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Home > Spas in Greece

Spas in Greece

It is known that throughout history the Greeks were the precursors of many things useful to man and spas are part of those discoveries that especially in our day and age have become almost essential for the care of our physical and mental health.

Its origins date back to ancient times, and the Hellenic people were among the first to discover the beneficial healing properties of water to the point of worshiping it as if it were a deity of Olympus. All this can also be understood by reading Greek texts, take for example the story of Achilles the demigod warrior son of Peleus a mortal and Thetis one of the Nereids the sea nymphs who immersed him in the river Styx holding him by the heel the only vulnerable point of the hero, or the myth of Hercules who managed to regain his strength by immersing himself in the waters of Thermopoli desired by Athena and generated by the god of fire Hephaestus. Homer tells that water also had an importance in everyday life, a custom in fact was to give water as a welcome to guests and to offer them a refreshing bath in the tub called Asamintos in their home. It was so considered that with the passing of time, the first public baths were created with basins of hot and cold water and steam rooms. They were usually built near gyms or wrestling schools but everyone could benefit from them, not just athletes, thus becoming real meeting places to discuss philosophy and life-related topics in a relaxed way, given that one of its properties is precisely that of calming the body and soul. During the winter, however, it was also a warm refuge against the cold. The Spartans, for example, preferred cold water because they were convinced that heat weakened the body but were inclined to pyraterio (a Greek term indicating hot baths) to first sweat and then immerse themselves in the frozen waters of the Eurola river, practically modern hydrotherapy. However, thermal water appears between the 5th and 6th centuries BC in the temples of the Asklepieia, sacred places dedicated to Asclepius, the God of Medicine.

There are almost a thousand wellness centers including natural springs, spas and thermal parks in Greece, but currently only thirty-four sources are recognized. So let’s find out where to enjoy a vacation in Greece, combining business with pleasure to discover this wonderful land and benefit from it also physically and emotionally.

Let’s start with the Lesbos Baths. Very ancient and known for centuries, they flow from a natural spring that comes from the sea at a depth of sixty meters. Their volcanic origin has undoubtedly favored the spread of hot water sources so much so that they are considered the hottest in all of Europe with temperatures that almost touch ninety degrees. The best used establishment is that of Polichnitos with five points that emerge from the Almyropotamos river. It is composed of two sixty degree pools with a high concentration of sodium chloride perfect for good muscle function, while the tanks with cold water showers are used for relaxation. Due to the formation of clouds of steam, the Polichnitos baths are visible even from afar. The Ayios Ioannis baths are located near Lisvori and date back to the Ottoman period. Two pools, one created in 1959, have waters that reach seventy degrees and are also rich in sodium chloride. Owned by the municipality, they are divided between men and women. We move on to the Eftalou spa, three kilometers from the town of Mithymna in the northern part of the island, the most famous of Lesbos. The water flows between the rocks of the sea, creating real natural pools and reaches about forty-six degrees. The ancient bath is municipal but recently a private balneotherapy facility was built with four pools and a room to rest after the bath. The hot springs of Therma are located east of Geras Bay a few kilometers from the capital Mytilini and are listed as the best in all of Greece. The water reaches almost forty degrees and has therapeutic powers thanks also to the presence of chlorates and carbonates. In the Ottoman era it was renovated and today it presents the typical decorative elements of Turkish Hammams. Also in this case two large separate pools and bathtubs. We arrive at Thermi on Yera, about eleven kilometers northwest of the capital in the gulf of Yera. Here once stood the temple dedicated to the Goddess Hera. Eleven single bathtubs with water at almost forty-seven degrees centigrade rich in iron. We continue with the Skala Thermi spa, one of the oldest in Lesbos where legend has it that the Goddess Artemis, ruler of the hot springs, loved to indulge in regenerating baths. In the beginning there were two domed pools, today there are ten single bathtubs with water at forty-seven degrees with ferrous substances perfect for treating rheumatism, arthritis and skin diseases. We end our tour in Lesbos with the cold water spa of Karini in the Agiassos area. Once the water flowed through a Roman aqueduct and even if we cannot classify it as a hot mineral spring, a cold bath is undoubtedly a panacea for the circulation. In Karini you will find a stone pool where you can treat yourself to a pampering and then relax in the adjacent tavern.

The Thermae of Thermopoli are another idea for your holiday in Greece 2024. Fifteen kilometers from Lamia, still almost unknown, you can find thermal springs among the most beautiful in Greece. When you hear Thermopoli you immediately think of the legendary battle between Greeks and Spartans in 480 BC but there is much more. First of all you should know that according to mythology they were created by Ephesus by the will of Athena to allow Hercules to regain his strength every time after one of his legendary labors, but in reality they were born and became real spas in 1935. The water reaches forty degrees and has healing properties for gynecological diseases and joint pain. There are three pools and one of the towers of the fortress is a bath. You can also admire and use the ancient Ottoman bath expertly restored and open to the public.

Let’s now go to Kyllini in the Peloponnese where ferries depart to reach the island of Kefalonia or the island of Zakynthos. Its thermal springs in a natural place of astonishing beauty, for more than a century, have welcomed visitors from all over the world who want to enjoy the therapeutic waters and breathe fresh air with the scent of eucalyptus. Of the original thermal park, unfortunately, only a few pools remain but on the other hand an elegant private park has arisen where you can pamper yourself. In Kyllini there is also the possibility of doing free thermal mud as along the large sandy beach, sulphurous waters flow in the middle of the woods behind the coast creating pools where you can find the miraculous substance for skin and joint problems.




Spostiamoci quindi a Pozar nel distretto di Pella città che diede i natali al grande Alessandro Magno. Ai piedi del Monte Kaimaktsalan si trova questa bellissima area con vasche naturali e torrenti termali il tutto tra rocce scoscese ed una selvaggia e ricca vegetazione, in poche parole un paradiso. Le acque hanno temperature fino a trentasette gradi e sono ideali per distendere il corpo mentre la mente potrà trarne beneficio grazie ai colori del luogo ricco di platani e salici ricoperti di edera. Le cascate che accompagnano il ruscello di Agios Nikolaos noto anche come Thermopotamos (fiume caldo in italiano) raggiungono i ventidue metri ad una altitudine di quattrocento. Nonostante le terme siano in mezzo alla natura, potrete trovare delle caffetterie dove rilassarvi durante il vostro percorso tra sentieri paesaggistici. Una curiosità: la Foresta Nera che si trova tra le terme, ha fornito il legname per realizzare le lance chiamate Sarissa, volute da Alessandro Magno che avevano una lunghezza di sei metri e considerate un’arma letale dell’esercito greco-macedone.

Vouliagmeni Lake is another important thermal area for Greece. We find it not far from Athens about twenty-five kilometers south-east and it really seems like a place out of a fairy tale. Emerald waters, lush vegetation that hides it at the foot of a rocky hill with natural underground salty springs that reach up to twenty-nine degrees all year round and are rich in sodium, calcium, iron, chlorine, ammonium, iodine, potassium and a notable salt concentration, all elements useful for treating musculoskeletal diseases, dermatological and gynecological problems. Here you can take advantage of the benefits of the waters and spend a day relaxing as the lake is equipped with sunbeds, umbrellas, a beach club and a facility with an exclusive wellness center. Also nearby are hotels, restaurants and places where you can taste specialties of Greek cuisine. But let’s get to its formation, it was originally a large cave with springs inside it, but due to the humidity it gave way in the upper part thus giving life to the current lake. There is still an underwater cave not yet fully explored with fourteen galleries, one of which is eight hundred meters long. A magical place to escape from the frenzy and do yourself some good.

So let’s go back to an island, my island Kos. Here too, in addition to lazy days of sea and fun, it is possible to take care of your body and in particular your skin. The thermal baths of Kos are located just after Agios Fokas in the north-east part of the island. A wild and uncontaminated landscape with a beach protected by an imposing rock face where you can see some wild goats happily climbing, waters rich in minerals that reach fifty degrees in a large natural pool that mixes with the sea water lowering its temperature but which creates a perfect hydrotherapy path. In reality, we can say that the pool that you will find in the summer is there thanks to the inhabitants who during the winter do not give up on wellness and armed with shovels dig into the beach to find clay to use for skin treatments, making it become large for visitors who come in the summer because during the cold season the sea eats up a bit of the pool.

And here is another island that gives health, the island of Evia. In Edipsos to the southwest practically at the beginning coming from Athens (remember that you can get to Evia either by sea or from the bridge that connects it to the mainland) there are natural springs with very ancient origins when the first thermal baths already existed and there are about eighty of them in the whole city. The waters are between twenty-eight and eighty degrees, rich in magnesium, calcium and iron, a panacea for many pathologies and also with a high concentration of therapeutic radon. The beauty of Edipsos is that you don’t necessarily have to go to a spa hotel to benefit from such generosity from Mother Nature, you just need to take a simple bath by the sea, all at no cost. Edipsos, besides having the largest thermal spa in the country managed by the Hellenic National Tourism Organization, can be an excellent base for visiting the island of Evia which is not yet very exploited by mass tourism but has really, really much to offer, as it is full of hotels and all the possible comforts for a complete holiday.

The Kamena Vourla spa is another example of what Greece can offer from a therapeutic point of view. It is located on the coast of Maliakos in the south-east, right in front of the island of Evia. You should know that in 1926 the chemist Michail Pertesis discovered radon in the waters of Kamena, a radioactive chemical element, a gas produced naturally by the earth that also has beneficial properties for arthritis and rheumatism problems. In Kamena Vourla there are several natural springs obviously rich in minerals such as chloride sulphide where the water reaches thirty-seven degrees. Generally they are stone tubs or pools and each contains different organic substances that can cure different types of disorders. The beauty of the Kamena spa is that on one side you will have the blue waters of the sea, on the other a nature rich in greenery completely uncontaminated such as the woods and the mountains Kallidromo and Thronio. Frequented mainly by Greeks, it can be an excellent starting point for an unusual holiday. The town offers everything, hotels, spas, beaches and many taverns where you can taste excellent fish such as its famous sardines or seafood.

We end with the Baths of Methana in the Peloponnese on the east coast on the small peninsula that is part of the islands of the Gulf of Argosaronikos. Its formation dates back to the eruption of the volcano twenty-three centuries ago giving life to this place of wild and fascinating beauty. Its hot springs can be found in the south east and enjoyed directly in the sea as they flow right onto the beach. Two types of spas, one right at the entrance to the town rich in sulphurous elements, the other just outside with a high concentration of radon. The origins are very ancient, in fact already in the Roman period there was a public bath in the bay of Thiafi. The town is very beautiful and worth a visit, do not miss the hill of Palaiokastro where the ruins of the ancient acropolis of the 4th century BC are located, or take a walk in Kameni Hora the largest volcanic caldera in the area that through a path between pine trees, olive trees, holly trees and bizarre lava formations will take you to a panoramic point that will leave you breathless, and still arrive at the pine islet of Saint Theodori where among other things you will find the natural spa.

In conclusion, we can say that Greece is a continuous surprise and source of inspiration for any type of holiday, so if you have suffered from some ailments in this last year, think about it, it will be a wonderful opportunity to discover destinations that are still little known and take care of yourself.



















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