Spa vacations are certainly all the rage today, but spas have been around in Spain for more than 2,000 years. When the Romans colonized most of the country in the first century B.C. they brought with them their culture of bathing. In fact, the ancient Roman term for the building that houses public baths, balnea, has come down to modern Spanish as balnearios, or spas. Roman bath-houses, called thermae, were included in private villas, town houses, even forts. Later the Moors continued the tradition and water, and especially the hammam were integral elements in the design of some of the country's most emblematic buildings.

Spain offers guests an incredible variety of spa experiences in hundreds of different picturesque locations throughout the country. With 8,000 miles of coast, Spain borders the Mediterranean to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west; spas in the coastal areas take full advantage of the healing powers of sea water in their therapies. The country has around 2,000 registered thermal springs in stunning natural surroundings in the mountains, in impenetrable forests and by the sea. Do you imagine a spa resort on the beach alongside the Costa Brava? Would you prefer bathing in a thermal center in the Spanish Pyrenees rather than in the Sierra Nevada? Would you choose a coastal lake for mud wraps? Possibly best of all for spa goers, Spain has one of the mildest climates in Europe with most of the country enjoying over 300 days of sunshine.