Mineral Hot Springs
Off the Grid

Kaďa Spring Pool

Žilina Region, Slovakia · Kaďa (Teplica), Liptovský Ján

A free stone-lined sulfur spring pool among travertine rocks in a Liptov village

Kaďa Spring Pool
Photo: Michal Jakubský, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

You find Kaďa in the middle of Liptovský Ján, a village at the mouth of the Jánska valley: a stone-lined shaft about 1.5 metres deep set among travertine rocks, with a shallow man-made pond beside it collecting the overflow. The spring water is carbonated and sulfur-rich, a calcium-magnesium bicarbonate-sulfate type, and it fizzes on your skin with a tingle that lingers after you climb out. Be clear about the temperature: it is only around 20 C, so this is a summer dip rather than a warm soak.

Locals recommend keeping a session to about 20 minutes because of the sulfur. Bathing is free, the area is kept tidy, and there is a small stage and a refreshment stand nearby. You reach it on foot in the village, about 656 metres up beside the Štiavnica stream; park in the village and walk.

The village has 13 mineral springs, and the warm pools of the Jánska valley hotels are close if you want heat afterwards. Bring water shoes for the rocks. The honest downside: it is small, cool and can be busy on summer weekends, and the sulfur smell is strong.

What's in the water

  • SulfurThe rotten-egg smell. Sulfur springs are the classic "healing waters" of old spa towns; the smell fades on your skin within a few hours.
  • MagnesiumMagnesium-rich water feels soft and slightly slick. It is the mineral most bath-salt blends try to copy.
  • CalciumCalcium-rich springs build travertine: the white terraces of Pamukkale and the rock rims of countless wild pools.
  • BicarbonateBicarbonate water feels smooth and slippery; in Japan it is called a "beauty bath" (bijin-no-yu).
  • SulfateSulfate springs are often clear and odorless, common in European spa towns.
  • Carbon dioxideNaturally carbonated springs fizz on your skin like soda water.

Sources

Hot springs near Kaďa Spring Pool

Bešeňová Thermal ParkLuxuryBešeňová Thermal ParkŽilina Region, SlovakiaYear-round thermal water park in Liptov with outdoor pools under mountain viewsThermal spaOff the GridKalameny Thermal SpringŽilina Region, SlovakiaA free village-built pool of orange, sulfurous 33 C water with a fountain to sit underWild pool · 33°C / 91°F · FreeOravice Thermal PoolsOff the GridOravice Thermal PoolsŽilina Region, SlovakiaTwo simple municipal outdoor pools at 34-38 C at the end of a Tatra valleyPublic bath · 38°C / 100°F · $Terma BukovinaLuxuryTerma BukovinaLesser Poland, PolandHighland thermal pools fed from 2,400 m down, facing the High TatrasThermal spaLuxuryBalneocentrumŽilina Region, SlovakiaThermal spaOff the GridViktóriaŽilina Region, SlovakiaLook, don't soak

Run this spring or resort? Claim this listing · Report a correction