Herceg Novi Health & Beauty

Most towns on the Adriatic have a spa. Herceg Novi has a medical-tourism industry, and it's been here longer than most of the hotels. The Institute Dr Simo Milošević in Igalo has been operating since the 1940s on the strength of two local natural resources: a seawater peloid (therapeutic mud) from the bay, and mineral-rich spring water from the hills behind. Patients are referred here from across Europe, often for rheumatology, post-surgical rehabilitation and respiratory conditions.

Full programmes run from five days to three weeks; the complex is run as a medical institution rather than a resort, so there's a clinical feel to it. For short-stay visitors, single-day and two-day packages are available at €40 to €120 covering mud applications, underwater massage, kinesitherapy and physiotherapy sessions.

If you want a more conventional spa experience, hotel spas along the Igalo promenade and in Topla offer facials, hot-stone massage, hammam treatments, manicures, pedicures and full-body scrubs. A standard 60-minute massage runs €25 to €50.

Everyday healthcare runs through Dom Zdravlja Meljine (the public health centre, 2 km east of the Old Town) for non-urgent consultations, and a network of pharmacies on Njegoševa including several with late or 24-hour hours. Most pharmacists speak basic English.