Hungary-based hotel and spa operator Danubius Group has announced it is to refurbish two of its spa hotels – the hotel Thermia Palace and Hotel Irma – on the Slovakian spa island of Piestany.

The revamp will include a comprehensive redevelopment of the spa facilities at the 135-room Thermia Palace as well as the refurbishment of the balneotherapy centre at Hotel Irma.

The 400m Slovak Crown (£7.3m, US$12.7m, 10.6m euro) work will be undertaken by Austrian construction company AST Baugesellschaft.

The exact details of the work have yet to be confirmed, but construction is expected to be completed by Christmas 2006, when the spa scheduled to receive its first guests.

Existing facilities at the Thermia Palace spa include outdoor and indoor thermal baths, a large mud pool, five physiotherapy rooms, six electrotherapy stations, an inhalation therapy room, five individual thermal bath tubs and six rooms for mud packs.

Other amenities include four massage rooms, three hydrotherapy rooms, two treatment rooms for dry carbon baths, two stations for oxygen therapy, a sauna and a relaxation area.

Treatments at both spas are focused on the mud pool and include mud packs and wraps, dry carbon baths, classical massages, aromatherapy and hydrotherapy.

All beauty treatments at the spas will be supplied by Clarins.

Danubius is targeting two groups of guests for the spas. It hopes to attract both guests coming for a therapeutical spa experience as well as ones wishing to relax and pamper themselves. Details: www.danubiushotels.com