A woman looks smiling with her head out of a wooden bathtub in the forest

Bad Elster

natural bog

Bad Elsteraner Naturmoor

One of Bad Elster's most valuable remedies is the naturally occurring moor. The moor is particularly characterized by its long-lasting heat storage capacity and healthy natural components. It is used in the form of packs (warm or cold) and baths, primarily to support the musculoskeletal system (rheumatism, osteoarthritis, injuries). But the plant hormones from the moor are also an extremely effective natural remedy for gynecology.

A woman stands in the forest in a bathrobe and holds natural moor in her right hand

Your path to moor therapy

As part of an outpatient spa treatment, you will receive mud treatments as prescribed by one of our spa doctors or via prescriptions from your family doctor or specialist. You can also purchase mud treatments privately as an individual treatment (full and partial natural mud baths only with a doctor's prescription) or included in one of our health or spa stays of your choice.

Moor baths & packs

Therapy applications such as natural moor full/partial packs, moor kneading, moor treading and other individual applications can be found here.

A man lies with his eyes closed in a natural mud bath

A middle-aged couple are wearing white bathrobes and are smiling while standing behind each other

Moor classics

Promote your health with our most popular classics. Whether as a daily package or a short trip: our natural remedies are already perfectly coordinated and put together for you.

Creation of the Elsteraner Moor for baths and packs

Natural moor, also known as peat or peloid (Greek: Pelos = mud), is created from plant residues that are not completely decomposed in areas with a lot of water in the absence of air. This process is also known as peatification or humification. The degree of humification influences the ingredients and their concentration, which are important for the use of the bog for medicinal purposes.

A white towel hangs on a wooden bathtub, it stands in the forest and in front of it is a wooden bucket with water

After the fresh peat has been extracted from the moor pockets in Bad Elster, which have been built since 1920, it is removed from all coarse components such as stones and wood, ground and, depending on use, mixed with mineral healing water as “pack” or “bathing moor”. The “bathing moor” is then heated and transported to the tubs. The natural moor for use in packs is also heated and extracted from a tap station for moor treatment. Now you can enjoy your moor treatment to the fullest.

A woman lies in a natural mud bath and looks at her natural mud hands with a smile

Health-promoting effects of the natural moor

humic substances: The valuable therapeutic significance of the moor lies not only in the interaction of thermal, biophysical and biochemical processes but above all in its holistic mode of action. Due to the lengthy process of creation, particularly effective natural substances remain in the moor - including humic acids. These acids are said to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, circulation-stimulating, pain-relieving and antispasmodic effects. Humic acids also bind toxins and increase the immune system.

heat storage: In addition to the humic substances, moor has a high heat storage capacity, which ensures that the body is warmed evenly and gently. The skin vessels are gently expanded, areas of the body with poor blood circulation and the internal organs are better supplied with blood. In the mud bath, the buoyancy creates a state of weightlessness, which relieves the strain on the musculoskeletal system and reduces muscle tension. These properties of the natural moor contribute to a very successful therapeutic treatment of long-term diseases of the musculoskeletal system (e.g. rheumatism, arthrosis, certain forms of soft tissue rheumatism, etc.).

Natural plant hormones: The natural moor contains highly effective estrogen-like ingredients for gynecology and the treatment of osteoporosis. These natural hormones have proven particularly useful for menopausal symptoms, bone loss and the desire to have children, as well as sterility. Studies have shown that a mud cure was successful for more than half of the women who wanted to have children.

History of the moor in Bad Elster

to 1818

The first real mud baths are offered in the “Gasthof zum Anker”. First, peat is mined in Bad Elster and the surrounding area, e.g. today's gondola pond, swimming pool and stadium.

until around 1900

As the number of guests increases, the need for moorland increases. This resulted in: Expansion of the bathing establishment - dismantling in Sohl, Rauner Grund - development of more distant deposits possible through railway routes in Saxony