Oak and larch: why we build our tubs from these two woods

Why a wooden tub rather than one made of something else

When people book a spa treatment, few stop to consider what the tub they will be sitting in is actually made of. And yet the vessel itself is one of the most important elements of the whole experience. In our private rooms you will find only tubs built from solid timber - oak and larch, to be precise. This is not an aesthetic whim, nor is it nostalgia for the old days. Wood has properties that no acrylic, plastic or enamelled steel can match, and paired with a beer bath or a wine bath it truly comes into its own.

The first and most important advantage is thermal. Wood is a natural insulator. Water drawn to a temperature of 35-38 °C stays pleasantly warm in a wooden tub for the entire treatment, with no need to keep topping it up from the hot tap. A metal or plastic bath sheds heat fast, and before long you feel the chill creep across your back and along the surface. Timber holds the warmth, wraps the body in steady comfort and lets you genuinely unwind through twenty minutes in the water and the rest that follows on a heated bed of straw.

The second reason is chemical and sensory at once. Into the water go living active ingredients - hops, malt extract, brewer's yeast, and for the wine soak red wine, grape-seed extract, honey and herbs. Wood resonates with these substances, releases no plastic odours into the water, and lends a subtle woody scent of its own that underlines the character of the bath. Sit in warm, aromatic water surrounded by real timber and the experience feels whole - nothing jars, nothing rings artificial. That is why we build our tubs by hand from carefully chosen material, and why it matters whether the wood is oak or larch.

Oak: the sturdy character of Zlatý pramen

Oak is almost the archetypal timber for a spa tub. For centuries coopers have used it to make barrels for beer, wine and spirits, and for one simple reason - oak is dense, strong and remarkably resistant to moisture. In Zlatý pramen, our most spacious room for two to four guests, two oak tubs stand side by side. This is the only room where two baths can run at once, so here the oak carries a double load and proves exactly why it is the right choice for that kind of service.

Oak has a very tight grain. The rings sit close together, and the wood grows tyloses - balloon-like cell outgrowths that plug its water-conducting vessels from the inside and make it practically watertight. This is precisely the property winemakers have always prized in their barrels - and in a spa tub it translates to long life and reliability. An oak tub will take years of daily filling with warm water without losing its shape or its seal. At the same time oak gives the water a faintly sweet, tannic note that pairs surprisingly well with both the beer and the wine soak.

For guests this has a practical effect on comfort, too. An oak tub is massive, stable and reassuringly solid to the touch. When a group of friends or a company team arrives in Zlatý pramen, the two oak tubs with their whirlpool jets handle a beer-and-wine combination, two beer baths or two wine baths at the same time. The robustness of oak here is a working quality, not merely a claim on a page. You sit in a vessel built to last, and that in itself adds to the sense that you are in the hands of people who mean business. Oak simply endures - which is why we use it for our busiest room with a clear conscience.

Larch: the pale, gentle soul of the intimate rooms

Where oak is the sturdy strongman, larch is softer, paler and in many ways more elegant. It is larch that we chose for the tubs in our two most intimate rooms - Rubínový pramen, for one or two guests, and the luxurious Smaragdový pramen, home to every V.I.P. package. Larch creates a warmer, softer and more personal atmosphere, one that suits an intimate setting for a couple or a single guest far better than dark, heavy oak.

Larch has one property that makes it an exceptional material for vessels that hold water - a high proportion of natural resin. That resin acts as a built-in preservative. It protects the timber from within against rot and mould, and every contact with warm water activates it, so a larch tub in effect maintains itself. Historically larch was used for water structures, piles, bridges and the foundations of Venice precisely because it does not rot in water but hardens instead. In a spa tub that means cleanliness and long life, even in a room used for gentler, more leisurely treatments.

The pale colour of larch has a psychological effect as well. In Rubínový pramen, where the whole point is privacy and calm for two, the light timber visually brightens the space and gives it a sense of air. In Smaragdový pramen the larch tub sits alongside a cedar phyto-barrel - a small cabin you sit inside with your head out in the air -, and together the two noble conifers strike a quiet harmony. Anyone who treats themselves to the V.I.P. Wine SPA or the Delux Wine SPA sits in a larch tub wrapped in the scent of wine and wood - and it is that gentle resinous note of larch that completes the luxury of the whole thing. Larch, in short, is a wood that does not shout, but warms.

Hand-built: why we do not buy tubs off the shelf

You feel the difference between a cheap mass-produced tub and a hand-built wooden one the moment you sink in. Our tubs are not pressed from a mould or glued together from thin veneers. They are made the traditional way, with each plank - the stave - shaped precisely, cut to the right angle and fitted together so the joints meet perfectly. Only then are the staves drawn tight, and when the water goes in the timber swells, the staves press against one another and the tub seals itself. It is the same principle coopers have used to make barrels for centuries.

Why go to all this trouble when you could just buy a finished product? Because building by hand gives us control over every detail. We can choose timber free of knots and cracks, we can tailor the dimensions to a specific room, and we can make sure the inner surface is smooth and kind to the touch. Into every tub we also build an automatic whirlpool, so the active ingredients disperse evenly through the water and massage the body. All of that demands craftsmanship that mass production simply cannot offer.

• We choose the wood to suit the purpose - oak where maximum durability is needed, larch where softness should come to the fore.
• The staves are worked by hand so they seal without glue or chemical joints.
• The inner surface is smoothed so nothing chafes and nothing traps dirt.
• A whirlpool and a water feed set to 35-38 °C are integrated into the structure.
• Every tub is thoroughly tested for watertightness before it goes into service.

The result is a vessel that survives years of demanding use and yet feels like a piece of honest furniture rather than a plumbing fixture. When you lower yourself into a hand-built tub during one of our treatments, you are sitting in something into which someone poured time, experience and care. And that is part of why people feel different here than in an ordinary wellness centre.

How the wood works with beer, wine and herbs

A wooden tub is not merely a passive vessel that holds water. It is an active element that joins in the chemistry of the bath. When we add Žatec hops, malt extract and brewer's yeast to a beer bath, the wood neither absorbs nor destroys these substances but lets them work at full strength. At the same time the oak tannins gently shape the character of the water - much as wine ageing in an oak barrel gains depth and structure. You are sitting in a setting where timber and active ingredients work hand in hand.

With a wine bath the interplay is even clearer. Into the water go red wine, grape-seed extract, vine leaves, honey, herbs and French lavender flowers. The polyphenols and antioxidants from the grapes are among the substances that dermatological research links to protecting the skin against oxidative stress. Warm water in a wooden tub opens the pores and helps these compounds act more effectively on the skin. Meanwhile the larch tub in Smaragdový pramen, with its gentle resinous scent, rounds out the whole wine experience for the senses.

Our advice for the hours after the soak matters too. Once you step out of the tub, we suggest not washing the beer or wine extract off with soap for about two hours. That way the skin stays softer and better nourished for a day or two. The wood plays its part here simply by having kept those substances active and warm throughout the treatment instead of letting them go cold. There is a shower in every room, of course, but a rinse with clean water and no soap is more than enough.

The pairing of material and content, then, is deliberate. Oak underlines the robust, malty, tannic character of the beer in Zlatý pramen, while larch softens the wine and herbal soak in the intimate rooms. This is no accident but a considered choice, one that makes every bath more than a plunge into warm water.

Longevity, hygiene and caring for wooden tubs

Guests often ask: isn't a wooden tub unhygienic? The answer is a clear no - quite the opposite. Cared for properly, wood is an exceptionally suitable material, and the key lies in the properties of the oak and larch themselves. Oak tyloses plug the wood's conducting vessels, and larch resin acts as a natural preservative, so neither timber is the breeding ground for bacteria one might imagine. Even so, we take hygiene extremely seriously and clean each tub thoroughly between guests.

With regular maintenance, a wooden tub lasts a long time. Timber that is in regular contact with water and then properly dried stays in good condition for years. The worst thing that can happen to a wooden vessel is, paradoxically, drying out - shrunken staves pull apart, gaps open up and the tub begins to leak. That is why wooden tubs are kept slightly moist and are never left to dry out completely for long. Because we built the tubs by hand, we know exactly how to look after them.

• After every guest the water is drained and the tub is cleaned and disinfected.
• The wood is kept at the right moisture level so it neither dries out nor cracks.
• The natural substances in oak and larch reduce the risk of bacterial growth.
• The inner surface is checked to make sure it stays smooth and free of cracks.
• Water at 35-38 °C is warm enough for comfort yet gentle on both the timber and the skin.

The upshot is that you can lower yourself into one of our wooden tubs knowing it is clean, safe and ready for you and you alone. Honest natural wood, tended by someone who understands it, is not a step down from modern materials - it is a conscious choice in favour of quality. And that quality carries through the whole experience, whether you pick a beer bath or a wine bath.

Which room and which wood to choose

When you book a bath with us, you are in fact choosing the wood you will be sitting in, too. For a couple after privacy and quiet above all, the ideal choice is Rubínový pramen with its single larch tub. This is our most intimate room, where the pale larch adds to the sense of closeness and ease. A beer bath here starts from 148 EUR for the whole booking - the price is always per room, whether you come alone or as two. A wine bath in a single tub starts from 201 EUR, and that includes a bottle of wine brought straight to your room.

Anyone arriving in a larger party, or wanting two different soaks at once, belongs in Zlatý pramen. Here two oak tubs stand side by side, and this is the only room where they can run at the same time. Two beer baths for up to four guests start from 190 EUR, a beer-and-wine combination from 238 EUR, and two wine baths from 268 EUR - again, always per room. The sturdy oak carries the load of group service and gives the water that malty, tannic character that suits a shared celebration.

For those seeking the height of luxury there is Smaragdový pramen - our V.I.P. room with a larch tub and a cedar phyto-barrel. Every premium package takes place here, for one or two guests, in a longer format of 2.5 to 3 hours. The V.I.P. Beer SPA starts from 293 EUR, the V.I.P. Wine SPA and Delux Wine SPA from 326 EUR. Here larch works alongside cedar to create a noble, coniferous setting.

If you are planning a bath as a gift, consider our gift vouchers, valid for a year - the recipient chooses the room, and the wood, that suits them best. And if you are unsure which to pick, get in touch through our contact page and we will gladly advise. Booking is quick and easy online through the reservation form, done in a matter of minutes.

Why the material of the tub really does matter in the end

We could argue purely on practical grounds - wood holds heat, oak is durable, larch preserves itself. All of that is true, and on its own it would be reason enough. But the real value of a wooden tub lies a layer deeper, in how you experience the time you spend in our private rooms as a whole. Spa culture is not only about water temperature and chemical composition; it is about the overall feeling, about switching off from an ordinary day and returning to something authentic.

Wood is a material people instinctively associate with calm, warmth and nature. Sink into warm, aromatic water surrounded by real oak or larch and you find yourself not in a sterile clinical space but in a refuge. Add to that the soft light, the gentle scent of hops or wine, the quiet ripple of the whirlpool and the warmth of an electric fireplace that spreads a cosy glow with no open flame. After the soak you rest on a heated bed of straw. The whole room is designed so that every sense finds its calm - and the wooden tub sits at the centre of it all.

This philosophy has guided Lázně Pramen since 2008, and it shows in every detail. We do not choose materials for being the cheapest or the easiest to maintain, but for what best serves the guest's experience. Oak and larch passed that test. Each brings something different - oak the strength and reliability for the sociable Zlatý pramen, larch the softness and warmth for the intimate Rubínový pramen and the luxurious Smaragdový pramen.

So the next time you book a bath with us, know that you have chosen more than a treatment. You have chosen a material proven over centuries, one that holds your warmth, protects your comfort and completes the scent of every soak. Honest wood, work done by hand and a considered choice - that is the foundation on which we build every one of your visits.