Can't imagine a much better place for a hot spring soak. We took a cool hike through the mountains up to the spot where a hot spring fed stream and a cold stream meet, making a great temperature. #buttstagram #Iceland #reykjadalur #hotSprings #travel #butts
Godly
A bit of a mixed bag, no underlining theme's so I've put everything under the country from where the news comes from ...
Starting off with three countries where we hear little from. soaking wise.
A bit of a mixed bag, no underlining theme's so I've put everything under the country from where the news comes from ...
Starting off with three countries where we hear little from. soaking wise.
- Azerbaijan
Not so recent anymore (Jul. 1), an article from Reuters TV on Azeri oil baths: that's crude oil!
'In energy-rich Azerbaijan locals are taking full advantage of its resources by literally swimming in black gold. The Naftalan health centre offers visitors crude oil baths, an age-old practice dating back as far as the 6th century. Seb, a tourist from Australia came to the Azeri capital to try the slick treatment.
Australian Tourist, Seb, saying (English) "It's pretty OK, it's about the same temperature as a normal bath, it's a bit like chocolate I suppose in texture, reminds me of those chocolate fountains at the malls. Pretty warm, pretty painless, does not really smell much."
- England
There's often not much to note from the soaking near-sterile isles of Britain, there's only 1 hot spring to note, that of Bath. And many an article focuses on the Roman heritage of the hot springs of Bath.
This article from hubpages (Jan. 4) adds the Celtic history:
This article from hubpages (Jan. 4) adds the Celtic history:
'The Celts believed that the goddess Sulis (or Sul) was the guardian of the hot spring. They may have believed that she was a goddess with healing powers, as was true for other Celtic goddesses of sprIngs'.
The article is quite interesting as it exposes much of the earlier history of the hot spring and the way it was used.
- Faroer
Did we know that there's a hot spring at Fuglafjørður? Which by the way, is their only hot spring. Instagram user rakulhansen has a recent (Oct. 20) picture.
What more do we learn from the internet on Fuglafjørður?
What more do we learn from the internet on Fuglafjørður?
'There is a hot spring down by the sea south of the village. The temperature is about 18 deg. celsius around the year. The hot-spring is said to have a healing-effect. First week-end in Juli there is a civic festival in Fuglafjørður. Saturday-night people meet at the hot spring where they will sing, have speeches and have a nice time by the bonfire. (source)Not too hot of a hot spring.
Needs
#hotspring #serrechevalier #snow #amazingtime #winter
Not so obvious, this is a commercial operation located in the French Alps but with a good view,
source
- France
Being
a business entity does not always mean that soakers will be so easily
plied to visit.
The Thermes de Luchon have seen better times. Luchonmag (Nov. 23) notes that overall visitors dropped as a nearby terme opened shop after a hefty renovation.
Pasando calor a - 2ºC [ok_hand] [skin-tone-4] #france #termas #winter #timetorelax #mountain
Still in France but now in the Pyrenees, source
- Iceland
Iceland is often congratulated on it's successful marriage between geothermal power production and still offering or even enhancing bathing opportunities, but it's not always so rosy.
The Reykjavik Grapevine (Dec. 14) reports on a wild hot springs area (Eldvörp) that may well fall victim to geothermal drilling.
The Reykjavik Grapevine (Dec. 14) reports on a wild hot springs area (Eldvörp) that may well fall victim to geothermal drilling.
'If HS Orka [the company involved] has its way, much or all of the area will be cordoned off from the general public. Drilling will commence, and with it, much of the currently visible geothermal activity – not to mention the landscape around it – will no longer be accessible to visitors and locals alike'.
Bathing in hot springs watching sunrise, what else? #perfect #lostiniceland #hotsprings #hotbath #view #sunrise #shower #naked #noone #sky #iceland #hotpool #awesome
Surprisingly, despite the temperatures witnessed, Icelanders like their swimming. Mostly in geothermal heated pools.
Iceland Magazine (Oct.) has a feature on this love affair:
Iceland Magazine (Oct.) has a feature on this love affair:
'Icelanders are mad about their swimming pools; It‘s where people gather at the end of the day to unwind and have a little tête-à-tête. Filmmaker Jón Karl Helgason decided to document this custom in his film Sundlaugar á Íslandi (Swimming pools in Iceland), and the end result offers a wonderful insight into the country’s unique swimming culture'.
Despite this, prices for entry to Reykjavik's city swimming pools will go up (Grapevine.is, Oct. 9) with no less than 40%. The reason not to be concerned:
'Reykjavík Mayor Dagur B. Eggertsson, who submitted the proposal, turned to Facebook to defend the decision, which has already been met with considerable criticism on social media.“Individual fees will go up, but all discount cards (10 and 20 ticket cards) and child admission will remain the same,” he said. “It will continue to be free for the elderly and disabled. For those city residents who buy a card, which the article [that Dagur linked to with the post] points out most people do, the effect of the fare-raising will be none. Swimming remains the cheapest, and many say the best, form of working out.”
The only people buying these individual fees are ... foreign tourists.
A local guy told me 200000 tourists come to this place every year. When you go on a rainy December Tuesday, you get to be by yourself. #reykjadalur #hotriver #iceland #icyhike #noneedforswimsuit
And there's no fees to be paid either, source.
The secret is out, so captions the Reykjavik Grapevine (Nov. 24). What secret? The Secret Lagoon of Flúðir:
'Tucked away down a humble dirt track by the river Mjóitangi, which flows through the town centre, lies a relatively new and increasingly famous attraction. Known to locals as Gamla Laugin (“The Old Pool”), it was rebranded as “The Secret Lagoon” two summers ago by a local called Björn “Bjössi” Kjartansson, who renovated the antique swimming place and reopened it for business in 2014.....The water trickles in from a hot spring, which can be viewed by walking around a new path. There’s a small geyser that erupts every ten minutes, and some bubbling cauldrons of hot water. Steam rises over the river all over this area of Flúðir. I wonder if the lagoon, which has become a popular must-see fixture on many visitors’ itineraries, has brought some fresh air to this small, tucked away village.“It’s been building up,” says Bjössi. “It was not so busy the first summer, but there were many more people this summer.”
Savings
#hotsprings #ischea
- Italy
Some background: the central Italian town of Viterbo is host to many natural hot springs, many though falling victim to uncontrolled business interests. Probably the hot spring with largest cultural interest is that of Bullicame. However besides the free springs surrounding the source, waters are also syphoned off to two private spa's located nearby.
The public is using all legal ways to avoid them taken unfair control over the access to the waters.
The articles highlight the plight of the Bullicame hot spring and call for the city authorities to take measure so that the public spring becomes usable again.
Meanwhile the same newsoutlet (Oct. 23) also had an article on nearby Il Bagnaccio hot spring, a more enhanced soak. It reports that the municipality wanted the activities at this site to stop but after being confronted by concerned soakers the municipality of Viterbo is backtracking. Or at least thinking as such ...
Earlier (Dec. 10) campaigner Giovanni Faperdue added on his Facebook site the news that one of the commercial operations failed in a bid to overturn restrictions imposed on the amount of water it can drain from the Bullicame spring. Lively discussion follows as one commenter laments the stance that it's anti-business ...
#terme#acqua#calda#bollente#termale#quarantagradi#bellissimo [heart] [joy] [muscle] [muscle] [+1]
- Romania
A very recent wintery soak near Băile Herculane, source.
Sascha's soaks
Visocka Banja, Serbia
Not a real
hot spring because only 27°C warm, but worth a visit.
It is not easy to go there when you come from … like I did, because it is a 10 km gravel road that you have to follow and again 5 km asphalt road when you come to factory with a blue roof. There is a sign to follow a small street to the left into a canyon. After 2 or 3 km you reach the canyon where is a parking place and a bar. From here, you have to walk 10 min upstream. Then you reach an area where everywhere in the rocks the warm water comes out.
The main sources are captured and linked into a beton [concrete] pool and into another covered beton pool. The water temperature is the same but according to locals, you should not swim in the covered pool and should not stay longer than 20 minutes.
The water is beneficial in the treatment of rheumatism, heart problems, nervous diseases and eye problems.
There are also rests of a fortification, but it is not clear if these are medieval remains or were built by Romans. In any case you feel that you soak in place with history.
Amongst locals, this place is well known, so do not expect to be alone in the pools.
It is not easy to go there when you come from … like I did, because it is a 10 km gravel road that you have to follow and again 5 km asphalt road when you come to factory with a blue roof. There is a sign to follow a small street to the left into a canyon. After 2 or 3 km you reach the canyon where is a parking place and a bar. From here, you have to walk 10 min upstream. Then you reach an area where everywhere in the rocks the warm water comes out.
The main sources are captured and linked into a beton [concrete] pool and into another covered beton pool. The water temperature is the same but according to locals, you should not swim in the covered pool and should not stay longer than 20 minutes.
The water is beneficial in the treatment of rheumatism, heart problems, nervous diseases and eye problems.
There are also rests of a fortification, but it is not clear if these are medieval remains or were built by Romans. In any case you feel that you soak in place with history.
Amongst locals, this place is well known, so do not expect to be alone in the pools.
More secrets
- Spain
Below a recent impression from Bande, not s aschool trip ....
First bath of the year [sweat_drops] #naturalspa #hotwater #relaxingtime
Again slightly older news. The Dragon Festival is a festival held at the hot springs of Santa Fe, not too far from Granada city in Andaluzia.
A report in the Ahora Granada (Dec. 28, 2014) concerns the aftermath. Since the festival of spring 2014 the amount of refuse and rubbish has reached new heights so claims the article. Volunteers are hoping the municipality will address this. Though they also emphasize that a lasting solution (a development with golf course) would have a far bigger negative impact on the environment.
A report in the Ahora Granada (Dec. 28, 2014) concerns the aftermath. Since the festival of spring 2014 the amount of refuse and rubbish has reached new heights so claims the article. Volunteers are hoping the municipality will address this. Though they also emphasize that a lasting solution (a development with golf course) would have a far bigger negative impact on the environment.
How to design a new hot spring spa? The designers at ooio have plans for put forward for Fuencaliente, La Palma on the Canary islands.
Madrugar en domingo no parece buena idea, pero si lo es [dizzy] #termas #lluvia #otoño #Secreto #granada
- Turkey
Not hot spring but certainly a traditional wellness approach: a Turkish bath. Mostly Amelie visits a hammam there and put down some words to describe the experience (Dec. 23:
'I read so many Turkish hammam horror stories online from other travel bloggers that my curiosity got sufficiently piqued: I just had to volunteer myself on the naked altar of the body scrub sacrifice for the greater good of this blog (I know, tough…) – a rather painful and awkward experience by many if not all accounts. Tales of buck-naked merciless scrubs in crowded rooms, with nude masseuses getting to second base with prude North Americans had me sort of worried as I stepped inside Kiliç Ali Paşa Hamami in Istanbul, not really knowing if the tales were true'.
After the experience:
'Unlike some of the horrifying tales I have read online, I feel serene, relaxed, cleansed and my skin feels amazing. I would go to the hammam every day if I could! It’s such a beautiful ritual and tradition and I urge you to try one if you visit Turkey'.
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