We have found that one of the best ways to appreciate a destination is to visit the spa there. Prior to moving to Bath, we visited the Thermae Bath Spa which gave us a real connection to the history of the city considering that people have been bathing in these waters for over 2000 years. Visiting a local spa and having the most authentic experience possible is a really great way of appreciating the intricacies of a destination.
Some of my favourite global spa experiences include getting manhandled in Istanbul on a marble surface at a Hammam in Istanbul by a quite burly gentleman; getting a full exfoliation in Marrakech and feeling like I had lost a couple millimetres of skin and asking for a strong massage in Bangkok and ending up with someone walking over me. So far we have had Balinese massages all over Bali, Cambodian massages in Siem Reap, Thai massages in Bangkok, Hammams, all of which were different in Marrakech, Istanbul and Seville; and Spa water baths in Bath, Budapest and Karlovy Vary.
One of the big advantages of choosing the more authentic local experience is that quite often you will save a great deal of money when compared to visiting a full service standalone or hotel spa whilst getting just as relaxed.
All in all going to the spa is a great way of hopefully relieving stress as well as seeing how people from different cultures relax. It gives you a unique insight into both differences between cultures as well as their similarities. It also lets you look into common histories of areas in the case of Seville and it’s Moorish past. Whenever you get the chance, I highly recommend you give it a try.
