Few places can transport you back in time in the way Bath Spa can. Most historical sites are rather pompous, grand and emit a 'don't touch' attitude - but with the baths in the center of one of Britain's most ancient cities, it's all about getting hands on. More than just another swimming pool or spa, the Thermae Bath Spa is steeped in history while providing unique skincare and wellbeing benefits to its vistors. I visited the newly renovated modern site last weekend, which is still served by the original hot springs; these are a wonderful, natural resource which deliver over one million litres of mineral-rich water every day. If you're interested in the history of the baths, then it's useful to know the water fell as rain around 10,000 years ago and then sank to a depth of about 2km below the earth?s surface; here it's heated by high temperature rocks, before rising back up through one of the three springs in the centre of the City and cooling to the optimum bathing temperature of approximately 34 ºC. These springs directly serve the baths, providing a naturally heated and mineral enriched bathing experience that's utterly luxurious and unlike anything I've come across before.
Bath and its waters have a long association with wellbeing; the word 'spa' is related to the Latin phrase ?Salus Per Aquam? or ?health through water?, which is exactly what the hot baths provide. Uniquely the water that fills the baths contains over 42 minerals and trace elements that help le...