The very special geographical position of the Merano Valley, sheltered by the huge mountains of the Parco Naturale Gruppo di Tessa (Tessa Group Natural Park) range, is so particular that it manifests a climate virtually identical to locations much further south. This far northern Italian Alpine valley may be a stone’s throw from the Austrian and Swiss borders yet enjoys weather so mild that the gardens are filled with mediterranean and sub-tropical plants.

At the heart of this amazing wonder valley lies the Terme di Merano, or the Merano Thermal Baths. A veritable oasis of relaxation which has just opened its doors, the world-class Spa facility boasts 25 swimming pools and tubs, 8 saunas and turkish baths, a Vital (mineral water) Spa, and a total of almost 100,000 square feet of thermal buildings. The largest swimming pool is over 3,000 square feet!

The Terme di Merano seems to have a very unusual slogan which might scare off the uninitiated: Health Through Radioactivity! However, don’t fear since the Spa boasts that the thermal waters are effective against respiratory diseases due to the fact that they are radioactive with Radon, as the level of radioactivity is well within European Union safe limits. The content of the Spa waters of Sulphur and other elements are certainly to be given more credence as therapeutic elements. The important fact is that the water is always above 94 degrees F even in the dead of winter, when you can relax in soothing and delectable waters while you gaze upon the snowcapped peaks so close you can almost touch them!

The Terme di Merano is most definitely a Spa that is larger than life, or anything that you could have imagined. Everything around the Spa is of a grand scale, to harmonize with the surrounding mountains. The Sauna building is over 15,000 square feet in size and allows you to relax in a classic sauna, a Finnish sauna, three separate steam baths, a sanarium, a caldarium, and a mud bath. One of your biggest problems in enjoying this marvelous facility is going to be what you are going to do first! You can also enjoy a bath in nectars of grape or apple, and even a milk bath. Luxuriating in one of these aromatic, soothing baths will make all your troubles just seem to melt away. Once you've dried off from your opulent bath, you can then proceed to revel under the hands of expert masseurs in any one of the 26 massage rooms where essential oils will be rubbed into your body. After all that warming treatment you may want to give your body a bracing invigoration by visiting the Snow Room where you can watch real snow drift down from the ceiling even in the middle of summer. This is not just some Hollywood special effect with styrofoam flakes, this is real snow from a real snow making machine indoors, even when the sun is broiling the tourists just outside the walls! Talk about refreshment!

The Terme di Merano also offers a complete Medical Spa staffed by professional specialists in Sports Medicine, Alternative Healing, Physiotherapy, Orthopaedics and Dermatology. If you are ready for one of the most extreme, healthy and pleasurable Spa experiences in Europe, the Terme di Merano is definitely the place to go!