Thermes Spa, Belgian Luxury near Brussels
Natural Springwater with Centuries-Old Reputation for Hydrotherapy
Oct 23, 2009
Spa is a sleepy town with a spectacular past. For centuries, it was home to one of the most famous of Europe’s therapeutic health resorts. Among its thousands of powerful visitors were kings and queens, and even Peter the Great, after whom one of the town's numerous springs is named.
Today, Spa has been overshadowed by fancier and more expensive European destination spas. But Spa, located in the south east province of Liège, in a valley of the lushly forested Belgian Ardennes, is well worth a visit for travelers seeking a low-key hydrotherapy experience.
Modern Spa's main tourist attraction is a spiffy new facility, called Thermes Spa, opened in 2005. A delightful overnight or weekend getaway, it's easily accessible by car or train, just 90 miles and an hour and a half away from bustling, urbane Brussels. (There are a few non-stop flights from the US to Brussels; the cheapest routes may be via Heathrow-Gatwick, however.)
Once in town, visitors can take a 20-minute hike up a wooded trail to Thermes Spa. Better, one can take a spectacular two-minute, 600-foot funicular ride up the mountain from the town center, and enjoy broad views of compact, picturesque Spa nestled below in a beautiful valley of rolling, wooded hills.
Themes Spa has a two-tier set of options. For an entry fee of 17 euros, visitors can enjoy three hours of basic water play and relaxation. That includes access to two huge pools filled with 90 degree mineral water from a local spring, plus use of saunas, hamams (steam rooms), Jacuzzis, spanking clean locker rooms, a group tanning area, indoor and outdoor lounge areas, and snack bar. (Whole day and week-long passes are available as well.) In addition, there’s a sizeable menu of pampering treatments.
Two kinds of natural spring water flow here — one naturally carbonated, and the other flat. Spa's famous mineral waters are produced by a millennia-old natural process in a boggy nature preserve nearby that itself is worth a visit, the Hautes Fagnes.
Indoor Outdoor Pools Filled with Natural Mineral Water
It's easy to spend a few hours splashing around the two 1,300 square foot pools, one indoors and one outdoors, both punctuated by dozens of playful water jets. They are called baths by the locals not pools; indeed, they are not a place to do laps. Most visitors simply stand, relaxing in the jets and warm water.
The experience of being in this therapeutic water, under the high-domed ceiling, or outdoors on a sunny day, seems indeed to alleviate stress, reduce mild back pain and generate a sense of well being.
Children are welcome, but the water is generally over five feet deep, and no lifeguards are present.
Facials, Massage and Special Hydrotherapy Treatments at Thermes Spa
Thermes Spa treatments include standard massage and facial services with some appealing extras thrown in, such as pampering “consultations” to determine the best colors for one’s wardrobe. More interesting (and possibly therapeutic) spa specials include underwater massage using overhead showers and hand held jets, an immersion mud bath, and a warm therapeutic bath in a vintage copper tub filled with iron-rich mineral water. The price list is available on the Thermes Spa Web site.
A well-trained staff administer the treatments in a modern, two-story building with wood paneled walls and wood floors, and contemporary furniture. Everyone speaks English. Visitors are likely to hear American rock and roll piped into local restaurants and even in the spa changing room.
A fully stocked refrigerator packed with Spa brand water is available to guests along with coffee and tea, free of charge. Spa water is one of Belgium’s best known mineral water brands, sold in stores and supermarkets everywhere.
While some guests come to treat aches and pains with the mineral water baths, the majority of customers are healthy, thirty-something women from Belgium, Holland and Germany, with and without spouses. Few Americans visit. Some weekends a special "mother-baby" program offers a combination of hydrotherapy, infant swimming (with lifeguards, of course) and pampering for mothers. The spa also has a clientele of people attending business conferences at one of the facilities in the town.
Reservations for facials, massages and therapeutic treatments are necessary.
Hotels in Spa, Belgium
Visitors can find lodgings in every price range in Spa. The four-star Raddison Blu Palace hotel (one of two Raddisons in the town) offers a tempting amenity: a private furnicular ride that goes directly from the hotel to the cliff-side Spa. Guests can travel from their hotel room to the spa wearing nothing more than a bathrobe, the ultimate in luxury.
A local tourist office, located across from the furnicular, has a good supply of free pamphlets, books, and maps. Their helpful staff can guide interested visitors to other local attractions. This little office also sells copies of Victorian era posters advertising the original Spa resort.
Despite its proximity to a host of attractions — including the Belgian Gran Prix car races, a highly-ranked golf course, and some wonderful wooded hiking trails — Spa the town retains an appealingly low key normalcy. There isn’t a Starbucks or McDonald’s in sight. Thermes Spa offers, and delivers, a first-rate relaxing experience at moderate spa prices.
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