⛲ Bonjour
⬜The ultimate spa day
A spa day can be a wonderful treat, a time for rest and relaxation. Earlier this year, I took the ultimate spa day, visiting the Belgian town where the word spa comes from.
Spa is in the province of Liege, located in a valley in the Ardennes mountains. It became renowned for its mineral springs, which have attracted visitors for several centuries. The Musée de la Ville d’eaux in the town tells the story of how it came to be - here are some historical snapshots.
It’s thought the name Spa came from the Roman sparsa fontana, meaning ‘gushing fountain’. The healing nature of the water in Spa was first noticed in the mid-16th century, in a book published by doctor Gilbert Lymborh. A few decades later, King Henry III of France visited a nearby town to drink the waters - the water export business had begun.
Glibert Lymborh book, Le Musée de la ville d'eaux à Spa
In 1717, Czar Peter the Great's doctors recommended he visit Spa. Spending a month there, he drank huge quantities of water, which cured him of problems with his liver. When news spread to other European royalty, the idea of taking the waters of Spa came back into vogue for aristocrats.
1734 saw the publication of a guidebook showing the must-see spots of Spa. It was so successful that it was reprinted several times and translated into several languages. Visitor numbers continued to increase.
In 1763, the Redoute de Spa was opened, one of the world's first casinos. A second casino opened in 1770: the Waux-Hall was named after the Vauxhall pleasure gardens.
The first public baths date from the 1820s. When the railway arrived in 1855, tourism to Spa boomed, prospering by bringing in a less well-off clientele.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, a whole host of activities were organised to keep visitors entertained.
The first horse races on the continent were organised in Spa in 1773 by an English gentleman
The first beauty contest took place in Spa in 1888. Decades later the, first Miss Universe competition held in Europe was in Spa in 1932. Keriman Halis Ece from Turkey was the winner.
In 1896, one of the first motor races was held in Spa.
In 1889, Europe's first environmental protection zone was established around Spa. It now covers 13,000 hectares.
When bobelins - the name given by locals to health visitors - arrived in Spa, they bought two accessories. The ivory dial in the centre of the photo above recorded the number of glasses of water they consumed. The small boxes were known as orangettes or bergamotes and contained aniseed, caraway and coriander seeds to help digest the heavily mineralised water. (Take it from personal experience: it really does smell.)
🫧 Ace Discoveries: more things to enjoy
To celebrate the Oscars and Jessie Buckley’s nomination (and win), EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin invested in a giant Oscar statue. Did you know? Cedric Gibbons, the designer of the original Oscar statue, was Irish-American.
It’s Women’s History Month. Time to question why there are so few statues of women.
Art UK has reached one million entries on its database of the UK’s public art.
Thank you for reading + until next time,