SPA HISTORY

SPA History and General Information Sheet.

SPA Vouchers - Click here to view our SPA Vouchers for Mums

When people mention the word SPA it conjures up different thoughts and images for different people. The word SPA is known to connect with water and treatments,
also known by the name Balneotherapy. The practice of going to the SPA (as in hot or cold springs) to cure yourself of some disease or problem, actually travels
right back to pre-historic times, although most people associate it with the Roman Empire and Greeks. There are even records showing Greek mythology playing a part
that certain specified natural springs or tidal pools were blessed by the gods and were able to cure a variety of diseases.

There are many SPA towns in the UK with the most well known being Bath. Today you can also find Spas within luxury hotels but not a 'true' SPA.

The thinking behind the benefits of a SPA are the believed benefits of the minerals within the water and this dates back many years. This practice is used around the
world and especially in Europe and Japan.

Did you know: Where Bath's SPA is built, there are signs of human activity back to 8,000 years B.C and according to legend, a Prince, called Prince Bladud, who also happened to have leprosy, was cured after bathing in the hot muddy waters. Bladud founded the City of Bath around the springs in 863BC as a result.

Mineral spa - This term comes from the name of a Roman town in Belgium. It is thought that as its name was 'Aquae Spadanae' the name originated from here.

Did you know: In Medieval times, people experiencing iron deficiency were treated by drinking chalybeate (spring water that had iron in it). In fact in the medieval
England, Roman ideas of medicinal bathing were revived at towns like Bath, after a number of people had visited towns in Belgium. Interestingly a chalybeate spring was
discovered in Yorkshire and a wall was built around the enclosed well. This place went on to be known as Harrogate. It was called the English Spaw, which went on to be
known as SPA.

Some quarters believed the word SPA came from a couple of Latin words "Salus Per Aquam” or "Sanitas Per Aquam". These Latin phrases meaning "health through
water". Although some people question this as see it as most unlikely due to the fact that the derivation doesn't appear before the early 21st century

Archaeological SPA information:

As mentioned earlier, SPAs pre date the Romans and in fact some digs in France and the Czech Republic uncovered Bronze Age tools and other items dating from that
era. The belief was that bathing in these springs would not only bring about physical healing but also mental healing (i.e spiritual healing). This dates back to native
Americans, Persians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. While today we have physical structures in place to protect the SPAs, in these times there was
little structure in place and were seen as temporary arrangements.

Greece is widely known for the practice of bathing and the earliest findings can be found in Knossos, Crete and Akrotiri, Santorini. These date back to around the mid-
2nd millennium BC. It was a widely practiced that offerings to the Gods were left around the pool as the person bathed in hope of a cure. Spartans were the first people
to create a bathing chambers with lots of vapour in them to have a vapour bathing effect. Typically these chambers would have mosaic floors of different themes such
as horses, dogs, chariots etc, some of which are still around today at various ruins. Bathhouses were quite often built along side athletic facilities


It is widely accepted that the Romans went a step further that the Greeks particularly with regards to size, facilities and complexity of Spas. The main reasons for this advancement being:

1. Population
2. Running water
3. Aqueducts
4. Cement

As a result, the concept of the 'public' bath became more apparent, which in turn started the trend towards the activity becoming more social and a leisure activity.
The baths were still seen as medicinal and widely used for the treatment of rheumatism and arthritis.

SPA Ritual

The process involved in having a SPA was not a simple one and involved a number of stages and different rooms for each stage. Getting undressed, bathing, sweating,
having a massage, and relaxing, all needed a different room for this to be completed.

Bathing in later times

As the Roman Empire declined, the Spas fell in to disrepute and the behavior probably spread further diseases rather than their original purpose of trying to cure a
person. In fact the thinking changed from that of a healthy activity to one associated with illness and disease !

Regardless, people still looked to find 'select' springs which were thought to be Holy and cure a variety of diseases. By the 16th century, physicians were advising not
only to bathe in the water externally, but to take the water internally. One such source being Karlsbad. Bathing could even be up to eleven hours while drinking water at
the same time.

The first British SPA seaside report was reported in 1626 in Scarborough as acidic water had been found from the cliffs. This produced a huge influx of people to this
seaside resort, later the cure was then further extended by sea bathing.


Wealthy people initially saw bathing as a lower class activity but thinking soon changed as they began to visit these locations to partake in the drinking and bathing in
these waters. There is a report that in 1702 Queen Anne went to Bath, as did Richard (Beau) Nash. The activity of bathing became more social as previously and it
was not uncommon for activities such as
music concerts, theatre, dancing, fashions show, playing cards and even lectures on a wide variety of subjects took place.

SPA Vouchers

A typical day at Bath then:

Early morning communal bath
Invitation only breakfast party
Drinking water
Fashion show

As before, it was widely recommended to not only bathe in the water, but also to partake in the drinking of. As the revival of the Spas began again, they were seen as
the centre for social activity and plenty of gossip and scandal !

So what about a modern day SPA...what's available ?

SPA treatments typically include

- Aromatherapy
- Bathing or soaking in any of the following:
- Hot spring
- Onsen (Japanese Hot Springs)
- Thermae (Roman Hot Springs)
- Hot tub
- Mud bath
- Peat pulp bath
- Sauna
- Steam bath
- Body wraps, wrapping the body in hot linens, plastic sheets and blankets, or mud wraps, often in combination with herbal compounds.
- Facials, facial cleansing with a variety of products
- Massage
- Nail care such as manicures and pedicures
- Nutrition and weight guidance
- Personal training
- Skin exfoliation, including chemical peels and microdermabrasion
- Yoga and meditation
- Waxing, the removal of body hair with hot wax

History of Bath's Spa

Did you know: Bath, UKh is a UNESCO World Heritage Site


So there you have it, a brief potted history filled with some random bits of information, all about SPA's


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