Farhad Heydari
Taking the waters in Continental style
“So this is how it must have been during Roman times,” whispers my girlfriend, Anna, as we luxuriate in hedonistic bare bliss on the floor of one of four shallow pools, arranged under an ornate russet-colored dome and columned amphitheater, in Friedrichsbad: the world-famous Roman-Irish bath in the Black Forest Eden of Baden Baden.
Like most pleasure-seeking sybarites, we’ve made the trip to the southwestern part of Germany to enjoy the centuries-old healing power of the thermal or mineral waters, which sprout out in more than a handful of Kurorte (health resorts) throughout the region—almost all of them with a name consisting of the German word for bath (bad)...
Taking the waters in Continental style
“So this is how it must have been during Roman times,” whispers my girlfriend, Anna, as we luxuriate in hedonistic bare bliss on the floor of one of four shallow pools, arranged under an ornate russet-colored dome and columned amphitheater, in Friedrichsbad: the world-famous Roman-Irish bath in the Black Forest Eden of Baden Baden.
Like most pleasure-seeking sybarites, we’ve made the trip to the southwestern part of Germany to enjoy the centuries-old healing power of the thermal or mineral waters, which sprout out in more than a handful of Kurorte (health resorts) throughout the region—almost all of them with a name consisting of the German word for bath (bad)...
Farhad Heydari
Taking the waters in Continental style
“So this is how it must have been during Roman times,” whispers my girlfriend, Anna, as we luxuriat... more
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1
Bath, England
Thermae Bath Spa
Having been mothballed for 28 years (after the accidental death of a schoolgirl), the waters that gave this city its name (Aquae Sulis in Latin), are once again being used in therapeutic ways-this time in a new state-of-the-art complex. Designed by noted architect Nicholas Grimshaw, Thermae Bath Spa, Britain's lone natural spring spa was built at an estimated cost of $48 million, just a stone's throw from the city's celebrated Roman baths (now a historical site). The vertical spa, with a communal subterranean pool and another rooftop one bookending levels where massages are administered and where guests enjoy cylindrical steam rooms done-up in glass, is a modernist experience in a palladium-style townhouse that's popular with people of all ages, who soak away in water that comes to the surface at a steamy 113 degrees Fahrenheit and is said to cure ailments ranging from arthritis and rheumatic disorders to asthma and infertility.
2
Monaco
Thermes de Monte-Carlo
Among just 19 locales (around the Med and the Atlantic) to be credited by the Federation of Thalassotherapy and recognized for its state-of-the-art facilities, the Monte Carlo Spa, like the handful of other Thalasso resorts meets a strict set of guidelines. It's no more than 1,000 meters from the sea, uses natural sea water heated to no more than 50 degrees Celsius for the purposes of treatments and whilst using natural products never reuses any of its mud or seaweed. Plus, it's spread over four floors, and caters to the über jet-set in this tiny principality.
3
Leukerbad
Switzerland
Celebrated throughout Europe for the curative powers of its hot springs (an estimated 793,000 gallons bubble to the surface daily and supply this rarefied redoubts' 22 spa baths), Leukerbad dates to Roman times but is little-known to most Americans. Until now. Located in an Alpine cul-de-sac at an altitude of 4,600-feet with one road in and out and some good intermediate skiing superjacent, most who make the journey come for the cures and the Roman-Irish baths, which combine hot and cold air and water (hence the name), to warm and cool the body as a way to build up ones immune system. The sober Alpentherme, the largest Alpine wellness centre in Europe, complements the party atmosphere at Burgerbad, the largest thermal spa resort in the Alps, with ten pools, including a dedicated one for children.
4
Iceland
Blue Lagoon spa
Few thermal bath experiences anywhere can match the sheer pomp and pantomime of this, Iceland's chef-d'oeuvre and the country's most visited attraction. The 1.2-acre site, located 40-minutes outside the capital Reykjavik, is a sybaritic outdoor lotusland in a natural bowl of hardened lava. Currently undergoing an expansion to cope with an influx of visitors (Iceland's North Atlantic perch, equidistant to Europe and North America, is an attractive choice for holidaymakers), the fluorescent-blue geothermal waters, as well as the emulsified salty, white mud that patrons use as mud-packs, are said to have exfoliating qualities and revitalizing characteristics.
5
Bad Ischl
Austria- Kaisertherme
Nestled in a lush valley in the southern part of the state of Upper Austria, just 55 Km from Salzburg, this idyllic town counts, among its devotees of yesteryear, Emperor Franz Joseph and Mozart, both of whom came to rejuvenate in the city's famed hot springs (full of salt and sulfur) and partook in rudimentary mud-baths. The waters here, are said to alleviate respiratory tract, dermatological and cardiovascular problems.
6
Merano , Italy
Therme Meran
Located along the south bank of the River Passer in the heart of the Dolomites -- a region so breathtaking the French architect Le Corbusier described it as the most beautiful architecture in the world -- the newly opened and equally attractive Merano Thermal Baths was designed by homegrown architect Matteo Thun. The expansive, steel-and-glass complex is a modernist showpiece located in the heart of tiny Merano and sprawls across 25 indoor and outdoor sulfur-infused pools, saunas and steam rooms all fed from a depth of 2,350 meters by 33°C thermal waters, which were originally discovered in 1836. All-natural therapies, including apple-bud baths, radon water massages and grape mudpacks complement medical treatments for rheumatism and hypertension, among others.
7
Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
Castle Spa
Also known as Carlsbad, from the German Karlsbad, this legendary spa (it dates back to 1350) has lured rules like Peter the Great, Emperor Franz Josef and King Edward VII, composers like Beethoven, Chopin, Wagner and Liszt, and writers such as Goethe, Turgenev, Tolstoy and Marx. The colorful town boasts 16 springs (ranging in temperature from 102 to a steamy 163 degrees Fahrenheit), each infused with sodium-bicarbonate-sulfate and carbon dioxide that are said to cure a whole host of metabolic and gastrointestinal maladies. Unlike other spas, visitors, including the recent likes of Gregory Peck and Whoopi Goldberg, are encouraged to drink the mineral-rich waters.
8
Spa, Belgium
Thermes de Spa
Synonymous with pampering, this town in Belgium's Wallonia was discovered by Romans and where the term "spa" originates. It wasn't until the mid-18th century when it flourished as a resort-an evolution that continues today with the recent revamp of the city's famed Thermes de Spa complex. Located along a wooded couloir overlooking this archetypal, however fading, French classicist town, the 19th century look has been eschewed for a mod concrete and glass construction. That forward-leaning ethos means that while you'll still be able to enjoy traditional remedies and water cures flush with oodles of minerals, you can also look forward to ground-breaking initiatives like their Mother and Baby Institute (L'Institut Maman-Bébé), which encourages mothers to head to the spa, unusually, avec baby.
9
Budapest, Hungry
Széchenyi Spa
There are few things more traditional than taking to the mineral-filled hot springs of Budapest's ornate neo-baroque Széchenyi Spa. Steeped in lore, this, one of the largest medicinal bath complexes in Europe, is more than just a place to do away with your malaise; it's a rite of passage, enjoyed in three outdoor pools that are fed with waters which emanate from 4,000 feet below terra firma and are imbued with a motley of beneficial elements, including sodium, calcium and magnesium. Equally seminal and traditional are the Gellért Thermal Baths, where springs, infused with magnesium, hydrocarbonate, alkali, calcium, chloride, fluoride and sulfate are said to cure osteoarthritis, neuralgia, ankylosing spondylitis and in a shrine-like space, complete with columns, stained-glass coronet and mosaics.
10
St Malo, France
The Thermes Marins
The breathtaking walled city of St. Malo, located on the northwestern coast of Brittany on a peninsula abutting the English Channel and with direct ferry access to Weymouth, has long been a favorite of holidaymakers from Britain, among other locales. And it's for good reason: in addition to its breathtaking setting and historic draws, it boasts a seaside center, complete with an outdoor pool surrounded by rose gardens, with Thalassotherapy. Derived from the Greek word thalassa, or sea, health-seekers who soak in the heated sea waters swear that it opens pores and, via an osmosis effect, allows the minerals to seep in and, among other things, loosen muscles and joints to say nothing of invigorating the lungs.
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