Spa
The Latin word “spa” has long since been used in balneology and has been around since the 1st century AD. Spa springs are still used as they were in the late 16th century and have become a phenomenon across the globe. In the 18th century doctors began to prescribe spa procedures, treatment going hand in hand with entertainment, rest and exercise.
After Peter the Great took the cure in 1717, the town of Spa became a fashionable spot where the European aristocracy would gather. The spa industry played a huge part in Spa’s development, the town naturally growing around the main spring and out into the forested landscape.
Promenades running between the springs provide views of the hills and have been constructed to emphasise the curative power of nature. This “therapeutic landscape” is a very popular feature of the spa at Spa. The thermal springs are well protected which has had a marked effect on the way the town developed since the late 18th century.
Spa has everything a proper spa town should have: several springs, pavilions surrounded by simple gardens, spas with thermal water, casinos, places people can meet, parks and gardens, hotels and villas and that all-important curative spa landscape.