Spa treatment by condition
Spa treatment for urological conditions
Among urological conditions, the Czech indication list lists chronic, treatment-resistant kidney and urinary tract infections, conditions after operations on the kidneys and urinary tract, and chronic prostatitis, among others. Marienbad has treated this group since the 19th century mainly through the drinking cure from its own mineral springs, supplemented by urologically prescribed physical therapy.
What is treated here
- Condition after kidney transplantation, and kidney donors — a newly added area of treatment in Marienbad
- Urinary incontinence and weakness of the pelvic floor muscles, including after prostate surgery
- Recurrent and chronic, non-tuberculous kidney and urinary tract infections that do not respond sufficiently to antibiotics, under ongoing urological care for at least 12 months
- Cystic kidney disease
- Conditions after operations on the kidneys and urinary tract, including endovesical procedures and complicated prostatectomy
- Chronic prostatitis or prostatovesiculitis that does not respond sufficiently to drug therapy and antibiotics, under ongoing urological care for at least 12 months
How the cure works
Initial examination on arrival day
The spa physician reviews your urological history, previous cultures and antibiotic courses, and the surgical report where relevant, and puts together the treatment plan. Bring your urologist’s current report.
Drinking cure and daily treatments
The drinking cure from the assigned springs forms the basis, supplemented by urologically prescribed physical therapy and, after prostate surgery, pelvic floor therapy.
Movement as the second pillar
Walks on the spa paths and targeted pelvic floor exercises support continence after surgical procedures and general circulation.
Weekly check-up and final report
The spa physician checks urine findings and adjusts the programme. At the end you receive a report for your urologist and recommendations for home.
Treatments used
- PelviPower — pelvic floor diagnostics and training
- Léčebné lázně Mariánské Lázně introduced PelviPower as the first operator in the Czech Republic; the device is in the Nové Lázně house. It first measures the function of the pelvic floor muscles, then strengthens them with magnetic impulses, without any procedure and while seated. Activation and relaxation of the pelvic floor are additionally assessed with diagnostic ultrasound through the abdominal wall.
- Drinking cure at the mineral springs
- Regular drinking to increase urine volume; traditionally used for chronic kidney and urinary tract infections.
- Pelvic floor therapy
- Targeted training after prostate surgery to support continence.
- Physical heat treatments in the pelvic area
- Mild treatments, traditionally used for chronic complaints in the pelvic area.
- Regular urological monitoring
- Urine and lab values are checked repeatedly during the stay.
- Exercise therapy on the spa paths
- General movement as part of the spa programme, supporting circulation and fluid distribution through the day.
- Nutrition counselling
- Supplements the drinking cure for chronic urinary tract complaints.
- Relaxation techniques
- A supplementary part of the programme for chronic, recurrent complaints.
How long, and when
For chronic kidney and urinary tract infections (position VIII/1), stays covered by Czech public health insurance run to 21 days of comprehensive or contributory spa care, with repeat stays of 21 or 14 days of contributory care; following operations on the kidneys and urinary tract (VIII/3), it is 21 days; for chronic prostatitis (VIII/4), 21 days of contributory spa care, with repeat stays of 21 or 14 days. Self-paying guests usually choose two to three weeks. There is no medical rule for the season.
What the studies show
For chronic pyelonephritis there are two controlled Russian studies: in 48 patients in the latent phase, a supplementary drinking cure of up to 2 l of mineral water daily reduced clinical symptoms in 91% of the water group, with consistently sterile urine cultures (Nejmark AI et al., 2020, Urol Vedomosti; small, unblinded study). An older study of 95 patients in the active phase found, under antibiotics plus bicarbonate-containing water, sterile urine in 88.6% and 25.6% fewer relapses over two years compared with antibiotics alone (Neimark AI et al., 2004, Vopr Kurortol; older, non-randomised study). For chronic prostatitis, a Cochrane review sums up that acupuncture and shock wave therapy help with moderate to high certainty of evidence, and exercise programmes with low certainty — a spa cure as a whole was not studied in it (Franco JVA et al., 2019, BJU Int). A small Korean pilot study of 16 people with chronic pelvic pain syndrome found, after five days of balneotherapy, relief of pain and urinary symptoms and a fall in the inflammatory markers IL-1 and TNF-α (Min K et al., 2020, J Obstet Gynaecol; a very small sample, no control group). In Marienbad itself, a clinical study on the objective effects of spa treatment for urological and nephrological diagnoses has been running since 2026 — the first in 30 years — following more than 100 patients; results are not yet available (Institute of Spa Treatment and Balneology & Léčebné lázně Mariánské Lázně, 2026, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07435844). None of these studies shows that the cure heals an active infection or a structural urological disease; it supplements urological treatment but does not replace it.
When a spa cure is not an option
- An acute urinary tract infection with fever or active bacterial inflammation
- A recent operation without completed wound healing and without specialist clearance
- Unexplained macroscopic haematuria, or suspicion of a tumour of the urinary tract
- General contraindications: uncontrolled heart failure, active cancer, pregnancy
Whether and to what extent a spa cure is right for you is decided by the spa physician at the initial examination, based on your urological history. This page provides information and does not replace urological advice.
Frequently asked questions
Can kidney donors and people after a kidney transplant go for a spa cure?
Yes — this is a newly added area of treatment in Marienbad: the operator explicitly names clients after a kidney transplant and kidney donors among the groups it treats. The requirement is a stable course and the findings of your treating nephrologist or transplant centre; bring them along, because the amount you drink and the treatments are set accordingly. Admission is decided by the spa physician case by case.
Does a spa cure help with incontinence?
Incontinence and prostate conditions are a dedicated focus in Marienbad. For them, the operator was the first in the Czech Republic to introduce PelviPower, a device housed in the Nové Lázně: it first measures the function of the pelvic floor muscles, then strengthens them with magnetic impulses, without any procedure. Whether this training is right for you, and how it fits with the other treatments, is decided by the spa physician at the initial examination.
Which spa resorts are suitable for urological conditions?
Suitable resorts list chronic urinary tract infections, conditions after urological operations or chronic prostatitis as official indications and offer urological care during the stay. Marienbad meets this through positions VIII/1, VIII/3 and VIII/4 of the Czech indication list, drawing on the drinking cure from its own mineral springs.
How does rehabilitation after prostate surgery work?
The requirement is completed wound healing and clearance from the surgeon. The spa physician reviews the surgical report, followed by pelvic floor therapy to support continence, the drinking cure and measured exercise, with a weekly check-up and a final report for the urologist.
Are Marienbad’s springs suitable for urinary tract infections?
For acute, feverish infections, acute antibiotic treatment is needed first, not a spa cure. For recurrent or chronic, antibiotic-resistant kidney and urinary tract infections under ongoing urological care, Marienbad lists its own indication (VIII/1); controlled Russian studies describe a fall in clinical complaints and sterile urine cultures in most treated patients under a supplementary drinking cure.
How long does a spa cure for chronic prostatitis last?
Under the Czech indication list, position VIII/4 runs to 21 days of contributory spa care, with 14 days also possible on repeat stays. The requirement is at least twelve months of urological care without a sufficient response to medication and antibiotics.
What should be done for an acute bladder infection?
An acute bladder or urinary tract infection with fever is not treated at the spa but first urologically or by a family doctor with antibiotics. Only chronic, recurrent or treatment-resistant courses under ongoing urological care are an indication for the spa cure.
Sources
Studies and official documents this article relies on. Our content does not replace medical advice.
- Léčebné lázně Mariánské Lázně — treatment of urological conditions — The operator’s page: conditions treated, including incontinence, prostate conditions, and newly, clients after a kidney transplant and kidney donors; introduction of PelviPower as the first operator in the Czech Republic, device housed in the Nové Lázně. Czech text.
- Czech indication list for spa treatment (Decree No. 2/2015 Coll.), Group VIII — diseases of the urinary system — Positions VIII/1 (chronic kidney and urinary tract infections), VIII/3 (conditions after urological operations) and VIII/4 (chronic prostatitis), with type of care and length.
- Nejmark AI et al. 2020, Urol Vedomosti — controlled study, 48 patients with chronic pyelonephritis — Supplementary drinking cure: reduction in clinical symptoms in 91%, consistently sterile urine cultures. Small, unblinded study.
- Neimark AI et al. 2004, Vopr Kurortol — controlled study, 95 patients with chronic pyelonephritis — Antibiotics plus bicarbonate-containing water: sterile urine culture in 88.6%, 25.6% fewer relapses over 2 years. Older, non-randomised study.
- Franco JVA et al. 2019, BJU Int — Cochrane review, 38 studies on chronic prostatitis — Acupuncture and shock wave therapy helpful with moderate to high certainty of evidence; spa treatment as a whole not studied.
- Min K et al. 2020, J Obstet Gynaecol — pilot study, 16 people with chronic pelvic pain syndrome — 5 days of balneotherapy: relief of pain and urinary symptoms, fall in IL-1 and TNF-α. Very small sample, no control group.
- Institute of Spa Treatment and Balneology & Léčebné lázně Mariánské Lázně 2026, ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07435844) — Ongoing clinical study on spa treatment for urological and nephrological diagnoses in Marienbad, over 100 patients. Results not yet available.
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