Spa and Hot Springs of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom

The spa and hot springs of Bath are traditionally associated with the Romans. It is true that the Romans developed the baths and built a massive complex, with temples and administrative buildings, around them. However the site dates back to the Celtic period, and the baths have been in used almost continuously since the Romans left. The spa was revitalised in the 18th century and appears on the novels of Jane Austen. Today the Roman spa is a museum but there are still places nearby where you can take the waters.

Roman Baths

Constructed in around 70 AD as a grand bathing and socialising complex, the Roman Baths is one of the best-preserved Roman remains in the world, where 1,170,000 litres of steaming spring water, reaching 46°C, still fills the bathing site every single day.

The Roman Baths is the site of extensive ruins and an interactive museum filled with many treasures and visual snippets that transport you back to Roman times and the lives of the Aquae Sulis people. Walk on ancient pavements as the Romans did 2,000 years ago, and explore chambers historically housing changing rooms and tepid plunge pools.

Modern Age

In the Elizabethan era, when the city experienced a revival as a spa. The baths were improved and the city began to attract the aristocracy. In the 18th century Bath had become perhaps the most fashionable of the rapidly developing British spa towns, attracting many notable visitors such as the wealthy London bookseller Andrew Millar and his wife, who both made long visits.

Since 2000, major developments have included the Thermae Bath Spa, the SouthGate shopping centre, the residential Western Riverside project on the Stothert & Pitt factory site, and the riverside Bath Quays office and business development. In 2021, Bath become part of a second UNESCO World Heritage Site, a group of spa towns across Europe known as the "Great Spa Towns of Europe".

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Julie McNab (11 months ago)
Loved the Thermae Bath Spa experience. The water is so warm and it was lovely to go in the roof top pool at night to see the city lights, although very chilly getting out! But we soon warmed up again in the lower ground pool which was hot and relaxing. Well worth a visit ?

namrata panchal (11 months ago)
I recommend visiting the Thermae Spa. Our experience was truly rejuvenating. The rooftop pool was the best part. We visited during winter (end of Nov), staying in the open was difficult due to the weather, but once we entered the pool it was just amazing. The water bubbles were very relaxing. We tried the different steam, ice rooms as well. Overall definitely worth a visit. The locker rooms were a bit confusing to navigate around. I got lost while finding our lockers. The amenities in the locker room were average. With the amount of crowd visiting they can do much better. Rating 4 for the spa pools and treatment rooms. We booked a room at the Bird Bath hotel and received 2 vouchers for the Thermae Spa abd had pre-booked our reservations. So didn’t have to wait. The walk-ins didn’t have any queue as well (probably due to weekday).

Heather Vahn (12 months ago)
Fabulous spa. 40£ entry - access to rooftop heated pool & lower ground heated pool + all of the spa suite rooms. free robes & towels. They sell sandals at the front desk or bring your own. Many people walking around barefoot though so not a big deal. Free Lockers. No phones allowed, they take our phone away at check in & put it in a locked case & give you the locked case and they unlock it afterwards when you check out. Treatment available there for a price. Definitely recommend pre-booking.

Antuan Altair (12 months ago)
Lovely Spa! A bit busy at times tough, but lovely! I booked a massage and it was great too. Steam rooms and saunas were too busy and people some times weren’t aware of closing the door so steam was escaping from the room. But good experience anyway

Chris Allen (14 months ago)
So much fun. They don't allow cameras or smartphones inside so I can't share any photos. They provide towels, changing rooms, showers, and lockable bags to put your phone in. They unlock the bag when you leave so you can get your phone out. We started at the rooftop pool, then when down to the dry sauna, wet sauna, space room, and ice room. Lastly we did the indoor pool. A very nice experience. Worth doing for sure. If you've been to Turkish baths or other hot springs maybe skippable but I have been to others and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright gwpics

Historic Site of the week

Abbey of Saint-Georges

Saint-Georges de Boscherville Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey. It was founded in about 1113 by Guillaume de Tancarville on the site of an earlier establishment of secular canons and settled by monks from the Abbey of Saint-Evroul. The abbey church made of Caumont stone was erected from 1113 to 1140. The Norman builders aimed to have very well-lit naves and they did this by means of tall, large windows, initially made possible by a wooden ceiling, which prevented uplift, although this was replaced by a Gothic vault in the 13th century. The chapter room was built after the abbey church and dates from the last quarter of the 12th century.

The arrival of the Maurist monks in 1659, after the disasters of the Wars of Religion, helped to get the abbey back on a firmer spiritual, architectural and economic footing. They erected a large monastic building one wing of which fitted tightly around the chapter house (which was otherwise left as it was).

Spa and Hot Springs of Bath

Roman Baths

Modern Age

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Abbey of Saint-Georges