Medical Spa

With its strategic position at the cross roads of Europe and Asia, Turkey has been a tourist destination for centuries. With recent years deliberate effort to build state of the art hospitals across the country, Turkey has lately become an excellent option for international patients. In Turkey, the Ministry of Health owns and operates around 55% of all the country’s hospitals, the rest is owned mainly by universities and private organizations. Of the approximately 1,200 hospitals and clinics, almost 40 have JCI accreditation, and many also hold ISO and affiliations with Western medical groups

A visit to Turkey would not be complete without a stop at one of the country’s better known spas, whether to treat a health problem or simply to luxuriate in the soothing waters of natural mineral baths. A stop at one of the spas described in this booklet can easily be combined with a tour of Turkey’s most famous destinations. The health-giving propreties of Turkey’s natural hot springs have been renowned since antiquity.

The ancient city of Hierapolis was built on the site of the rich mineral waters of Pamukkale, where the steaming water has hollowed enormous circular basins in the earth as it flowed down the mountainside, coating the slopes in a smooth layer of dazzlingly-white calcareous rock.

No doubt the residents of the ancient Lycian city of Caunos bathed in the mineral-rich mud of nearby Koycegiz Lake.

The Balcova/lzmir hot springs are located on the site of the Baths of Agamemnon, known and used in Roman times for the therapeutic qualities of the waters.

Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman dynasty is nestled against Uludag (Mt. Olympos to the ancients). There the natural hot springs of Cekirge prompted the Ottomans to build a large complex of domed baths during the reign of Murat I (1359-89) on the site of an earlier Roman and Byzantine baths complex.

On the shores of the Aegean, Cesme is famous for its natural mineral springs and therapeutic qualities of the sea water. And amidst the verdant forests of the southern shore of the Sea of Marmara, Yalova hot springs pours out mineral-rich waters thought to cure a variety of ailments.

The spas described in this brochure are concentrated in the Marmara Region and Aegean Region of western Turkey and are easily accessible from popular destinations such as Istanbul, Izmir , Pamukkale and the Marmaris/Fethiye area.

But, while touring through Central Anatolian Region (Central Turkey), there is one thermal spa well worth mentioning here, spa of an extraordinary character and one of its kind in the world. It is visited by people searching for cures from all over the world. This healing spa is called “Kangal Hot Spring with Fish” and it is only 13 km from Kangal town in the province of Sivas. The beneficial waters of 36 C contain bicarbonate, calcium, magnesium and also many small fish (2-10 cm long), which play a vital part in curing various skin diseases. There are also two other thermal spas in this province : Steak Cermik and Soguk Cermik, famous for their valuable therapeutic treatments. Well-known and highly recommended for their thermal facilities are the’ famous spas of Orucoglu and Sandikli near Ayfon, Gonen near Balikesir and Bolu.