the Napoleonic Wars, when one of the French Emperor’s physicians, following the ill-fated Grand Army soldiers to Russia, found out this small fishing village on the southern coast of Gdańsk Bay.

After discovering the healing properties of local saline waters, he decided to settle in Sopot and opened the first treatment facility. As a matter a fact, what was decades ago a fancy and posh bath House with multiple leisure facilities, during the negligence of the communist era in Poland turned into a shabby off-putting barracks.

That is why local authorities undertook a large investment to revitalize this most historical part of the town. By the end of 2008 new a five-star Sheraton Hotel along with a spa and conference center, shopping gallery and an underground tunnel hiding traffic will be built.

Today, in spite of heavy snowfall and cold wind, construction workers move like ants around huge blocks of concrete and iron. I am watching their chores imagining what this place will look like in six months. (Ed note: it’s since been built and looks fantastic!)
 
Will modernity eclipse the amazing intimacy of the old-fashioned sanatorium sites? Will this romantic place surrender to globalized “McSpa” frameworks?

There are already hundreds of better-off refuge seekers that come to Sopot to stay in the most exclusive hotels like the 80-year-old Grand Hotel, recently branded as Sofitel (tel.: + 48 58 551 00 41), or the very modern Hotel Haffner (tel.: + 48 58 550 99 99) and having their indigenous treatments in form of… exotic wraps or Polynesian massages.

Make sure you check up the spa menu carefully – it’s really all about mud and brine baths here.”

Read more about this spa and other travel articles about Poland on GoNOMAD.com