What makes a spa a spa? What has changed since the Roman baths? Is it better to drink water or lie in it? And what does all that have to do with the history of leisure or the development of a social health policy? Listen to our two new podcasts to learn more about the rich history of spas across the European continent.

A Very Short History of the European Spa. Part 1: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment

A Very Short History of the European Spa. Part 2: From the Enlightenment to the Present Day

Travel. A visit to a health resort does not begin with the arrival on site, but with the journey. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, which are considered the heyday of the health resort, this proved to be time-consuming. But the transformations that this special place of healing and pleasure promised to bring about, did ideally already start here: On the journey. The journey is often long, even arduous. It is full of expectation. At its end lies the spa as a place that evokes different emotions: joy about taking a break from everyday life, or a slight unease in the face of the unknown surroundings, anticipation of the beautiful nature and its healing effects, or concern about one’s own vulnerability. Last but not least, there's the spa society waiting, often an even “international crowd”!
Script by Astrid Köhler and Henrike Schmidt. Artwork by Viktoria Volk.

Piano Sonata in a-minor D. 845

The European Spa Episode 1: Journey and Arrival

'Mens sana in corpore sano': since ancient times, mental and physical wellbeing have been seen as connected. Accordingly, spas have never been exclusively concerned with bodily health. In the Enlightenment period, indeed, spa doctors drew up dietetic prescriptions for their patients which included sociability at the well and enjoyments spread across the day as part of the health regime. Over time, these enjoyments became increasingly detached from the actual healing powers of the waters. Resorts were re-designed to offer a host of activities, encounters and amusements - pleasure-grounds, built where healing waters ran.
Script by Astrid Köhler and Henrike Schmidt. Artwork by Viktoria Volk.

The European Spa Episode 2: Healing Waters and Pleasure Grounds

Many novels and films of our days look back to the spa as a special European place, a melting pot of nations and classes - with all the limitations shown. In doing so, they also consider the changes the spa has undergone as a result of the various crises, wars and political divisions of the continent. It seems the spa, which in its heyday was a place of medical and social innovation, is now drenched in nostalgia. But transformation and revival seem possible, if only in the mode of (serious) satire.

The European Spa Episode 3: Transformation and Revival

The European Spa. Discover health resorts across the continent. A podcast series. 
The European Spa as a Transnational Space and Social Metaphor is part of the HERA (Humanities in the European Research Area) funding initiative of the European Union. It rethinks the spa as a core concept and object of the European debate and investigates how the European spa developed into a transnational public space and functioned as a stage for the negotiation of political, social, and cultural issues of European relevance.

theeuropeanspa.hera