Hope you enjoyed the mud-packing trip to Piestany, Slovakia last Monday.

It was a European spa panorama warts and all. Karen Halabi seemed totally sold on the properties of the local mud there and I was thrilled by the ghost in the dungeon. The fabulous five-star Art Nouveau hotel  mentioned in the program is the Thermia Palace.

The differences between the Asian (specifically Thailand’s) and European Spas is the fact that the European ones are totally oriented to therapeutic treatments while the Thai and Bali Spas aim for pampering and pleasure. It is your choice. For European Spas have a look at:   www.europeanspatours.com.au

India is now cashing in the ancient practice of Ayurvedic medicine. In the south, particularly, a few Spas have opened and they are more like the European ones, in the sense that they tend to be residential and not day Spas.To read more about my personal experience in a South of India Ayurvedic  Day Spa have a look at my story as it appeared in The Sun Herald not long ago:

https://www.smh.com.au/travel and type ‘scrubbed the wrong way’ in the search box

This is a wax reproduction of the ghost in the Slovakian castle.  I am not too sure I like the idea of her being suspended in a cage but odd things happened a long time ago.

Happy mud-packing or Spa hopping!