The Evolution of the Spa

Posted by admin on December 16th, 2008 filed in Public Relations

The modern day spa can trace its origins back to antiquity. Archaelogical evidence from prehistoric times indicates that hot springs in France and Czechoslovakia in the Bronze Age may have been precursors of modern day spa resorts. Mankind has considered hot and cold springs to be curative down through the ages. Some early civilizations believed that bathing in a particular type or body of water could provide spiritual purification or physical remedies. These included Babylonians, Egytians, Native Americans, Persians, Greeks, and, of course, Romans.

The name “spa” can be traced to Roman times to a town in Belgium named Spa, which was previously known as Aquae Spadanae. The name is believed to be related to the word “spagere” which means “to scatter, sprinkle or moisten” in Latin. The Romans famously practiced a form of medicinal bathing. Another possible origin names a spring called Espa (the Walloon word for “fountain”) which was believed in medieval times to offer a cure for iron deficiency. In this case, patients would drink the water rather than bathe in it. In the 16th century the English entered the picture. Towns such as Bath revived the Roman medicinal bathing practices and hot springs were discovered in Yorkshire and the first spa resort, called The English Spaw, was created in 1596. Eventually, idea of a spa as a place for water drinking gave way to the use of spa to mean external treatments.

In the 18th century, a revival in the use of spring water swept through some European countries with Dr. David Beecher insisting that certain exercises needed to be completed before a patient could partake of the water. Slowly, physical exercise became part of the spa regimen. In the 19th century, the importance of cleaniness led to external bathing gaining prominence over drinking the waters. During this era, dietary restriction were added to the bathing and exercise. Spas developed elaborate “prescriptions” that involved a sequence of carefully timed actions that start to resemble the modern day spa treatment. European spas also offered recreational activities such as sight-seeing, theater productions, and outdoor sports to complement the spa treatments. In the United States, a similar resurgence of spas occurred. by the late 1930s there were more than 2,000 “health resorts” operating in the US.

Critics began to argue that the thermal waters found in hot springs were no different, medically speaking, than regular heated water. That criticism combined with the Great Depression and the realities of World War II, led to a severe decline in spas by the 1950s. Modern spas have all but abandoned the public bathing aspects of their predecessors. They choose to focus on diet and exercise as well as body treatments such as massage and facials.

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