The Swiss healer Arnold Rikli was the first to recognise the healing benefits of Bled, building the first natural healing resort here in the 19th century. At the Rikli Balance Hotel, we continue his tradition with the desire and commitment to offer our guests the perfect environment to relax and overcome stress.
Arnold Rikli - Pioneer of Natural Healing in Bled, and originator of atmospheric healing
Arnold Rikli (1823-1906) discovered Bled thanks to his uncle Moser, director of the red dyehouse in Ajdovščina, who recommended the hidden gem of the Slovenian Alps as a place for him to gather his strength while recovering from a serious illness. Upon his very first visit in 1852, he was fascinated by the freshness of the air, the purity of the lake, the mild Alpine climate, and the stunning view of the Julian Alps, all of which restored his vitality. He took advantage of the natural resources here, and set up a natural healing institution at which he treated thousands of patients in later years. For the first 10 years, he worked as a hydropathist, but when he noticed that cold water was too aggressive, especially for patients with more severe ailments, he began to introduce milder methods, such as light, air, and sun baths. He later used water only as an additional element for hardening, or the so-called contrasting of opposites. As the founder of atmospheric health treatment, he also takes most of the credit for starting organised spa tourism in Bled.
Foto: Turizem Bled
Beneficial Power of Air, Water, and Sun
In order to improve his well-being, Rikli relied on the natural elements of Bled - air, water, and sun. He advocated plenty of exercise in fresh air, a moderate but quality vegetarian diet, and invigorating sleep. Living Rikli’s way means getting up before sunrise, drinking fresh Bled water on an empty stomach, walking barefoot on a meadow covered with morning dew, enjoying light meals, swimming, sunbathing, and plenty of walking and hiking in the fresh Alpine air.
200th anniversary of the birth of Arnold Rikli
In 2023, on February 13th to be precise, we are set to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Arnold Rikli, who greatly influenced the development of spa health treatments in Bled. On this venerable anniversary, we at the Rikli Balance Hotel will pay tribute to him in many different ways, with special attention also being paid to the Swiss healer by the Bled Municipality, which is further developing Rikli's hiking trails and publications about his legacy.
Learn more about the ARikli app, which combines all of Rikli's hiking trails.
Foto: Boris Pretnar, www.bled.si
The Rikli Balance Hotel – Tradition and Local Stories in the Service of Well-being
The very name, Rikli Balance Hotel, already hints at the story of the local environment’s rich wellness tradition, as started by the pioneer of natural healing in Bled, Arnold Rikli. In addition to his story, the hotel rooms also tell the stories of Carniolan honey bees, traditional Gorenjska embroidery, gingerbread hearts, and spruces from the nearby Pokljuka plateau. Discover local and traditional dishes at our restaurants, and relax at the wellness centre by treating yourself to Alpine and honey treatments. If you want to take advantage of the beneficial effects of nature and recharge your batteries with the goal of better health and well-being, the Rikli Balance Hotel is perfect for you.
More about the hotel.
The Rikli Regeneration Room at the Rikli Balance Hotel
The Rikli regeneration room was designed to offer a soothing environment for total relaxation and regeneration. 100% natural materials such as wool and wood are used for comfort, while chromotherapy with red, white, blue, and green light has a cleansing, relaxing, harmonising, reinvigorating effect. Some of the Rikli regeneration rooms have moss on the wall to purify the air and contribute to the total regeneration of the body and the spirit.
Rikli’s Relaxation Park
Rikli’s relaxation park, located in the close vicinity of the Rikli Balance Hotel, is meant for you to slow down the rhythm of life and take a few moments for your well-being. Reduce your stress levels and worries by walking on Rikli’s barefoot path, trade in your everyday problems for nature’s green embrace, hug a tree, and restore your health. By practising yoga in the wonderful environment of the park, you will calm your thoughts, relax your body, and regain well-being. You can also relax on the rocking chairs and benches.
More about the park.
Rikli's nutritional advice by month
fresh, healthy ingredients. In order for his patients to be able to follow his healthy dietary guidelines at home, he also published a special vegetarian cookbook that contained a menu for the whole year. You can read here which foods he recommended for individual months.
Vojko Zavodnik © All rights reserved
JANUARY
Soups, porridges and potato pancakes, turnips and cabbage, barley, lentils and beans in soups, purees, and porridges. Compotes from various fruits such as plum, peach, and cherry.
FEBRUARY
Soups and purees from cauliflower, dried beans and fennel, semolina porridge or soup, buckwheat žganci. Desserts include rice with apples, apple and potato rolls, pear or blueberry compote.
MARCH
Soups, porridges, and sauces made from spinach, barley, or horseradish. Pancakes or waffles, lamb’s lettuce salads, broccoli and radish. For dessert, poppy seed rolls, or a wasp's nest with various compotes.
APRIL
Roast potatoes, potato rolls, or diced potatoes with butter. Head lettuce with eggs, soup with oatmeal, white turnip. Apple cake or walnut strudel with plum compote.
MAY
Young lettuce, pickled turnip, millet or lentil soup. Polenta with cheese, thick sour milk, fresh kohlrabi, peas and carrots. Spinach or cheese strudel with rosehip, cornelian cherry, or medlar sauce.
JUNE
Yellow kohlrabi, potato žganci, corn pudding and herbal spätzle. Roasted sage leaves, courgettes, and head lettuce. Elderberry pockets, or pancakes with cranberry compote.
JULY
Green beans, ločika (lettuce), beetroot, and sugar snap peas. Macaroni with tomato sauce, steamed cucumbers. Rice porridge or rice dumplings with cherry compote.
AUGUST
Swiss chard, spinach, courgettes, white roast potatoes, various vegetable soups and pickled beets. Semolina pudding or buckwheat pudding with raspberry sauce.
SEPTEMBER
Potato žganci, wide noodles, yellow kohlrabi, peas and pickles. Barley or bean soup, pancakes or rice porridge with apple compote.
OCTOBER
Pickled turnips, pea puree, brown semolina soup and potato dumplings. Mixed salad and mashed potato. Cake made from milk spätzle or water spätzle, with cheese and apple compote.
NOVEMBER
White turnip, fresh peas with rice, sauerkraut. Potato pancakes or porridge, lentil soup. Strudel with sour cream and tomato sauce. Oven-baked pockets, or poppy seed roll with cherry sauce.
DECEMBER
Endive or watercress salad, buckwheat žganci with tomato sauce, boiled potatoes with cheese or chestnuts. Milk rice or rice with apples and applesauce.
Gastronomy Rikli’s Way at the Rikli Balance Hotel
Arnold Rikli was a proponent of ascetic and vegetarian diets. His menu consisted of local, fresh, healthy ingredients, which can also be found at the Rikli Balance Hotel restaurant. Some of the foods approved by Rikli himself that you can find on our breakfast and dinner menus are:
Breakfast
Dinner
Vegetarian menu according to Arnold Rikli at the Julijana Restaurant
You can try the vegetarian menu according to Arnold Rikli at the Julijana Restaurant at Grand Hotel Toplice, starting on 8 April 2022. In addition to superb dishes made from seasonal vegetables, the menu also features many delicious desserts.
Spend a day like Arnold Rikli
04.30/05.00
Get up before sunrise. On an empty stomach, drink a glass of fresh tap water. Climb one of the surrounding hills: Straža, Ojstrica, Osojnica, or further to Talež or Hom. At the top, first take an "air bath": take five deep breaths and do 10 squats, push-ups, and star jumps. This should be followed by a "light bath" in the first rays of the sun.
8.30 – 9.00
Take a walk in light clothes and comfortable shoes, and on the grassy sections walk barefoot on the dewy grass, which will massage your feet and stimulate your blood circulation. Instead of taking on one of the surrounding hills, you can also walk barefoot on Rikli’s barefoot trail in Rikli’s relaxation park next to the hotel, where you can also take your first morning air and sunlight bath.
9.00 – 10.00
Enjoy a healthy breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Enjoy meatless dishes: homemade black bread, butter and honey, local dairy products, millet porridge with dried fruit, fresh fruit and vegetables. Drink fresh water or unsweetened herbal tea.
10.00 – 12.00
Take another sunlight bath on the shores of Lake Bled, followed by a water bath in the lake. After a cold swim, walk part of the way along the lake at a faster pace to reheat your body.
12.00 – 14.00
Participants of Rikli’s therapies have breakfast for the second time at noon, while you can eat a light lunch at the hotels' aperitif bars or at Cafe Park on the shore of the lake. Food should be exclusively vegetarian, and drink only fresh water. Don't eat too much, as lunch will be followed by new activities!
14.00 - 19.00
You can repeat the air, light, and water baths on the shores of the lake. Finish them off with an extended walk. We recommend the path around the lake, or an ascent to nearby Straža or Ojstrica, with their beautiful views of the castle, lake, and island. After an active day, treat yourself to a massage and sauna at the Živa wellness centre, and take a bath in thermal water, which will further enhance the effects of the wellness treatments.
19.00 – 20.00
Dinner time. Enjoy light and exclusively vegetarian dishes. We recommend dishes with ingredients or crops from local suppliers.
20.00 – 21.00
Rent a yoga mat and perform evening exercises, or meditate in Rikli’s relaxation park.
21.00
Arnold Rikli always recommended an early bedtime. At 9 pm, there had to be complete peace and quiet in his health resort. After an active day, a refreshing sleep will be incredibly beneficial. In the morning, you will wake up completely rejuvenated!
Additional experiences according to Rikli's tradition
Aktualne posebne ponudbe
