No Camouflage for Cardinals: Spa Day

This Saturday I visited Spa, a Belgian town eponymous with places having a natural water source, luxury and relaxation. The town itself is rich in architecturally unique buildings... unfortunately most of my photographs were marred by the throngs of traffic which squeeze through the narrow streets.

Des Bains

Grounds near the Blue Radisson

Blue Windmill

The main purpose of my visit was to indulge in a little luxury at the bathes. After disembarking from the train you can quickly find the grounds of the most well known health centre, located near to a blue windmill (see photo above). A funicular (3 euro return) climbs the slope in futuristic glass-cube pods to Spa's most iconic attraction, the 21st century ridgetop Thermes de Spa. I decided to don my bathrobe for the day and indulge in a bit of relaxation/bubble infused water. For 20 euro (17 if you're a student or pretend to be) access is granted to a variety of saunas, steam rooms and hydrotherapy pools. Other beauty treatments are available by prearrangement. Of course, I relished the idea of drinking my Spa water whilst relaxing in a spa in Spa, Belgium. I don't have any pictures of the inside of the spa (as I didn't want to look like a pervert) but it has a wonderful domed ceiling and overlooks a wooded area which is particularly nice to view in the outside thermal pool... if you're brave enough!