The word SPA has a wonderful exhilarating sound to it, as if someone invented it to describe health and energy! Lately, it's probably the most misused word in leisure and tourism today, and is being used to describe everything from hair salons to nail care emporiums.
 
The Concise Oxford Dictionary will inform you that it is "a place where there is a curative mineral spring". However, The British Spas Federation recognizes that today the word has to encompass many different elements, although the main criteria is the use of water.
 
In fact SPA is the name of a Belgian town amidst the Ardennes mountains which boasts several natural mineral springs which have been popular for their beneficial effect for thousands of years. There are many different types of "Spa", Day Spas, Destination Spas, and Hotel Spas -  but the word should really be used to describe places that offer professional water-based treatments, and provide an environment of peace and calm.
 
SPA entered the language as the description for most natural springs, as well as for health resorts offering water therapy. A complete Spa Experience is far more than just a whirlpool bath, it is one that, through the use of water, imparts a feeling of well-being and cares for the mind and body. The word derives from the Latin "Sanitas per aquas" which means, simply, health through water.
 
Certainly both the Greeks and Romans understood the value of bathing in natural waters.  The word used to describe therapeutic treatments using water is Hydrotherapy.
 

Parrot Cay

Turks & Caicos

An Experience in Perfection

"It seems appropriate that you travel to Parrot Cay by boat. After arrival at Providenciales Airport and a drive across the bustling island to Leeward dock, the 25 minute trip by water serves as a rite of passage from one world to another; reality to euphoria."

Beyond Wrapture was the first Day Spa to open in Kelowna and will continue to introduce unique, ancient arts to the Kelowna market place. Typically these types of services have only been available in busy hair salons or clinical massage

Visit Manteo Resort

Spas in Mexico   

    laurielee@travelmasters.ca

The Spa Palace located in the Mayan Riviera, Mexico, is the perfect place to let yourself be pampered, refreshed and revived by our trained therapists. The Spa Palace includes plush accommodations all with a double jacuzzi and most featuring a full or partial view of the ocean. At the Spa Palace, you will indulge in a unique experience of health, beauty and relaxation while being surrounded by luxury and comfort. The Spa Palace offers three plans to choose from, which include hydrotherapy, spa body treatments, facials, body wraps, physical conditioning, exercise classes, educational and nutritional seminars, sports facilities and so much more.
   

Located on the sugar-white beaches of the Caribbean's Riviera Maya, Paraiso de la Bonita is a 14-acre oasis, carved from the tropical selva, and combining the elegance of traditional Mexican achitecture with the great Mayan culture that is a hallmark of this region.

For those guests seeking a sanctuary for the senses, The Spa at Secrets Capri offers the first and only of its kind in the Mayan Riviera, Mexico

      
There are ten tropical resorts on the enchanted isles of Jamaica, Antigua, St. Lucia and The Bahamas, created exclusively for two people in love and united by one glorious name - Sandals. This is the kind of experience you often dream about, but rarely encounter. And as the world's best all-inclusive resorts, there's one thing that sets us apart from all others - everything. Sandals is perfection in paradise. Where the only season is summer yet every moment is kissed with the gentle caress of a cool ocean breeze. Where multi-choice gourmet delicacies are compliments of the chef and unlimited premium brand drinks are on the house. And where you'll be pampered morning, noon and night by a gracious staff who will redefine your idea of hospitality.
  
Visit Sandals

 
  Visit SuperClubs

 
  Spa Glossary of Terms

laurielee@travelmasters.ca