The World of Spa
Roman era spa towns
Romans were all about bathing and almost each town had its public baths with wealthy Romans their own private ones . Some of these towns were reputed for the mineral content of their spring waters and their presumed healing properties; these are the spa towns we are listing here
(June 2023: we are still adding, work in progress)
Purple spas are designated Unesco heritage
Black spas are historical towns that do not offer significant public or hotel thermal baths anymore
Blue spas are still very active spa towns with public thermal baths or hotels with significant spring water facilities
Grey spas are not really full-blown spas towns but recognized in their country for their facilities linked to spring waters
Modern era spa towns
We lost the need to visit a public bath thanks to technology and our own private bathrooms for most of us, or at least a nearby semi-private bathroom.Â
Now we visit spa towns to enjoy their XIX century architecture, take the waters in their public baths or hotels. We list here most of the spa towns either still in activity (in blue) or without significant termal baths anymore but worth visiting for their history. All being subjective of course, and before you send us nastygrams, remember that a hot spring does not spa town make.
(June 2023: we are still adding, work in progress)
