The article is devoted to the status of a spa municipality as – on the one hand – a municipality enjoying a special legal status and – onthe other hand – asa special area fulfilling protective functions for its unique characteristics resulting in spa treatment operations in a given area. The special legal status of a spa municipality is reflected in the variety of natures of the system, special governing laws to which it is subject, as well as in special powers to which it is entitled. The special area consists in the implementation of specific governing laws (orders and bans) in a given area, being mandatory for everyone including an entry ban into the given area.