Health & Wellness in Estonia

Day spas
Day spa services can be found in beauty and health centres that operate during the daytime. However, spa hotels also offer these services as a so-called quick spa to clients who are not spending the night.

Most service selections include several exciting packages that help you choose what suits you best. These include spa classics, packages that focus more on health or on bringing out the best in your looks, as well as service sets that place great emphasis on relaxation and refreshing services.

Naturally day spas also offer a wide range of beauty services in addition to regular treatments. After having pampered your skin with salt and had all the knots in your back taken out during an invigorating massage, why not treat yourself to a new hairdo or excellent manicure in preparation for that party, concert or restaurant visit in the evening?

Spa hotels
In order to stay healthy, it is good to take a few days off and pamper yourself with treatments that alleviate stress and help you enjoy life more. Estonian spas offer high-quality services and often boast a luxurious atmosphere. Experiences from sweet interiors are magnified by great nature views.

The history of spas in Estonia expands over more than two centuries. In 1813, doctor Benedikt Georg Witte began offering salt and herb baths in Kadriorg, thereby making Tallinn the first resort town in the Russian Empire. This aspect of Tallinn quickly gained popularity among the Russian elite. An attentive Baltic German physician Carl Abraham Hunnius took notice of how Estonians in Haapsalu rubbed sea mud on their bodies to alleviate joint pain. Convinced of its restorative powers, Hunnius opened the renown Mud Baths of Haapsalu in 1825.

Tallinn, Haapsalu, Narva-Jõesuu, Kuressaare and Pärnu, which have a long history as a health vacationing destinations, continue to be highly regarded resort towns to this day. The healing mud found in Estonia is also greatly valued nowadays. In addition to sea mud, be sure to try the unique treatments in Värska, where freshwater mud is combined with mineral water that originates from the depth of half a kilometre below the surface and which has not seen the light of day for over 500 million years.

A lot of spa hotels are delightful for the entire family: younger guests can frolic in fun pools and enjoy treatments developed just for children. Some spas also offer opportunities for working out, these options range from Nordic walking on health trails to sunset yoga classes on the beach.

Medical spas
High quality, multilingual service and affordable pricing is the driving force behind the emergence of Estonia as a top medical tourism destination in Europe. Dedicate a week or more to your health with treatments that are based on doctors’ instructions.

Modern clinics, often located in natural surroundings, offer a wide range of services from diagnosis to treatment. Whether it takes one day or several weeks, forget all your everyday troubles and entrust yourself to the experienced professionals

There is a wide range of procedures, treatments, beauty services and exercises to choose from – all in order to enhance your well-being. The treatments are carried out under the watchful eye of professionals (doctors, nurses). You can consult a specialist, use dental treatment and take chargeable analysis

Sauna
There is no way you can return home without having tried the great ol’ Estonian sauna. This 800-year-old custom is as refreshing and invigorating as ever and best enjoyed in a good company, surrounded by nature.

While UNESCO-listed smoke sauna experience is the most Estonian you can go, we also ‘heat up’ a pretty descent Finnish sauna. There’s nothing better after a long day in the nature than to cover yourself in honey and experience the perhaps a new term in your vocabulary called ‘whisking’, also known as ‘a gentle beating’.

In contrary to the perhaps alarming description, ‘whisking’ is a healthy exfoliation with birch twigs and an integral part of the authentic Estonian sauna tradition. The many sauna benefits include stress relief and weight loss. Estonians simply love the sauna, and you are bound to find one sizzling in almost every summer cottage, spa and country lodge.