Vitalpina Wanderhotel Europa****

Hay bath at Vitalpina Wanderhotel Europa

Although probably known about for many centuries, the original "hay bathing" was first documented in 1871. On Mount
Sicliar, a 2500m high peak in the Dolomites, the workers cutting the grass would spend the night sleeping in the hay - and
always woke up the next morning refreshed and full of energy, despite the exhausting nature of their work. Soon other
country people started to copy them. Initially, they did it for the refreshment, but soon people started to do it to alleviate
rheumatic complaints.

What is the secret of the hay and its constituents? The higher the mountain pasture, the greater the variety of flora in the
meadows. The hay grown in the Dolomites is known to be particularly "rich", which is linked to the unique soil types:
dolomite is, to a large extent, made of fossilized coral reefs. They originated in the buried Tethys Sea, the prehistoric
ocean from the geological Mesozoic era (approximately 250 million years ago).
Foliate plants such as lady's mantle, alpine wormwood, arnica, alpine valerian, couch grass, ryegrass and alpine fescue
characterize the hay produced in the Dolomites, such as that cut on the high alpine meadows of the Schlern and the Seiser
Alm (Alpe di Siusi). Obviously, all high mountain meadows in the Alpine region produce high-quality hay flowers; mostly
true grasses, clovers and meadow plants. These contain essential oils, coumarin glycosides and tannic acids. These aid the
circulation and work on the internal organs via reflex points on the surface of the body.