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NORAD-like Austrian Spa
Certain
names of places always bring out the juvenile in me and make me snicker. One such place is Bad Gastein.
From the same language that brought us einfahrt, Bad Gastein also means something different than it sounds like in English. Bad is German for bath and this one, located in Austria, is one of the most unique in the world. The baths, just an hour from Salzburg, are located deep within the mountain of a local ski resort. While snow bunnies are frolicking on the slopes, spa monkeys take an underground train 2.5 kilometers into the heart of the mountain where they encounter a very unique environment. The interior is rich in Radon gas and, thanks to geothermals, heated to temperatures that reach up to 106 degrees Fahrenheit. Combined with humidity levels of nearly 100%, the tunnels of Bad Gastein are Mother Nature’s most perfect sauna.
European troglodytes have been frequenting these tunnels for hundreds of years to ward off such ailments as muscle fatigue, rheumatic illnesses, respiratory diseases, chronic pain, and joint infections. No word if the spa actually cures its juvenile namesake of bad gas.
Filed under: Austria
