Resorts of Catalonia. Thermal spas in Spain, mineral springs
A person is three-quarters water, so it is not surprising that water can be an excellent treatment when the human body begins to malfunction. People have known about the healing properties of mineral and thermal springs since time immemorial and have been taking full advantage of this for thousands of years. Nowadays, traditional knowledge, combined with the latest technologies, has turned ordinary hydropathic clinics into comfortable resorts, where you can not only improve your health, but also have a great time relaxing and unwinding. Therefore, if you decide to spend your vacation not only interesting, but also with health benefits, resorts with mineral and thermal springs can be an excellent choice. And balneological hospitals and spa resorts in the north of Spain are doubly the right choice, since they are all also very conveniently located: here you have healing waters, a stone’s throw to the coast, interesting mountain routes for walking within walking distance, and all sorts of attractions in There's plenty in the area.
In our article we will tell you about the 4 most famous and best thermal resorts with medicinal waters in northern Spain.
These thermal resorts in Spain are especially popular in winter. After all, you can always combine a health holiday in the north of Spain and skiing in the same neighboring Andorra.
Thermal resort and SPA hotel Elgorriaga (Navarra)
The resort of Elgorriaga is located in the picturesque Malerreca Valley at the foot of the Navarrean Pyrenees. The high concentration of salts in water from a local thermal spring was noticed back in the mid-19th century. Thanks to the high concentration of salt and chloride (312 g and 304 g per liter, respectively), this is the most mineralized water in the world.
The waters of this resort, rich in chlorine, sodium, iron, bromine and iodine, are useful for rheumatism, neuralgia, rhinitis and sinusitis, and all kinds of skin diseases.
Elgorriaga has four mineral water pools, one of which is called the “flotarium” (from the Spanish flotar “to stay afloat”), which gets its name because the high salt concentration of the water literally pushes the body to the surface. The health complex is also equipped with a Finnish sauna, Turkish bath, contrast showers, jacuzzi, and relaxation area. Here you will also be offered a wide selection of different types of massages and wraps.
Balneario Elgorriaga is located not far from Pamplona, it will be more convenient to get to it by your own car or order a transfer from our company.
Distances: Pamplona – 50 km, San Sebastian – 54 km, Bilbao – 150 km
Thermal resort of Fitero (Navarra)
The healing properties of the water from the Fitero springs have been used for medicinal purposes since Roman times. The ruins of ancient baths have been preserved on the territory of the resort to this day. In 1157, the springs were transferred to the ownership of a local monastery. The hydropathic clinic, in the modern sense, has existed here since 1909. The resort has two hotels: Palafox and Gustavo Adolfo Béquer. The latter is named after the famous Spanish poet, who repeatedly came to these places to improve his health.
Thermal waters of Fitero, rich in sodium, chlorine and bromine, are useful in the treatment of diseases of the respiratory tract, musculoskeletal system, help normalize blood circulation, remove toxins from the body, and have a general therapeutic and relaxing effect.
Although the resort is equipped with the latest balneal technology, its main attraction is the bathhouse in a natural karst cave. There are also two swimming pools with thermal water: indoor and outdoor.
The thermal resort of Fitero is closest to the city of Logrono. It will also be most convenient to get to it by car.
Distances: Logroño – 90 km, Pamplona – 100 km, Zaragoza – 100 km, Madrid – 300 km
Thermal resort of Seston (Gipuzkoa, Basque Country)
The discovery of the healing properties of the springs of Cestona is attributed to the Marquis de San Millan, who in 1760 noticed that his dogs, after bathing in the water from the springs, got rid of a skin disease that had been suffering for a long time. In 1792, the “salty waters” were opened for public use, and in 1804 the first sanatorium was built here. Thanks to the healing properties of the water, the resort gained international fame, and the peak of its popularity occurred at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries.
Water from local thermal springs - with a high content of sodium sulfates and chloride sulfates - is useful for diseases of the liver and gall bladder, is effective in the treatment of various forms of dermatitis and psoriasis, and is ideal for recovery from injuries to the musculoskeletal system.
The Gran Hotel Balneario de Seston is housed in a magnificent Belle Epoque building. The hotel has 127 comfortable rooms with beautiful mountain views. It is also worth noting that this thermal resort is only 35 km from San Sebastian, and the nearest beach in Zumaia is only 8 km.
Thermal resort and SPA hotel Arnedillo (La Rioja)
The thermal waters of Arnedillo are classified as sodium chloride, calcium sulfate, high in boron, iron and magnesium.
The well-equipped thermal complex TermaEuropa Arnedillo is ideal for the treatment of diseases such as rheumatism, arthritis, arthrosis, chronic bronchitis. Local thermal waters also help relieve stress and promote complete relaxation. The resort complex also includes a modern SPA hotel, offering, in addition to accommodation in comfortable rooms, a wide range of various SPA treatments.
Distances: Logroño – 61 km, Pamplona – 115 km, Zaragoza – 153 km, San Sebastian – 200 km
Pyrenalis Atlantic is ready to help organize a wellness holiday not only in the above-mentioned thermal resorts of Navarra, the Basque Country and Rioja, but also in the entire north of Spain as a whole.
In the Valencian region alone there are more than 100 mineral and thermal springs with temperatures up to +29-30˚C. The purpose of these waters is to treat problems with the digestive and respiratory organs, as well as to be used in aesthetic cosmetology.
You will be able to cure skin and orthopedic problems, as well as undergo a course of underwater massage and cosmetic procedures, for which +24-degree water is used.
As for thermal hotels, vacationers should pay attention to the “Gran Hotel Cascada” (Zaragoza). In the hotel, built on a thermal lake (+34 degrees), healing water (it contains magnesium, sulfur, calcium and other elements) is used for thermal procedures, baths and inhalations (indications: rheumatism, diseases of the respiratory system).
La Garriga
The water from the source has a temperature of +56 degrees, and it is used for cosmetic and relaxing procedures, as well as for the treatment of insomnia and orthopedic problems. This water, which contains silicon, NaCl, and fluoride ions, is actively used in the thermal center at the Gran Hotel Balneario Blancafort.
Montbrio del Camp
Those staying at Termes Montbrio Spa Ressort&Park can not only stand under the hydromassage cascades, steam in the sauna or Roman steam room, but also swim in one of the small pools (their location is a man-made cave labyrinth), which are filled with hot water directly from a local source. And those who are warm enough can look into the ice font (there are stone pebbles there that are worth walking on, as well as an underground waterfall - it is recommended to stand under its cold streams), which is reached by a hanging bridge.
Ourense
You can find a thermal spring in Ourense in Las Burgas Square. The source is ennobled in such a way that its +68-degree water flows out of the fountains and rushes into the pool, which is surrounded by modern sculptures.
Thanks to this water, guests of Ourense will be able to normalize metabolism, cure rheumatic, urinary tract and skin diseases. So, for this purpose, they should visit the “Chavasqueira” balneary, which has 3 swimming pools (the water has different temperatures). There you can also pamper yourself with a Japanese massage. Well, in the vicinity of Ourense you will be able to find another source - Mino de Vega (water +69.2˚C), on the territory of which there are public free swimming pools (the largest area is 200 sq.m).
Blanes
They rush to have the opportunity to restore metabolism, cure rheumatism and get rid of oral problems through +42-degree thermal water.
In your free time from treatment, it is worth taking a walk through the Botanical Garden (home to about 3,000 trees; its territory consists of 3 main zones, which in turn are divided into subzones) and explore the Castle of San Juan (a castle built in the 12th century - decoration of the eponymous mountains; of the surviving buildings, the watchtower deserves the attention of tourists - the national flag of Catalonia is still raised from it, and in addition, it offers amazing views of the city of Blanes and the coast). Vacationers here at the end of July will be able to attend a fireworks competition (venue - city beach).
Archena
Local thermal water (+52 degrees) is used to treat the consequences of injuries, people suffering from neuroses, depression, rheumatism, skin diseases, and breathing problems. In addition, it will restore the skin's former elasticity. The medical and sanatorium complex in Archena offers vacationers a massage, a hydromassage shower, and a course of mud and paraffin treatment.
Panticosa
In Panticos, +26-31 degree water is used to treat respiratory disorders, gastrointestinal diseases, radiculitis and other ailments. The Panticosa Wellness Center is equipped with thermal and hydromassage pools; gymnastics, physiotherapy and sunbathing rooms; Turkish bath and Finnish sauna; massage rooms.
Baths of Carratraca
The thermal baths occupy an area of 1800 sq.m., and in addition to swimming pools with thermal water, there are Jacuzzis, hammams, and fountains. Carratraca thermal water is enriched with magnesium, sulfur and calcium and has antiallergic, antiseptic, antianaphylactic, and antioxidant effects.
Caldes de Montbui
Officially, the resort was known back in the ancient Roman era, and today the local thermal baths use water from hot springs (temperature +74˚C) to restore immunity, carry out rejuvenating procedures, cure patients from rheumatism and prevent respiratory diseases.
Thermal resorts - of course, first of all, improve the health of the body, fill it with energy and strength, but you should not think that visiting such resorts makes sense only for the treatment of certain diseases, in which they definitely succeed. Spanish baths are considered one of the oldest and most famous thermal resorts in the world. These are the ones we will talk about.
Which thermal resorts in Spain are worth visiting?
There are over forty such resorts throughout this country. Each thermal (balneological) resort in Spain is distinguished by its waters, their mineral composition and healing properties.
Important! If you are not looking for thermal waters with certain properties, but simply decide to enjoy all the delights of hot springs, then any of the Spanish SPA resorts will suit you. But treating specific diseases will require you to have some knowledge about the relevant treatment centers. And, of course, before choosing any particular balneological resort in Spain, consult your doctor about the optimal mineralogical composition of the waters.
| Thermal spa | Opening/creation time | Location | Source water temperature, degrees Celsius | Direction of recovery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Garriga | 15th century | 35 km from Barcelona | 56 | Musculoskeletal system, anti-stress and cosmetic procedures |
| Caldes de Montbuy | Ancient Rome | surroundings of Barcelona | 74 | Prevention of respiratory diseases, treatment of rheumatism, rejuvenation |
| Panticosa | The reign of Julius Caesar | Province of Huesco, Pyrenees | 26-31 | Treatment of diseases of the digestive and respiratory organs |
| Valencia | 19th century | Valencia | Winter – 13 Summer – 29 |
Cosmetology procedures, treatment of the respiratory tract, digestive system |
| Costa Brava | Ancient Rome | Blanes, 200 km from the border with France | 42 | Treatment of rheumatism, metabolic disorders, dentistry |
| Costa del Sol | 14th century | Malaga | 24 | Underwater massage, vitamin complexes, cosmetology |
| Archena | 1869 | south-eastern Spain, Murcia | 52 | Treatment of neuroses, depression, dermatological diseases |
Among the local nobility and world stars, the most popular are the fashionable hotels in La Garriga and Panticos. The Spaniards themselves prefer to relax in Panticos, but La Garriga has long become a favorite place of the King of Spain himself, which says a lot.
The thermal centers of Spain are famous all over the world. Most of them have ancient roots. Even the ancient Romans enjoyed the benefits of hot springs and healed their battle wounds here. The resorts of La Garriga, Caldes de Montbuy, Panticosa and Archena offer their guests a wide range of services and wellness treatments. Luxurious hotels are equipped with modern equipment and unique physiotherapy centers that use the full power of the local waters.
Particular attention should be paid to the resort of Archena, which would be the most ordinary Spanish town if not for the ancient hot spring with “magic” water. Local cosmetic procedures allow women to regain the former shine of their eyes and the elasticity of their skin - at least this is what many advertising brochures say. All kinds of skin diseases and joint problems can really be eliminated by undergoing a special course of treatment at a balneological resort in one of the Archena hotels. Only qualified doctors and friendly staff work with visitors. Here you can really relax with benefit. A comfortable double room in a hotel (4 stars) can be booked for ten days for about $1,000, which is considered quite affordable at current prices. However, not everyone is satisfied with the level of service.
How to choose the right option?
Let us highlight the most significant criteria: cost, purpose of the trip, location of the thermal resort, its popularity.
The closer to large cities the balneological resort you choose is located, the easier, faster and cheaper it will be to get to it, and you will also have the opportunity to easily go to the city for shopping or new experiences from various excursion programs. And, of course, your budget plays a major role. Believe me, in any case, the buyer will be able to find a good deal.
One of the most expensive thermal resorts in Spain - La Garriga
La Garriga is rightfully considered one of the most expensive resorts. The cost of a holiday in a five-star hotel for two starts from $3,500 for two weeks. Of course, you can find cheaper options.
Easier options – Caldes de Montbuy and Costa Brava
Caldes de Montbuy is also considered no less popular, being the hottest resort in Spain due to the highest temperatures of thermal waters. You can have a great vacation there for two, paying 1500-2000 dollars for the same 10-12 days of rest.
The most profitable resort (including thermal resorts) in terms of cost is Costa Brava. The cost of tours is reduced due to the location of this recreation center. This part of Spain cannot provide you with year-round beach holidays, as in winter the air temperature drops to 10 degrees Celsius. However, this does not at all affect the unique healing properties of local sources. Cost up to $1000 in 10-12 days.
Spain– a country of numerous thermal resorts. This sunny, extremely hospitable kingdom is always ready to amaze tourists with its natural diversity, beautiful cities, and many attractions. Many people perceive Spain as a country for spending time on the beach, but there are also ski resorts, as well as year-round therapeutic resorts on thermal springs.
Thermal resorts in Spain are located in different regions of this country, both in its mountainous part and near the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea: Catalonia, Murcia, Aragon, Galicia, Cantabria, Basque Country, Navarre. The development of Spanish health resorts began in the eighteenth century, while the popularity of relaxation and treatment at mineral water springs captured Europe only in the next century. Over time, more and more excellent sanatoriums, SPA hotels with mineral springs, clinics where mineral waters and healing natural muds are used in treatment appear in medical treatment areas. The beauty of relaxation and treatment at Spanish balneological resorts is getting to know the local towns, which are famous for their magnificent architecture, there are many charming historical attractions, that is, guests can have a wonderful vacation in this country.
Basically, thermal resorts in Spain are concentrated in natural protected areas and mountains. In sanatoriums and SPA hotels, a full examination of the body, rehabilitation, intensive treatment courses are carried out, and you can only have a great rest by playing sports. At the seaside thermal resorts of Spain, you can wonderfully relax and heal by visiting salt pools, where there is a lot of healing mud. Which Spanish spa resort you choose will depend only on your personal preferences and medical indications. After all, the quality and composition of underground springs varies, so you should definitely coordinate your choice with your doctor. Many tourists who vacationed in Spanish resorts are already familiar with bottled mineral water: “Viladrau”, “Sant Narcis”, “Font del Regas”, “Aigues de Boi”, “Sant Aniol”, “Aigua de Ribes”, “Malavella” , - these names were given due to the areas where natural water sources are located and where the water for bottling was taken from. Let's look at the list of the best thermal spas in Spain in different regions.
- a Spanish region where fifty thermal springs are concentrated, and there are sixteen excellent resorts on them. It is noteworthy that in Spain there are one hundred and twenty-eight officially registered thermal springs, and almost half belong to Catalonia.
(Caldas de Malavella) is a Catalan city in the province of Gironda, eighty kilometers from Barcelona, famous for its luxurious Vichy Catalan thermal resort complex. The city is located twenty from the Mediterranean coast, the resort has been operating since 1881. The settlement was founded by the Romans, who decided to build a defensive fortress here, but studying the surrounding area and the discovery of a number of thermal springs gave them the idea of developing a thermal bath for treating people. In the medieval period, Caldas Castle was built on the site of the first Roman baths, and even later its stones were used for the chapel of St. Maurice. Caldas de Malavella is a significant balneological resort on the Spanish Mediterranean coast of the Costa Brava, where diseases of the blood, esophagus, kidneys, respiratory organs are successfully treated, and people are relieved of stress and depression, neuroses, arthrosis, hypertension, rheumatic diseases and obesity, offering services orthopedic surgery. The waters of the Malaveli springs are rich in bicarbonate, lithium, fluoride, and alkali.
Spa Pratz is the oldest thermal spa center, which was opened in the mid-nineteenth century by a local wealthy family. But, tourists especially often relax and receive treatment at the Vichy Catalan SPA center. The building itself, where this center is located, impresses with the beauty of its Arabesque architecture, and its magnificent park is decorated with two charming chapels: St. Esteban and St. José. In the gardens of the spa complex you can see an exact copy of the Fountain of the Seven Lions, which is located in the Alhambra in.
(Caldes De Montbui) is the famous ancient thermal town of Catalonia, belonging to the Vallos Oriental region, twenty-five kilometers from the magnificent Barcelona. The resort was founded by the Romans, who appreciated the completely unique properties of water from the local thermal spring. You can learn about those ancient times in the local museum “Thermalia”, now it’s surprising, but then politicians and military men discussed all the most important government affairs in thermal baths at mineral springs. Millennia have passed, and the ancient Roman baths are still the main architectural wonder of the resort town of Caldes de Montbui, and they are considered a unique attraction of the Iberian Peninsula. Here you will see the large Caldarium pool, where hot water was collected, it was built in the first century, and if you look at some local hotels, you will be able to appreciate the original Roman sauna and baths. Back in the middle of the last century, the Spanish balneological resort Caldes de Montbui was considered the most visited in Europe. The spring water is rich in fluorine and sodium; it is incredibly healing for various diseases of the skin and respiratory organs.
The most famous thermal hotel of the resort is the Hotel Balneari Termes Victoria Spa Caldes De Montbui; a night's stay here costs from seventy-five euros per night. The spa hotels “Balneari Broquetas” and “Balneari Vila de Caldes” received excellent reviews from tourists, where professional doctors carry out the prevention of respiratory diseases, body rejuvenation procedures, and treat rheumatism.
(Montbrio del Camp) - located in the Catalonia region, six kilometers from Tarragona and Reus, on the Costa Dorada. This town with thermal springs has been known since the Roman period. Several sources with different compositions and temperatures from forty-one to eighty-one degrees are concentrated here.
Tourists who come to Montbrio del Camp for treatment are sure to visit the best local spa center, Aquatonic, which is open at the Termes Montbrio Hotel and occupies an area of one thousand square meters. There is the opportunity to attend hundreds of procedures, participate in two dozen programs for health improvement and general rejuvenation. This thermal SPA center is a luxurious place to relax; there are numerous water slides and waterfalls that come directly from thermal springs, and the water temperature there varies from seventeen to thirty-six degrees Celsius. Both hotel guests and all resort guests have the opportunity to come to the thermal complex. The cost for three hours of rest here, which already includes the provision of a towel, robe, hat, and slippers, is thirty-three euros per visitor. The complex is open from Sunday to Friday from ten in the morning to two in the afternoon, from four in the afternoon to eight in the evening; on Saturday - from ten in the morning to eight in the evening. The hotel is located in a modern mansion with a charming botanical garden; it is pleasant to stroll through it after treatment procedures. It’s a good idea to relax at the magnificent local hotel “Ressort & Park”, which, like the hotel “Termes Montbrio Spa”, is connected to the city park “Aquatonic”.
(La Garriga) - appeared in Roman times. This is a chic thermal resort town in Catalonia, whose water mineral springs contain sodium, fluorine, silicon, lithium, which have an effective and positive effect on the skin. The underground water here has a temperature of fifty-six degrees. Local medicinal water is used in rejuvenating and anti-stress programs, to solve orthopedic problems, in addition, it is used to produce expensive cosmetics.
Tourists will be able to stay for treatment and relaxation at the ancient hotel “Termes de La Garriga” with its own thermal center. The hotel was built back in 1874, its last restoration was carried out in 2004. The approximate cost of a night starts from one hundred thirty-six euros.
Another excellent spa hotel in the La Garriga resort is Blancafort Spa Termal, the cost of a night there is about seventy euros. Both hotels offer guests a variety of therapeutic, rejuvenating procedures, massages, aromatherapy treatments, and stone therapy. People come to the thermal resort of La Garriga to recover from joint diseases. The Spanish king loves to come here for treatment himself, and he lives in the four-star Gran Hotel Balneario Blancafort. Here they successfully treat skin and stomach diseases, kidney diseases, insomnia, migraines, ailments associated with the musculoskeletal system, and bring weight back to normal. And also, La Garriga is a very beautiful Spanish town with numerous aristocratic houses, tourists from Barcelona itself come to admire their beautiful architecture. By the way, these mansions often house spa hotels and thermal centers, visited by tourists on a one-day visit, but you can stay there for a while for longer rest and treatment. The approximate price of a night in such a mansion is one hundred and thirty euros.
(Caldes d’Estrac) - located near the Catalan Mountains, forty kilometers from Barcelona. The very first hospital appeared here in 1794. Local underground thermal waters are characterized by an average degree of mineralization, they are enriched with sodium chloride, potassium, calcium, sulfur, silicon dioxide, iodine, and have an output of thirty-eight degrees Celsius and successfully cure a number of chronic diseases, including rheumatic, respiratory, skin, problems of the circulatory and digestive systems are solved. Water is used in programs to relieve stress, depression, post-traumatic recovery, get rid of cellulite and reduce weight to normal.
Tourists who find themselves in the town of Caldes d'Estrac must visit the Termas Romanas Museum, where they can see a perfectly preserved fountain from the Roman period with thermal water heated to seventy-six degrees.
– the northern region of Spain, famous for its untouched virgin nature, high environmental friendliness and numerous healing balneological springs. This is an incredibly beautiful corner of Spain, which is located by the Atlantic Ocean. Travelers love to come to the thermal resorts of Galicia for the purpose of treatment and relaxation.
(Orense) is an ancient town in the picturesque Minho river valley, surrounded by beautiful mountains. This Spanish land is famous for its numerous hot springs with amazing healing properties. In the city of Ourense there are many balneological clinics, thermal hotels, and spa centers. People come to the resort simply to relax, as well as for therapeutic, health, and rejuvenating programs. Mineral water is used to remove waste and toxins from the body of patients, treats insomnia, psoriasis, radiculitis, and calms a weakened nervous system. In Ourense there are paid springs with healing infrastructure and free springs, which tourists can come to at any time. The most popular thermal springs of Ourense, called “balnearias”, are: “Pozas Muiño da Veiga”, “Pozas Outariz”, “Pozas A Chavasqueira”, “Termas de Cenlle”, “Piscina thermal As Burgas”.
The Chavasqueira Balneary, by the Miño River in the city center, has paid and free relaxation areas. The Japanese relaxing Zen style reigns here. The temperature of the local thermal springs is sixty-three degrees, but at the exit to the bathroom they are a little more than forty degrees. The entrance ticket to the paid part of the Chavasqueira complex costs about four euros for an hour and a half of relaxation. The Outariz thermal spa center is located a couple of kilometers from the city; a vacation here will cost a little more than five euros.
In addition, the city is famous for many interesting sights that capture the Roman and medieval era: the foundations of a Roman bridge, first century; Gallery of St. Francisco, Temple of Trinidad, Church of St. Mother Mary, wooden buildings of Piazza Ferro, chic Cathedral of Santo Cristo, built in the twelfth century.
(Mondariz) is another famous city of Galicia in the province of Pontevedra. There is a huge SPA center with innovative equipment. Local specialists use modern methods of treatment with thermal waters, offering their clients not only treatment programs, but also rejuvenation and relaxation procedures.
The most popular treatment center in Mondaris is the open-air spa complex “Palacio del Agua”, located on three thousand square meters of area. Ticket price is twenty-eight euros.
The bottling of local mineral water from the local springs of Mondariz has been carried out since 1873, it is the official water supplier to the royal Spanish court. Local waters have a well-balanced composition, enriched with fluorine, iron, and sulfur. Mondariz water is bicarbonate, it is ideal for improving the quality of digestion and cleansing the human body of toxins.
(Arteixo) is a modest town in a river valley with thermal springs in the province of La Coruña, located three kilometers from the ocean coast. Local hot waters treat diseases of the digestive system, skin, respiratory system, and can also heal rheumatism and nervous diseases.
Tourists stay at the thermal spa hotel “Balneario de Arteixo”. There are not many rooms here - only twenty-six, so they are booked long before the start of summer. The staff of the spa complex offers guests traditional healing procedures: baths with thermal waters, massages, stress relief programs, and sports exercises.
(Carballo) - refers to the province of La Coruña, the Spanish region of Galicia. The Romans were the first to learn about the beneficial properties of hot springs; they even built baths here, but those buildings disappeared under layers of sand and earth. A spring with mineral water was again found on the territory of the town in 1716, and very quickly local residents became acquainted with its healing properties. In 1817, a building appeared on a natural thermal spring, and only because Count Peneloy bought those lands. For a long time, the Carballo spring was in the private ownership of this aristocratic family, until in 1930 the state built the Baños Viejos de Carballo baths and the Balneario de Carballo sanatorium here.
Local water is rich in sulfur, chlorine, fluorine and sodium bicarbonate and can heal ailments of the musculoskeletal system, respiratory, skin problems, diseases of the stomach, intestines, liver, kidneys, treats the nervous system, has anti-stress properties, helps with insomnia, impaired metabolic processes .
- another region of Spain famous for its excellent thermal resorts and numerous underground hot springs. In Spanish Cantabria there are eight excellent balneo-sanatoriums, a thalassotherapy center, and numerous spa hotels
(Lierganes) is an incredibly popular balneological resort in Cantabria, located thirty kilometers from Santader. The beneficial properties of local water became known in the seventeenth century, and already in the mid-eighteenth century the town became a resort, where a railway line was laid.
Tourists check into the Balneario de Lierganes sanatorium, which stands on the river bank, next to two mountain peaks, surrounded by a beautiful ancient park. Local thermal water has a high degree of mineralization; it is enriched with sulfur, sulfates, and calcium. Its properties are used to cure rheumatism, skin diseases and restore the functions of the respiratory system, during rehabilitation after complex injuries and operations, to relieve stress and depression.
Tourists often rent rooms at the nearby Posada Termal del Sauce hotel, where they can also receive beneficial water treatments.
(Las Caldas de Besaya) – located near the resorts of Santadera and Santillana de Mar. Despite the fame of the beneficial properties of local mineral springs in Roman times, the popularity of recreation on the waters of this resort came in the nineteenth century. The hot waters of Caldas were even appreciated by the Spanish Queen Isabella the Second, who often visited here and improved her health. Any local resident will tell you that the city has preserved a memorable landmark associated with this - the Queen's Bath.
Local waters have a temperature of thirty-seven degrees, they are enriched with sodium, chlorine, nitrogen and perfectly treat respiratory problems, rheumatism, arthritis, arthrosis, gout, remove pinched sciatic nerves, digestive disorders, treat the nervous system, gynecological, and skin diseases.
People coming to the city are accommodated for treatment at the Balneario de las Caldas de Besaya sanatorium, but it is designed for only one hundred and fifty-six guests, so those who did not have time to book in advance are accommodated in other spa hotels in the neighborhood.
(Santander) is a picturesque city in the Bay of Biscay, and also an oceanic and thermal resort in Spain. The most luxurious hotel in Cantabria is located here, it is called “Hotel Real”, has five stars and can accommodate two hundred and forty guests. The hotel is located near the main attraction of Santader - the beautiful Palacio de Magdalena. There is an excellent thalassotherapy complex here, and guests are offered treatment with ocean water, medicinal sea mud, algae, relaxing bathing in the Roman baths, rejuvenating cosmetic manipulations, courses: aromatherapy, restorative postpartum, relaxation, dietary, anti-stress.
- an autonomous region of northern Spain, famous for its clean air, beautiful mountains, proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and a number of thermal springs.
(Cestona) - located in the province of Guipuzcoa, part of the Basque Country. Local hot springs were found by chance, thanks to the attentiveness of the Marquis de San Millan to his…dogs. A Spanish aristocrat vacationing here in 1760 noticed that several of his dogs, having bathed in the local waters of underground springs, quickly recovered from skin problems that had been bothering them for a very long time. But only in 1792 did people begin to use the thermal waters of local springs for treatment.
The first sanatorium appeared here in 1804. The resort gained popularity closer to the twentieth century, when the unique chemistry of Seston thermal waters was discovered. They are enriched with sodium and chloride sulfates, which is indispensable in the treatment of diseases of the liver, gall bladder, dermatitis, and psoriasis. But even earlier, in 1893, the Balneario de Cestona hotel was built near the springs. It works and is located in a wonderful, carefully restored building. There are one hundred and thirty rooms here, from the windows you can admire wonderful views of the mountains. The resort of Seston is located thirty-five kilometers from the large resort of San Sabastian, and the distance to the nearest beach of the resort of Zumaya is eight kilometers. The hotel's SPA center offers guests cosmetic, relaxing, anti-stress, therapeutic programs, and various types of massage.
- a Spanish autonomous region with a characteristic mountainous landscape, with an abundance of medieval attractions, folk festivals and stunning thermal springs, with a unique water composition.
(Elgorriaga) - located in the beautiful green valley of Valle de Malerreka near the Ezkurra river, framing the foot of the Pyrenees. The source is hidden twenty minutes by car to the Atlantic beaches and fifty kilometers from Pamplona and San Sebastian. Its uniqueness lies in its hypermineralization and high salinity. The composition of the water is rich in salts and chlorides, iodine, bromine, iron, sodium. With the help of local mineral waters, many diseases are successfully treated: rheumatism, neuralgia, sinusitis, skin sores.
The resort includes four pools with hot water, but everyone is interested in the “Flotarium”, which means “staying on the water”, and indeed the water here is so salty that a person easily lies on the surface of the water without tension and unnecessary movements and does not drown. Treatment varies: from thermal baths, massages, mud wraps to visiting a Finnish sauna, Turkish bath, or jacuzzi.
(Fitero) is another place in Navarra famous for its thermal springs. During excavations here, archaeologists found the ruins of Roman baths. They concluded that the benefits of natural mineral water had been known for a long time; it was actively used by the Romans for healing and relaxation. Since 1157, the lands were in the possession of the local monastery, and they were safely forgotten until the mid-nineteenth century, until the territory was bought by the aristocrat Juan José Arejula, who discovered another one next to the first old spring and ordered the building of a bathhouse there.
The hydropathic clinic at the joint baths was opened in 1909. The composition of the local water was studied, scientists came to the conclusion that they are sodium chloride, sulfate-bromide, these elements can treat diseases of the musculoskeletal, circulatory, and respiratory systems, relieve pain and muscle spasms, relaxing them, and remove toxins. In Spain there is even a state program where pensioners are sent for free for rest and treatment to the springs of the Navarrese resort of Fitero.
Sanatoriums and SPA hotels at the resort are equipped with a high level of technology and medicine. There are two main hotels where tourists stay: Palafox and Gustavo Adolfo Bequer. There are complex programs for guests here: for three days and two nights - approximately two hundred euros, with meals, accommodation, medical consultation, medicinal baths; for two weeks – approximately one thousand two hundred euros; for ten days – eight hundred euros. But the main natural attraction of Fitero is the natural bath, which was formed inside a large karst cave. Here you can take healthy mineral baths completely free of charge. The Fitero resort is located a hundred kilometers from the Spanish cities of Pamplona and Zaragoza.
- the northern mountainous region of Spain, where a variety of landscapes reign: mountains, lakes, valleys. Travelers come here for treatment and relaxation at natural thermal springs. The Aragonese thermal resorts are home to many high-quality hydropathic clinics, spa centers and hotels.
(Termas Pallares) - belongs to the province of Zaragoza and is a famous resort in Spain, which is open to guests all year round. In this settlement there is a large thermal lake, which is fed directly from eight hot underground springs; the water temperature in it is twenty-eight degrees. Complete renewal of water in a reservoir has a cycle of thirty-two hours. Its depth is no more than two meters. For tourists living in the spa hotels of the resort, access to the thermal lake is completely free; for other guests of the resort it is paid: twenty euros for an adult and twelve for a child.
You can check into the five-star spa boutique hotel Gran Cascada, located in a beautiful nineteenth-century building, however, there is a limitation - only twenty-five rooms. A little more modestly, there is the four-star Termas Hotel, which was built in 1863, and the last restoration of the building was carried out in 2011. You can live well in the three-star Park Hotel, located in the middle of a very beautiful garden with large pools filled with thermal water with a temperature of thirty-two degrees. The amount per day in hotels starts from two hundred and forty-five euros per person, this already includes free swimming in the thermal lake.
(la Virgen) - This seasonal thermal resort in Spain, also belonging to the province of Zaragoza, is located in the mountainous region of Jaraba near the Mesa River. The beautiful settlement has a thermal lake with an area of two hundred and fifty square meters, hidden inside a large natural cave. The water temperature there is constant - thirty-four degrees. Therapeutic procedures are carried out directly in the cave, which has previously been well landscaped. There are salt rooms with a healing microclimate for halotherapy.
Tourists stay at the resort at the Balneario de la Virgen SPA hotel, where they have the opportunity to undergo the necessary procedures for recovery. Room price per night – from seventy euros. The resort operates from February to December.
(Panticosa) - belongs to the Spanish province of Huesca, a small thermal village located high in the mountains. The thermal springs of Panticosa were found under Roman rule in the first century AD and were called Termas de Tiberio. This is a thermal and ski resort, although it is seasonal. Balneario Panticosa is a large health complex divided into zones: - SPA salon, where skin, body, hair care is provided, massages and various therapeutic techniques are provided; - Swimming pools - where all the main procedures associated with staying in thermal water take place, this also includes saunas, steam baths, tanning salons; - A gymnastics complex where therapeutic physical exercises take place; - VIP rooms, where personal customer service is provided, including various SPA treatments, thermal baths, gyro massage, sauna, service in a chic restaurant.
You can stay in the resort of Panticosa in the four-star Continental Hotel, connected to the premises of the health complex. The Continental Hotel operates seasonally: from December to April; from June to September. The price per room per night starts from fifty euros.
(Vilas del Turbon) - belongs to the province of Huesca and is famous for the presence of unique healing springs, and has also been known since ancient times for the fact that Spanish witches held their Sabbaths on the Turbon mountain spur. The thermal resort is located in the lap of majestic mountain ranges covered with greenery. It is very beautiful here, the air is clean and always fresh. The health infrastructure of this Spanish balneological resort is very good.
Resort guests most often check into the Balneario Vilas del Turbon SPA hotel, which has been operating since 1934. There are many therapeutic, healing and relaxing procedures offered here. When staying in a hotel, a two-day treatment program costs from two hundred euros, if you live outside the hotel and come here only for treatment, then the price will be less - from fifty euros. People come to the resort from mid-February to mid-December.
is a Spanish region located on the hot Costa Calida. It offers its guests three hundred and fifteen sunny days throughout the calendar year. There are a great many thermal springs with healing waters.
(Archena) is a surprisingly green oasis, covered with fluffy palm trees, against the backdrop of the scorched lands of Spanish Murcia. The resort with its unique underground waters was opened in the Roman era; it was here that old legionnaires came to heal their wounds. During the Middle Ages, underground mineral springs belonged to the Order of the Knights of Santiago, then to the Order of St. John - the monks used these healing waters to treat ordinary people. In 1660, a chapel of the Virgin Mary and houses for staying were built near the Archena spring.
Archena has become known as a balneological health resort since 1869, when “Balneario de Archena” opened here, a chic and large SPA center, decorated with painted wall tiles in the traditional Muslim style. It was in those years that representatives of the European aristocracy and bourgeoisie began to “go to the waters,” which was very fashionable and prestigious. Today, guests of the resort are offered therapeutic manipulations and procedures, including warm mud wraps, mud massage, and thermal water baths. The chemical composition of the water is healing; it is dominated by sulfur, chlorides, sulfates, sodium, and calcium. The temperature of the water when leaving the springs approaches fifty-three degrees, which is hot, and it is first cooled. Mud compresses are placed on joints for pain relief at a temperature of forty-eight degrees. Local mineral water is healing for skin, joint diseases, and respiratory problems. There are huge pools with thermal water, both open and closed, you can swim in them from ten in the morning to ten in the evening. Visitors can swim to their heart's content in the lemon pool, the thermal water of which is saturated with the essential oil of this citrus. There is a Russian steam room and a Scandinavian igloo, where the temperature is kept at minus twenty degrees. The price for visiting this Archena SPA center is: from Monday to Friday - eight euros, Saturday and Sunday - twelve and a half euros. But you can purchase a subscription to this center for thirty-five euros, which already includes access to any pools, meals at lunch, a relaxing foot massage, sauna and steam room. It is very pleasant to walk around the territory of the hydropathic clinic with its magnificent buildings, beautiful green area, lemon and tangerine gardens, palm thickets, among which numerous cats walk, who are kindly disposed towards the guests of the resort and are very affectionate; doctors claim their positive effect on healing and peace of mind of people.
(Leana de Fortuna) - this Spanish balneological resort is located on the territory of the small settlement of Fortuna, thirty kilometers from the city of Murcia. The resort includes three hotels and a thermal spa center itself. As elsewhere in Spain, the Romans learned about the presence of balneological springs on this territory and built their own baths here, to which soldiers came for treatment. Later, the local thermal spring ended up in the hands of the Arab conquerors and only by 1860 it was bought by Juan Cascales Font, who restored the Roman baths by 1863, as can be read on the sign above the entrance to them. He also built the first hotel in the city, “Balneario,” so that resort guests who came for treatment and relaxation could stay there.
Today, the Leana resort in Fortuna occupies just a few nice and quiet streets, there is a church, three hotels, a thermal center with huge pools filled with warm mineral water, restaurants, a bar, a thermal cosmetics store, and a theater. As for the local thermal water, when it reaches the surface it has a temperature of forty-eight degrees; the composition of the water is rich in sulfates and fluorine, which is healing for the skin and respiratory organs. It is used to treat stress, depression, and rheumatism. Tourists visit local outdoor thermal pools, which open at ten in the morning and close at nine in the evening. They maintain a constant water temperature of thirty-seven degrees. The price of a ticket to the pools for a full day is thirty-five euros, which already includes an hour and a half for visiting the SPA center, meals at lunchtime, and a trip to the Leana water source.
There are 49 mineral springs in Catalonia. 16 resorts were built on them, where 90% of vacationers are Catalans. Six thermal resorts are located in Central Catalonia, three on the Costa Brava, two on the Costa Daurada, three on the Costa del Maresme and two in the Pyrenees. The waters of other sources are bottled. The most famous of Catalan drinking mineral waters are named after the source or area where they come from: Font del Regas, Viladrau, Font Vella, Sant Narcis, Aigues de Boi, Aigua de Ribes, Sant Aniol, Malavella.
A RATA-news correspondent, at the invitation of the Catalan Tourist Board, visited three thermal resorts: Caldes de Montbui, La Garriga and Montbrio del Camp.
The beneficial effects of thermal waters have been known since the times of the Roman Empire. Thermal resorts were built on hot healing springs in order to restore the health of august persons and cure the wounds of tired warriors. All Spanish cities founded in thermal water areas in that era are called Caldes, a word derived from the Roman name Aquae Calidae, which means “hot water.” Caldes de Montbui, located in the outskirts of Barcelona, is the oldest resort town in Catalonia. It was founded, naturally, by the Romans, although the Iberian tribes used the local water long before the arrival of the conquerors. In the city's thermal water museum, Thermalia, we were told that in those years there was not even a Roman settlement here as such, but generals and centurions came here from Barcelona to relax. They relaxed and were treated in thermal baths, simultaneously discussing political and commercial issues with their associates, playing sports, having lunch and visiting the library.
The ancient Roman baths, which to this day dominate the architectural appearance of the town, are one of the few in Europe that have survived to this day. The Baths of Montbui are the best preserved structure of their kind in the entire Iberian Peninsula. The caldarium (hot water pool) dates back to the first century BC. The town still has a Roman sauna and baths, but they are hidden on the hotel grounds.
During the "golden age" of hydrotherapy, from the second half of the 19th century until the mid-20th century, Caldes de Montbui was one of the most famous resorts in Europe, with nine elegant hotels equipped with the latest in balneotherapy. Now there are 4 hotels here.
The source of hyperthermal sodium chloride and fluoride water in Caldes de Montbui is known not only for its healing properties: it moisturizes and nourishes the skin, heals respiratory and rheumatic diseases. The spring is famous for its very high temperature, which ranges from 73 to 78 degrees Celsius, but most often lingers at 74 degrees. “This is the hottest spring in Spain and the second hottest in Europe,” the museum says. “This spring is still the hottest self-flowing spring, hotter waters were discovered by drilling 2,000 years later,” the Catalan Tourism Office adds. And it pours out from the stone mouth of a lion in the picturesque Lion Fountain - Font de Lleo, built in 1581 and partially retaining its original appearance.
The area between the fountain and the Roman caldarium is very popular with locals in winter, and not only because of the bars located around it. After all, it is always warm here because of the hot water that collects and slowly seeps to the spring at a depth under the stone pavement. After rain, the area dries completely in three minutes.
There is no public pool with thermal water in the town, but hotels have their own pools. From Monday to Friday, pensioners from Barcelona and other Catalan cities who come here for treatment under social programs usually settle in them. Another cultural and historical landmark of the city dates back to the end of the 19th century. In those years, public laundries were built throughout Spain. In the age of washing machines, the Caldes de Montbui laundry is not only perfectly preserved, but continues to function.
A century later, the tradition has been preserved thanks to the residents of the town: several elderly women come here every weekday to do laundry. The water in the special washing pool is, of course, thermal. As it flows from the source to the laundry, it cools. Ladies put their underwear in water at temperatures of 62 and 50 degrees. Schoolchildren from big cities come here on excursions to learn how to do laundry. Here they encounter things that seem strange to the modern younger generation: large pieces of natural olive soap, brushes for removing stains, graters for rough fabrics, tongs for clothes and wicker baskets for carrying them. By the way, such baskets used to be made right here, in Caldes de Montbui: the vines were soaked in the bed of a hot stream, and then they were woven while sitting on the warm stones of the main square. They even produced huge baskets specifically for sale in the port of Barcelona, located 35 km away.
A completely preserved antique laundry is a unique case in Catalonia. The residents of the town have partially preserved their former way of life. The historical appearance of the town has been preserved in many other buildings: residential buildings, hotels, the medieval city wall and the Church of St. Mary.
Now Caldes de Montbui has 17 thousand inhabitants and annually, according to museum statistics, serves more than 28 thousand tourists. There are even more people visiting hydropathic clinics. However, the local hot water is enough not only for medicinal and cultural purposes. The water is collected in special reservoirs and used to water gardens - plants grow better on healing minerals. Local white beans are especially famous.
The next point of our trip was the resort of La Garriga, 25 km from Barcelona. It, like most thermal areas of Catalonia, is located along a straight line that can be drawn on a map from Tarragona to Girona. This is a line of deep tectonic fault in the earth’s crust, along which water heated in the depths rises under pressure to the surface, along the way becoming saturated with rock minerals.
The healing waters of La Garriga are thermal (56°C) sodium chloride waters containing silicon, fluorine and lithium. According to gerontologists, silicon is a powerful geroprotector, and its beneficial effect on the skin has long been used in the cosmetics industry. The hotels of the small resort town have many beauty and anti-stress programs. The waters are effective for joint pain, which probably explains their popularity since Roman times. The revival of the resort began in the middle of the 15th century, when a hot water clinic was built. Now the King of Spain likes to relax here.
Our group stayed in the thermal center of the cozy Hotel Termes de La Garriga, built in 1874 in an elegant eclectic style and completely renovated in 2004. The small hotel has its own thermal spring. It is hidden from prying eyes in the courtyard among flowers and green grass. Here you can sunbathe on a sun lounger by the thermal pool, lie on warm stone trestle beds heated by hot water, walk on stones in a cold plunge pool and drink herbal infusion in the cafe on the terrace.
Everything here retains the spirit of a fashionable resort of the 19th century, but the level of comfort and equipment of the medical center corresponds to modern SPA hotels. After visiting the indoor thermal pool and sauna, you can go to the treatment rooms.
In addition to the usual procedures: stone therapy, aromatic and vacuum massage, Vichy and Charcot showers, various baths, etc., the latest methods of cosmetic and aesthetic medicine are used here. For example, a rejuvenating gold face mask. The cost of this procedure is 139 euros.
The third resort of our trip, Montbrio del Camp, is located in the Costa Durada region. The modern-style Termes Montbrio Spa, Ressort & Park hotel with a luxurious park of tropical plants is connected by a covered passage to the Aquatonic thermal center.
Here you can not only relax in a pool with sodium chloride water, rich in bicarbonate and sulfate ions, calcium, magnesium, lithium and potassium water, but also go through all the wellness “circles”: from Roman steam rooms and saunas to Jacuzzis, hydromassage cascades and jets, and in fabulous interiors. Small pools, which receive hot water directly from the source, are hidden in a man-made cave labyrinth. Having warmed up thoroughly, you can cross the hanging bridge to the cold plunge pool, where you can walk on stone pebbles and stand under the icy stream of an underground waterfall.
The extensive hotel park is also full of fabulous landscapes: streams, fountains, waterfalls, antique-style buildings and paths lined with mosaics of sea stones.
The attraction of the park is the monument to the dowser who found the underground source. The park also has a beach, although it is located 6 km from the sea.
