Belgium’s Bath: a spa break in Spa

The Ardennes town that gave its name to spa towns the world over was known to the Romans, and its baths and pretty setting are still the perfect place to unwind

Gazing out at a cold, bright winter sky, only the rising steam interrupted my view of the rolling Ardennes hills, framed by the twisted branches of bare trees. I was floating in one of a sprawling complex of heated spring water pools on a hill outside the southern Belgian town of Spa. It’s this connection between nature and wellbeing that makes the town, which has been visited for centuries as a place of rest and relaxation, so distinctive.