The use of thalasso-therapy in Turkiye dates back to ancient times on the Turkish mainland, i.e. Anatolia (Asia Minor). The specific climatic conditions in the Turkish coastal areas provide the proper thalasso-therapeutic factors. The beneficial effects of solar radiation are available from May to October throughout the daytime. The degree of salinity and the temperature of the sea water are suitable for natural sea bathing.

Recently there has been a growing interest in investing in and establishing thalasso-therapy facilities along the coast, given the favourable climatic characteristics of the coastal areas of Turkey. Resort hotels on the Turkish coast aiming to attract holiday makers with sun, sea and sand, have recently opened thalasso-therapy and spa facilities aimed at the health tourism market. Most of these facilities are located on the Mediterranean coast, especially the so-called Turkish Riviera, Antalya and environs, particularly Kemer, Belek, Side and Manavgat. These are followed by the Aegean coast resorts located in summer holiday towns like Bodrum (near Mugla) and Cesme (near Izmir). Cesme, being a historic and traditional spa town, has the extra advantage of having thermal water springs that can be used in balneo-therapeutic applications as well as thalasso-therapeutic ones. Currently, there is only one thalasso centre, a facility that is part of a seaside resort in Istanbul located in Silivri, 60 km west on the Sea of Marmara coast.

Why Sea Water: Seawater, just like the blood plasma in our body, has a total of 104 elements and minerals. To sample this wealth, review some of the basic ingredients in one cubic meter of water:

Current thalasso-therapy facilities are mainly focused on wellness, beauty and relaxation treatments for “healthy” individuals, rather than therapy and rehabilitation programmes for patients. At the same time, patients with some dermatological conditions such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis and with some rheumatic diseases such as fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis might benefit from a thalasso-therapeutic cure in one of these thalasso-therapy centres in the coastal regions of Turkiye.