“I was fascinated by the idea of being able to extract a completely natural, homegrown healing remedy from the thermal spring water out of the depths of the Styrian earth”, says entrepreneur Hermann Kaltenböck, the founder of the Speltenbacher Thermalwasser GmbH.

The thermal spring Speltenbach was discovered in the course of geothermal drilling in 1984/85. The drill project “Fuerstenfeld Thermal” went to a depth of 3,145 m and was thus the deepest bore-hole within the Styrian basin at the time. The water from the thermal spring with its high concentration of salt was a source of great fascination for Hermann Kaltenböck, founder of the Speltenbacher Thermalwasser GmbH. In order to assess the real value of the thermal spring, a medical-balneological expertise and a big medicinal spa water analysis were undertaken by the University of Graz. The results were astounding:   

The sodium–iron–chloride–iodide thermal brine has recognized curative medicinal effects.

Hermann Kaltenböck therefore had the idea of extracting a natural Styrian HEALING SALT from this very valuable and highly saline medicinal spa. With a pilot installation, HEALING SALT was produced and, in collaboration with a dermatologist, patients were recruited that suffered from psoriasis or neurodermatitis. Initial results were very positive. The feedback was consistently positive. The development of the whole process took its course on a step by step basis.

On a property directly adjacent to the medicinal spa Speltenbach an operations building was constructed, into which the thermal brine was pumped from a depth of 1600 m and, with the aid of a healing salt extraction unit, was then processed into the valuable Speltenbach HEALING SALT.