Nowadays, the spa has become one of the major sources of relaxation and refreshment. Be it through mud bath or by using aromatherapy post sauna bath, several spa treatment techniques are used for making both the skin and hair much healthier. We all know what spa is, the different techniques used for spa, and also its benefits. However, we don’t actually know from where the spa originated or the time around which people started to opt for these treatment methods.
Owing to this reason, we will shed light on the history of spa treatments, clearly depicting how this came into existence, its place of origin, and so on.
Origin Of The Word “SPA”
In the literal sense, the word “spa” means ‘HEALTH FROM WATER’ in the Latin American context. Since the early ages, water has been used to cure many ailments, especially the water from hot springs, bubbling water, mineralised water, and more. However, the word ‘spa’ was first coined when a village in Belgium used hot water to treat the injured Roman soldiers after a vicious battle.
Early Age Proofs Of Spa Treatments
Even though most people believe that spa treatments were first used during the Roman and Greek empire, there is evidence that proves the use of mineral water treatments much before this time. In one of the writings from Hippocrates, it is evident that water treatments had the power to restore the bodily fluid imbalance by using mineralised water and aromatic liquids and salts. This written document dates back to 2000 years and therefore, it wasn’t the Romans or the Greeks who actually established spa treatments.
Transformation Of The Localised Spa Into A Contemporary Form
From Belgium, the concept of having spa breaks UK spread to several other countries. But it was only during the late 18th century when the concept was widely accepted by the Americans. This started the “spa renaissance” period as the traditional spa treatments were transformed into contemporary methods. With the rise in demand for spa treatments, many businesses were opened in both Europe and America.
Professionals started to incorporate different methods to improve the spa treatments while retaining their authenticity. For example, in earlier days, crushed leaves and flowers were added to hot water. But in the 19th century, leaves, flowers, and seeds were crushed without any heat for extracting the oil. Then the oil was added to the spa water for improving the treatment’s effectiveness and longevity.
Rise Of Resort Spas
As spa treatments became more popular, people started to consider it as one of the healing methods for stressed and depressed minds. This gave rise to the resort spa breaks UK and other countries. Nowadays, most people can enjoy spa treatments in different kinds of resorts, refresh their minds, get rid of muscle aches, and spend some quality time.
Final Thoughts
Water indeed has a lot of benefits but when it is combined with minerals, essential oils, and other natural ingredients, it can work efficiently on stressed minds, depressions, muscle aches, joint pains, and more. Spa treatments might use new and modern technologies but their roots go deeper into the history of human civilisation.