Slovak spa uses mineral-rich water in rehabilitation
Friday 30th October 2026 on 00:45 in
Iceland
A health resort in Slovakia uses mineral-rich water as part of medical treatment and rehabilitation, its chief physician Abdulla Al Hakim told Morgunblaðið.
Al Hakim, a Saudi Arabian doctor, studied medicine at the Jessenius School in Martin, where 170 Icelanders are also studying. He later worked in internal medicine in Germany, then turned to rehabilitation medicine at Slovak spas in 2013. He joined Modern Spa, a health resort in the spa town of Turčianske Teplice, earlier this year. The town is about a 30-minute drive from Martin.
Al Hakim said he specialises in energy medicine, rehabilitation and balneotherapy, which he described as the scientific use of natural resources for treatment. Spas use mud, climate or water, he said, and the benefits of each must be scientifically established.
According to Al Hakim, Slovak spas must have at least one natural resource that can be used to treat the body. He said mineral water needs to contain more than 1,000 grams of dissolved minerals to have health benefits. Modern Spa’s water contains about 1,500 grams, mainly bicarbonate, calcium, magnesium and sulphates.
Al Hakim said water treatments work through temperature, the body’s absorption of minerals and the pressure of the water. Patients treated at the resort include people with neurological and musculoskeletal conditions, chronic pain, inflammatory diseases such as rheumatic conditions, and urinary tract disorders. He said the water can help with urination. The spa also works with heart patients and cancer patients whose disease is in remission and who are stable.
Modern Spa receives patients recovering from strokes and brain injuries from a hospital in Martin. Al Hakim said effective rehabilitation after a brain injury can benefit society, while starting rehabilitation late can leave patients unable to work for longer.
People commonly stay for four weeks after knee or back surgery or a hip replacement, with health insurance covering 60 to 80 per cent of the cost. The resort has several buildings and offers three-, four- and five-star accommodation, including the five-star Royal Palace hotel.