Eiger, Mönch and Wellness
Jungfrau Region's Blogbuster Series / Nr. 23
It still takes about two weeks until the winter season really starts kicking off and you can ski everywhere. Christmas and New Year are also knocking on the door. This always means a little stress for everybody as well. So why not a little Wellness to recharge your batteries? Listen, we got you covered – check out these 4 Wellness spots:
#1 Spa Jungfrau, Wengen
Located in the Beausite Park Hotel Wengen, a little paradise in the Alps. Fittingly, the hotel's situated in the middle of a park in a tranquil spot just above the village centre. Beautiful views of the Jungfrau and surrounding mountains included. Over the last few years, the hotel was renovated step by step and is now classified as 4-star superior. Singles, couples and families with kids are all warmly welcome here.
You can experience relaxation and tranquillity in the Spa Jungfrau. There's free access to the indoor swimming pool with whirlpool and jacuzzi, sauna area with bio sauna, Finnish sauna, steam bath, tepidarium with Himalayan salt pillar, as well as a gym and relaxation area. Comfortable and cosy massage rooms invite you to reserve a treatment (extra cost).
If you're ever in Wengen during summer: the Beausite has its own natural swimming pond in the garden. Filled with pure mountain water.
#2 Alpine Spa, Mürren
A visit to Mürren alone is already quite relaxing. The small, car-free village radiates a lot of charm, especially when it's nice and snowy. The Alpine Sports Centre is located in the middle of the village – a meeting place with facilites for active sports and recreation for locals and guests alike. You'll also finde the tourist info there. The staff will ensure that you feel home in Mürren.
Pamper yourself with a lazy afternoon in the new Alpine Spa on the first floor of the sports centre. The spa welcomes you with warm colours and materials to open your senses and comfort you. What's offered for your well-being:
• 25m swimming pool 28°
• Indoor Jacuzzi 33° and Outdoor Whirlpool 37°
• Finnish Sauna, Green Sauna
• Turkish Bath
• Refreshing basin and Kneipp facilties
• Relaxing room with a Skylight
Therapists of the Alpine Spa can treat and make you feel better with different massages, foot reflexology or beauty treatments. There are also group therapies such as Yoga or Qi Gong class.
After your spa experience: Enjoy a coffee and some sunshine on the terrace of the Cafeteria.
#3 Beer tub bath, Innertkirchen
No, this isn't part of a brewery tour. But it's a unique offer worth trying out, located in the Hof & Post hotel in Innertkirchen. And don't worry, you can still enjoy a beer while there haha.
It's a bath with a twist. A bath in the natural ingredients of the barley juice, the immersion in the spicy smelling and foaming beer lees will be an unforgettable experience for you. In the beer tub bath the need for relaxation, body and health care is combined in a unique way with entertainment and conviviality.
During 20 minutes you can dip in the brew. After that, you can chill out on a straw bed. Most doctors won't recommend lots of beer but bathing in it is a different story guys: the cleansing and invigorating effect pampers your skin and joints.
#4 Selfness & SPA, Grindelwald
Welcome to the Eiger Selfness Hotel in Grindelwald – an uncomplicated, charming and inspiring location for relaxing and sustainable holidays, which has been in family ownership since a long time. Here you can take time for the most important thing: yourself.
Slow down and breathe in. Be inspired by the hotel's multifaceted offer. What appeals to your senses? How do you reconcile body, mind and spirit? Fitness training, a visit to the SPA, a massage, a personal coaching or a visit to one of the workshops: the staff will gladly support you to find your personal elements for your individual growth and well-being. The Selfness centre is open to non hotel guests too. Are you dreaming of a personal SPA experience? Leave your everyday life behind and enjoy an unforgettable and exclusive Wellness experience in relaxed atmosphere in the Private SPA. By the way, in the several restaurants of the hotel, you can also be pampered with culinary delights.
Special in this hotel: At 1000 m above sea level, it's almonst an unwritten rule to address others with the first name. With this personal touch, the Eiger provides an uncomplicated and relaxed holiday atmosphere.
Treating yourself with these things is not a new idea – spa treatments are one of the oldest human practices, with everybody from the Romans to the ancient Byzantines building hammams, bathhouses, saunas, and other facilities for communal bathing. That's history but modern-day spa treatments still have many health benefits for you.
In general, immersing yourself in water up to your neck gives you a cardiac workout. Because water puts more pressure on your body which increases your cardiac volume. So when you're soaking in water, your heart works harder and that helps it stay healthy.
Hot water promotes relaxation. So when you put your tense body is a tub of hot water, the heat raises your body temperature and relaxes your muscles. This makes you tired and relaxed which can help you sleep better. However, we don't recommend falling asleep in a spa bath. That's a terrible idea haha.
Sitting in warm water and feeling the benefits can greatly reduce your stress as well. Reducing stress can have positive improvements on your mental and physical health and give you a feeling of general well-being. Heat opens up your pores and this can be a good thing when you're in a clean environment like a spa bath. By opening the pores, you give the water a chance to work its way in there and clean out the various dirt and toxins from your skin. The result's a refreshed feeling with potentially clearer skin.
However, the benefits of a massage seem to be more distinct than just calming; a 2014 study from the University of Chicago found that a massage after a bit of physical exertion (for example running from the sauna to the cold pool and back again a few times) seems to improve blood flow throughout the body and general cardiovascular health. It can also reduce stress and improve your immune system.
So, if you're facing a stressful New Year, it may be worth looking into regular massage appointments.
Saunas are a crucial part of the Finnish lifestyle and well-being. The word sauna is perhaps the only Finnish word which has spread around the world without it being translated into other languages. So to FINNISH things off, here are some naked facts about saunas:
#1 Sauna Fact
Original Finnish saunas were pits dug into the ground in which a fire was created to heat stones. By throwing water over them, steam could be generated to increase the overall pit temperature. One of the first wirtten descriptions of a Finnish sauna dates back to 1112.
#2 Sauna Fact
Although saunas and steam rooms can sometimes be confused, they are different. Saunas can produce both dry and wet heat, while steam rooms can only produce wet heat.
#3 Sauna Fact
There are so many saunas in Finland that the whole population could have a nice sauna evening all at once.
#4 Sauna Fact
Sauna is good for everybody. Only newborn babies and people with serious conditions like open wounds or heart problem should avoid it. Everybody else can enjoy it with no worries.
#5 Sauna Fact
It's not a disco haha. Coloured light, aromatic fragrances and relaxing music have nothing to do with Finnish sauna. Real Finnish saunas are dimly lit, there's no music or smells except for fresh birch and natural tar.
#6 Sauna Fact
A «vasta» or «vihta» (name depends on the region) is a bulde of fresh birch twigs that you gently whip yourself with. Sounds strange, but it's really good for your skin.
#7 Sauna Fact
You'll be sweating heavily in a sauna, so be sure to drink plenty. Water is probably best for you, but beer and cider is what the Finns enjoy the most. Roasting sausages either on open fire or in tin foil directly on the stove is another key part of the sauna experience in Finland.
#8 Sauna Fact
There are no real rules when it comes to sauna, and the way it's done totally depends on the occasion. The most important thing ist o relax, socialise and enjoy the blissful post-sauna feeling of having cleand your body and mind.
Not a lot of people need 100 complicated reasons or benefits to visit a spa. They're already pretty enjoyable all on their own. So we say: visit a spa in the Jungfrau Region and enjoy!
