How to read a medical spa programme before you book
A programme page lists treatments. Fourteen questions show you what the stay actually includes, who leads it and what it costs in the end.
Programme pages tend to look alike: a headline, a photo of a pool, a long list of treatments and a price per night. The list is the least useful part. What matters is how the treatments are chosen for you, how often they happen and what is left out of the price.
We check every programme against the same fourteen fields. You can use them yourself when you compare offers.
Who it is for, and who it is not for
A clear programme names its audience: the conditions, goals and age groups it is designed around. A good one also says who should not book it. If a page mentions no contraindications at all, ask for them directly.
Recommended stay
Many medical programmes need a minimum length to work. Ask what the centre considers the shortest useful stay and what changes when you shorten it. A short version is rarely a scaled-down copy of the long one.
Medical oversight
Find out who examines you on arrival, how often you see a doctor and who adjusts the plan if something does not suit you. "Doctor-led" and "doctor available" are different things.
Diagnostics
What is measured before treatment begins? Basic checks on arrival, laboratory work, functional tests? And who interprets the results?
Treatment frequency
Twenty listed treatments mean little without a schedule. Ask how many procedures you receive per day and which of them are hands-on therapy with a specialist rather than self-guided time in the pool.
Nutrition
Is there a menu, a diet adapted to your condition or a personal plan from a dietitian? Practical exclusions matter too, especially with allergies or restrictions.
Expected outcome
A serious centre talks about the outcome in concrete terms: what changes it works towards and how progress is checked during the stay. Treat broad promises with care.
Included costs and likely extras
The headline price rarely covers everything. Typical extras are single-room supplements, additional medical consultations, tourist tax, transfers and treatments outside the base package. Ask for the full list before you compare prices between resorts.
Payment terms
Deposit size, cancellation conditions and what happens if a medical check on arrival shows that a programme is not suitable for you.
Aftercare
What do you take home? A written summary, recommendations for your doctor, a plan for exercise and nutrition, a follow-up call? This is often the part that decides whether the effect of the stay lasts.
Verified feedback and outcome context
A review is most useful when you know the guest's goal and programme. "Lovely pool" from a weekend visitor tells you nothing about a rehabilitation programme.
Using the checklist
You do not need answers to all fourteen questions before you shortlist a place. You need them before you pay. If a centre struggles to answer the basics, that is information in itself.
Our programme collection follows this standard, and our specialists ask these questions for you when they prepare a shortlist.