Janiels1
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- Joined: 7/28/2010
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Health Tourism in Croatia
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Wednesday, July 28, 2010 1:00 AM
Anyone looking for a bit of a bargain in the European health spa market would do well to consider Croatia. The northern coastal area in particular has a long tradition of attracting seekers of well being. And the country is stunningly beautiful. My own Croatian experience began this past June in London when, at the beginning of a summer in which I intended to explore Europe sans automobile, my foot stopped working. A bad case of plantar's fasciitis got dramatically worse, and for all practical purposes I couldn't walk. Considering my options, which included just abandoning the European walking summer and returning to the States and my car, I recalled a Croatian health spa that had popped up online during earlier investigations of European possibilities – Terme Selce. They had told me that they had considerable experience with plantar's, as well as with my other bedevilment, knee arthritis, and their prices appeared to be half or less of what was charged by Italian spas offering the same services. A phone call to their very helpful customer relations person, Millie, confirmed that they could take me right away, so off I went, flying Ryan Air to Trieste. (And for those unfamiliar with "budget" carriers such as Ryan, be ready for the add-ons – in my case 40 GBP for not printing out the ticket ahead of time and 120 GBP for eight extra pounds of luggage, almost tripling the cost of the ticket.) Terme Selce is located in the coastal resort village of Selce, about 25 miles south of Rijeka, a city of around 150,000, and right next to Crikvenica. The clinic is a renovation of the former home of the two doctors who own and run it, a married couple who do a wonderful job of creating a family atmosphere in the facility. The husband is a mellow and cheerful cardiologist, the wife, known affectionately as "Big Mama," is a whirlwind of energy whose beat is orthopedics with a specialty in injury rehab. The place is usually populated with world-class athletes – while I was there, a silver medalist in gymnastics in the 2008 Olympics, members of the Croatian national teams in soccer and European handball (Croatia's two most popular sports), and a member of the Turkish national basketball team. After the doctors examined me, the genial staff bombarded my foot and knee with every kind of therapy imaginable for seven hours a day – ultrasound, magnets, electrical stimulation, suction, ice, manipulation, stretching, and thera-band resistance. There were daily massages of back, feet and Achilles tendons, along with daily workouts in the gym. The cost for this therapy worked out to about $20 an hour. The podiatrist I saw later in London told me that the $140 a day I spent at Terme Selce would get me one hour of therapy in London. The price of lodging was also reasonable. I stayed at the Hotel Selce, in a quite satisfactory room with a fantastic view of the Adriatic, for about $100 a day at the height of tourist season. Thanks for everything, I'm so glad that I spoke to you and found such a wonderful medical spa treatment. If you need to visit this hospital then feel free here: 1.303.578.0719,
<message edited by Greg on Wednesday, September 01, 2010 2:42 PM>
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