Bad Ragaz. A small town in Switzerland, yet one with a big history. It's mostly famous for its „Ragazer thermal water“ which is a special kind of H2O. Discovered for the first time 777 years ago, this healing water continues to flow from the mountain to this day. Europe's most abundant acratotherm, or hot spring, aids in the healing of a variety of ailments. It is also the source of the famous „Tamina Therme“ spring water spa and the health & wellbeing concept of the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz.
When it comes to convalescing and staying healthy, water has always played a vital role.The Grand Resort Bad Ragaz and its Medical Center Clinic Bad Ragaz has made it its mission not only to use the healing powers of the local spring water for wellness and health purposes, but also to educate guests about the importance of and the differences between the water we drink on a daily basis.
The contemporary water bar is run by two water sommeliers and contains a diverse choice of different waters - from Evian to San Pellegrino, from still to sparkling, from transparent to black water. I met with sommelier Irina Taculina at the Water Bar for my first ever water tasting.
Irina Taculina, Water Sommeliere at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz's Water Bar
GRANDRESORT BAD RAGAZMrs. Taculina, how did the idea come up of having a water bar at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz?
Our own spring in the Tamina Gorge is why we're here at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz: In 1242 some monks from Pfäfers Abbey discovered a spring in the Tamina Gorge while out hunting. The healing powers of the spring water were praised by the physician Paracelsus in 1535. His knowledge provided the foundation for healing with fluoride rich acratothermal waters. Paracelsus' seal of approval on the 36.5°C warm water drew many visitors to the spring. During the 19th century, stays at health resorts became increasingly fashionable, especially when combined with social occasions. This led to further expansion of the estate at Ragaz and the building of a road leading to the gorge. In 1840, further work completed allowed the diversion of the thermal water as far as the village of Ragaz.
Everything relates to water here at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz. That's why it made sense to us to create a water bar – and to go «back to the roots», instead of having a regular bar – as was actually planned in the first place. Water plays an important role in our everyday lives and we strongly believe that it has a healing effect. The water bar is located within our Spa Tower at the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz. Here, guests draw thermal water to their rooms just by turning the tap. They can shower in our thermal water, swim in it or have water therapy using the healing effects of the spring. And, with our water bar we wanted to highlight the fact that you can actually also drink the thermal water. To broaden the choice, we added more than 25 other waters to the bar.