The facade of the building resembles a castle, the French-style garden only underlines the atmosphere that we found ourselves in a fairy tale. There is also a fountain and a beautiful alley. However, the monumental pseudo-baroque complex of spa buildings is not just for princesses.
We visited the Alžbětina spa, the spa which is the last municipal comprehensive spa operation in Karlovy Vary.
Let's find out more about them from the chairman of the board of Alžbětiny lázně, Ing. Václav Benedikt.
Hello, Mr. Benedikt, I may start the interview from another end. Was it possible not to notice the information that the spa will be sold and the city will not keep it? So as it is, will the spa continue to be a city spa?
I wish you a nice day and I am not at all surprised by your question, however Elizabeth's spa is not for sale and will not be for sale. At the September city council last year, we adopted a resolution on the preservation and revitalization of the city's comprehensive spa.
We want to secure the application of spas and healing natural resources for the future, and it is in our interest that the growth of the urban and public sector is in harmony with the business sector.
Are there any changes in the management of the spa in connection with the above?
Change is happening, but more or less not based on the above. Dr. Maulen kept the operation fully on her shoulders for 11 years. She is leaving this initially temporary position, but continues to remain as our medical guarantor and spa physician.
As a crisis manager, I solve everyday problems, stabilize operations and prevent further economic downturns, as the chairman of the board, together with my colleagues, I prepare the path of resuscitation. In the current situation, we do not need a new director, however, this decision is not up to us, it is up to the city management, that is our main and only shareholder.
We all know that in a spa, clients are provided with care for their body and, in fact, their soul. However, Elizabeth's spa itself also has its years and "health" problems, how do you take care of them? Do you plan to revitalize them, if so, how will it proceed?
The only major reconstruction, with the addition of a swimming pool complex, took place in the 1970s, everything else in the Alžbětina spa is preserved in its condition from 1906. The building was more or less maintained in its state of disrepair by its owner, the city of Karlovy Vary.
From the previous leadership, we "received" Alžbětinky in the condition of an athlete who is forced to run a third marathon in a row and refuses to give him even a drink.
I will return to the question, yes, we are planning the revitalization – as I like to say, the resuscitation – of Elizabeth's Spa. The whole thing is now in progress. At this moment, we are asking the city council, under the authority of the general meeting, to approve the tendering process for the supplier of the update of the general comprehensive use of the building. This is supposed to be the basic plan of the trip - "fahr plan".
We aim at the possibility of a city loan for the overall repair, or at state reserves supported by the Karlovy Vary Region. We are asking for the opportunity to participate in the 5th MPO call, energy saving, with a project to replace all windows and doors in the building. We are planning to reconstruct the roof sheathing for next year. We have a lot ahead of us.
What else is in the works?
In addition to the main one, i.e. saving the building and operations, I am preparing a quite ambitious vision as part of the "Easy way to the spa" strategy. This is the connection of the inhabitants of the region with the spa industry and contribution to possible development.
The basis is to inform and influence our children so that they can feel that their city is quite exceptional in the whole world.
Furthermore, I want to aim as much as possible at the preventive effects of spa care, especially for unilaterally burdened workers, people with a lot of strain and stress that these days bring us.
We are preparing the repair of the entrance hall, heating systems, and finally the continuous operation of the use of geothermal energy for hot water heating. We are introducing a new traffic management system, preparing for a new wave of EET. We are preparing partial repairs to the pool complex before the summer for a period of extended downtime.
And with all this, we don't stop thinking about our staff. They are the living energy of our spa, professionals with hearts in the right place. I have never experienced such a team anywhere. They are truly like a living organism.
What would you say to clients who plan to use spa services not only in 2020?
We provide over 60 types of spa procedures, using mainly spring water, natural peat and many modern techniques and equipment. The spa has an indoor rehabilitation swimming pool, sauna, steam room, whirlpool and solarium. And it must be emphasized again that not only the procedures make the spa a spa, the already mentioned staff who take care of our clients is no less important.
But what do I want to convey to our clients above all?
Thank you for the pleasant interview and I wish the "Alžbětinka" a speedy recovery.
Author: Asset Media
Source: denik.cz
