The first thing to know is that I am not the adventurous type. Unlike Dwight, danger is not my middle name and I do not possess ‘unagi’ like Ross to be prepared for any danger that may befall. So, soon after I got my Belgian driving license, my first road trip was to the tiny Belgian town of Spa, just about 120 km drive from Leuven.
What is so special about this Belgian town of Spa?
The location of the town of Spa in Belgium was known for cold spring waters since classical antiquity, “… has a remarkable spring that sparkles with innumerable bubbles, with a taste of iron rust, which yet cannot be detected until the water has been drunk. It is a purgative, and cures tertian agues and stone in the bladder. This water also, if fire is brought near it, becomes turbid, and finally turns red.”[1,2]. This resulted in the town to lend its name to any place that offers natural spring water with alleged medicinal properties to be called as ‘Spa’.
The town of Spa is located in the south-east region of Belgium in the French-speaking province of Wallonia, very close to the Belgian-Germany border. The town hosts a small population of 10,000 inhabitants, but hosts famous car racing events such as F-1 Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, was also a part of Tour de France and invites tourists for the thermal baths at Thermes de Spa.
The drive to Spa
Using the car-sharing service Cambio, we left Leuven in the morning around 9.30h, taking E40 and E42 highway, passing by Liege, Verviers [3] and finally arriving to Spa around 11.00h. Interestingly, during this planned visit, Spa was also hosting Les Francofolies de Spa, a music festival to promote francophone music. The drive to Spa was a smooth one, as it involved just following the highway E40 for most of the part, and only had occasional turns and twists. I would say that this was ideal for a first road trip, and also because it was supposed to be a relaxing trip.
Visit to Les Thermes de Spa
Upon entering the town of Spa, it took only a few minutes to reach the thermal baths, Les Thermes de Spa. It is recommended to purchase the tickets to enter the baths in advance, as they can get sold out, especially for weekends. The cost per person for a 3-hour access to the facilities (including the general bath area, sauna, hammam and aroma rooms) is EUR 30. Upon entry, you will be given an electronic bracelet, which tracks the time you will be in the baths and can also be used to record purchases at the restaurants. The baths are open from 9 am in the morning until 9 pm in the evening, however arriving earlier is better as you will be able to access most of the facilities without the crowding, which peaks around 13.00h to 16.00h. You can also access special therapies, treatments and messages at additional cost if interested.
This was my second visit to Les Thermes de Spa (the first time was post COVID restriction relaxation month). During my first visit, I travelled by train, which took more about 3 hours to reach the destination. This road trip with a car was faster and more comfortable. During this visit, I was expecting the baths to be super crowded as it was summer holidays in addition to being an extended weekend. However, to my surprise, it was sparsely crowded, which was very nice. This allowed me to access all the areas (baths, sauna, hammam and aroma rooms) with no issues. Overall, it was a great experience, and I strongly recommend anyone looking to relax.
The water using in the baths comes from 3 different natural springs of Spa. Upon entering the facilities, you will see a water fountain from where you can drink and taste the water from these springs. One of them tasted a little sweet (probably the one with the least minerals), one a bit salty (probably originating from the Clementine Well) and one very very rusty in taste, which was definitely from the Marie-Henriette source spring.
A short de-tour
On the way back from Spa, we decided to take a small detour for our late-lunch, and find a place to eat in any of the surrounding villages. A typical Belgian lunch time is between 12.00h to 13.30h, and as we were past those hours, most of the restaurants has their kitchens closed. Fortunately, we found a great place in the village Theus, called L’Amarante / Leonidas Theux, which served a great meal, coffee and chocolate desserts.
References:
guptamihir.com 
Leave a comment