ZOOMER Magazine

THALASSO THERAPY AROUND THE WORLD

Seven hot springs eternal, for a natural remedy

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Canadian Rockies Banff Upper Hot Springs and Radium Hot Springs both promise a mountain-high wellness soak-with-a-view that’s well beyond elevated. The mineral-rich springs at Banff National Park sit at nearly 1,600 metres above sea level, while Radium, a day trip from Banff, features sulphate, calcium, bicarbonat­e and magnesium in its pools. Both Banff and Radium are open year-round but hours change with the seasons. www.hotsprings.ca

Dominica – not to be confused with the Dominican Republic – is a volcanic island in the Eastern Caribbean known for its slew of mineral-rich springs. Try Screw’s Sulpher Baths (left, www.screwsspa.com) or Champagne Beach, where the springs bubble up from the ocean like, well, bubbly. www.visitdomin­ica.com England Bath is called so for a reason. When the Romans arrived more than 2,000 years ago, they took advantage of Britain’s only naturally warm, mineral-rich waters (the Celts did, too), as did the writer Jane Austen, who lived here, and some of her characters from Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. Soak in the waters – and the rooftop view – at the Thermae Bath Spa or book a room at The Gainsborou­gh hotel, a new property in central Bath and the only one in Britain with direct access to the natural thermal waters. www. thermaebat­hspa.com; www. the gains borough bathspa.co.uk; www. romanbaths.co.uk

Germany Baden-Baden, on the edge of the Black Forest, is probably one of the world’s most wellknown thermal spring spa towns. The curative waters, discovered and exploited by, again, the Romans have provided a restorativ­e retreat for royalty and locals alike. A soak in these mineral-rich waters can have a stimulatin­g and regenerati­ve effect on overall well-being. Book some time at the Caracalla Spa, which sits atop 12 natural hot springs. www. baden-baden.de; www. carasana.de/en/caracalla-spa

Israel The Dead Sea, actually a salt lake, has been a health-seeker destinatio­n since the days of Herod the Great. At nearly 10 times the ocean’s salinity, it’s a chore to do anything but float – bathers work out against the water’s natural resistance along railings that extend out from the beach. Visitors smear on the sea’s mineral-rich mud to treat everything from arthritis to psoriasis. And, at 430 metres below sea level, there are atmospheri­c advantages, too, including higher oxygen and weaker ultraviole­t rays from the sun. The Isrotel Dead Sea Resort & Spa pipes the seawater in to the pools of its Esprit Spa. www. isrotel.com/isrotel-dead-sea

Japan Look for traditiona­l ryokans (hotels) that feature onsen, the Japanese hot springs and bathing facilities in the inns. One to try, in the Kaga Onsen region near Ishikawa prefecture is the Hanamurasa­ki Ryokan ( www. hana-mura.com/english) for a traditiona­l tatami mat bedroom and yukatas, or Japanese robes, worn to the spa – and to dinner. www.jnto.go.jp/eng/spot/ hotspri/

Taiwan Similar to Japan, the island nation is a wealth of hot springs. On the shores of the serene Sun Moon Lake sits the Fleur de Chine hotel, with its Mountain Mist Hot Spring, rich with sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium and carbonic acid ions. www. fleurdechi­nehotel.com

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