Articles
Basic info
Treatments & activities
Additional info
|
Brief history of spa (including Roman times)
There are different versions explaining the origin of the word and concept of SPA. The most popular refers to the times of the Roman Empire when the legionnaires sought for a way to recover from their ailments and wounds, received in the battles. They discovered thermal water being a relief to their aches, built baths at the springs areas, naming them “aquae” and the hot water treatments undertaken there - “Sanus Per Aquam” (SPA), which means health by/through water. In this period the town Spa was founded in Belgium to provide the homonymous services and baths, reaching its peak of fame in the 14th century and existing until today. In the following years the culture of Spa spread out all over Europe and developed from the original use of the mineral water to a wide range of other therapies, such as Thalassotherapy (including sea water and marine substances). In 19th century many great spas were created in Europe and became destinations for the wealthy, who went there on a spa vacation. Even today, the spa concept has kept the hydrotherapy as a core feature together with the pampering procedures.
The first period: classical age
According to some classical writers, the first period in the spa history is 500 BC, when the ancient Greeks used social baths, as well as hot air baths, known as laconica. 475 years later, under the rule of Emperor Agrippa the first Roman "thermae" (a large-scale spa) was created, and in the following periods there was a remarkable development in the features of the thermae. Through the years, such spas were built in the whole Roman Empire, including areas from Africa to England. Besides the healing services and various types of baths, the complexes included also sport centres and restaurants. Thus, after exercising in the fitness room, the ritual could have included also alternate passing through progressively warmer rooms, where the body was bathed, then anointed with oils, massaged and exfoliated. The procedure would end with a refreshing dip in the "frigidarium", and followed by relaxation in specially appointed rooms.
Second period: spa culture going around the world
Besides the Roman spa traditions, combining hot with cold baths, sport activities with massages and relaxation, other cultures from all over the world formed their own spa traditions. Spa has been popular in Japan since 737 A.D., when the first "onsen" (hot spring) area near Izumo became public thermal area, and it has taken a centuries for the Japanese to build the first "ryoken" (inns), where people could find accommodation and fine food, Zen gardens, outdoor and indoor baths. Approximately 300 years later, the widely used today sauna appeared in Finland, including combinative rituals as sweating in the sauna and plunge in icy lakes, complemented by plenty of beer or vodka. The Ottomans have been always famous for their hammams beautifully constructed with mosaic, which beginning was founded with building the Baths of Roxelana in 16th century, arranged with massive towering steam rooms, private washing quarters, and massaging platforms. Besides health centre, Roxelana became an important place for socializing, particularly for Muslim women.
Third period: spa traditions in Europe
Main characteristic of the spa is being located around natural hot springs. Yet in the Renaissance era, there were many resorts that became popular baths and healing places built around thermal springs, such as Charlemagne's Aachen and Bonaventura's Poretta in Western Europe, Paracelsus' mountain mineral springs at Paeffers (Switzerland), Baden-Baden (Germany) and towns like Spa (Belgium). In 16th century, the first scientific book (based on the Czech Karlovy Vary health treatments) was published, recommending the usage of thermal baths and tonics. In the 1890s, the village of Bad Worishofen became famous by the holistic herbal and water therapy, developed by Sebastian Kneipp, the father of the renowned “Kneipp therapy”. Approximately in the same period, the spa went through a downside when public baths across Europe were closed because of the spread of plague and in France baths were destroyed in an effort to prevent a syphilis epidemic.
Germany boasts specific development in its spa traditions – a comparatively new trend combining climatology, balneology and promoting the use of natural therapies before the medical drugs, known as the German Cure System. It is supportive instrument to the National Health System and is used by doctors to prescribe a natural treatment when the other medical methods do not work effectively. In fact, the person with ailments is sent to a spa village with appropriate climate where the spa treatments (e.g. hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, hot packs and inhalation therapy) aim at bringing the patient a long-term physical, mental and spiritual equilibrium. The result of this system appeared to be very significant, since the amount of sick days in Germany dropped by 60% and the drug consumption decreased with more than 60%. This urged the health insurance companies to pay for the “Kur” system in the last 40 years.
|