Catalonia is wellness

© Generalitat de Catalunya© Agència Catalana de Turisme

Listen to the wind over the flat rocks.And the water goes on, and goes on:

Yes, the water, the water.

Joan Brossa

Catalonia is one of the most dynamic countries in Europe today. Marked and shaped by a long history and the crossroads of many civilisations, this country’s strategic location, mild climate and rich cultural heritage make it a very attractive and special place.

Many of its charms were discovered long ago by the Romans, who introduced a tradition that is still practiced in all its richness and quality: thermae, now converted into health and wellness centres, which add one more compelling reason to visit Catalonia.

There are more spa resorts in Catalonia than anywhere else in Spain. The prodigious waters that spring up all over the country form the basis of most of the therapeutic and relaxing treatments provided with at these centres, complemented by services of the highest standard, all fully adapted to meeting the needs and demands of 21st-century society.

Catalonia, source of health and wellness, invites you to share its thousand-year-old tradition and discover the customs of a land full of life, vitality and unforgettable sensations that have captivated the most demanding visitors.

La Font del Lleó, Caldes de Montbui, Catalunya Central

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For its traditions: Catalan spas are amongst the oldest in the entire Iberian peninsula, guarding secrets and pleasures inherited from the Romans and enriched by a thousand years of history.

For the mineral wealth of its waters: a veritable treasure, rich in therapeutic and relaxing properties.

For its mild Mediterranean climate, which nurtures and enriches the healthy effects of centres designed for relaxation and enjoyment.

For its beautiful scenery: Catalonia’s spa resorts nestle in landscapes full of colour and contrast, from the high mountains down to the sea.

For the great quality of Catalan wellness centres, which offer a wide range of services and treatments that meet the very highest standards.

For its healthy food and drink: Catalan cuisine is renowned worldwide due its many excellent chefs, culinary masters who wisely combine tradition with innovation. Catalonia’s high quality products make up the very essence of a healthy, balanced diet

Catalonia is sure to make you feel at home

Peralada, Costa Brava

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ContentsLocation map

A country of salubrious waters, a land of health and wellness

Spa

Wellness centres Health and medical centres

Cala Bella Dona, Platja d’Aro, Costa Brava

Catalan products awarded the seal of quality

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A country of salubrious waters,a land of health and wellness

Catalonia is one of the leading tourist destinations in southern Europe. And because pampering ourselves is one of life’s greatest pleasures, excellent new health and wellness facilities are constantly being added to the country’s magnificent leisure, entertainment and cultural attractions.

More and more people are beginning to devote their leisure time to enjoying unique, specialised treatments and services, giving their bodies and minds everything they need that tends to be ne-glected in the tumult of everyday life. Catalonia, an outstanding Mediterranean holiday destination, provides a unique location where visitors can restore balance to both body and mind. The success and popularity of this new form of tourism is amply demonstrated by the ever-increasing number of people who enthusiastically try it in one form or another.

Wherever they come from, health and wellness tourists seek what they so often lack at home: healthy recreational pursuits, treatments for particular ailments, or simply rest and relaxation. In Catalonia, spa hotels, wellness centres and medical and health centres come together, in a single location, to provide the pleasures of rest, relaxation and self-indulgence with personalised health care.

Ancient Roman culture, familiar with the properties and effects of freshwater and saltwater on the human body and mind, found the ideal conditions for practicing one of the essential activities of their lifestyle in Catalonia: ‘taking the waters’. Thermal baths were used for recreational, preven-tive, hygienic, medicinal and social purposes, and they sprang up all over the country.

The springs of the River Llobregat, Castellar de n’Hug, Pirineus

Many towns all over Catalonia have made thermal, mineral and medicinal waters the focus of their way of life: Arenys de Mar, Benifallet, Caldes de Boí, Caldes d’Estrac, Caldes de Malavella, Caldes de Montbui, La Garriga, Sant Climent Sescebes, Sant Hilari Sacalm, Santa Coloma de Farners, Tona, Tredòs and Vallfogona de Riucorb, Els Banys de Sant Vicenç and El Vendrell. These main spa centres and towns in Catalonia are all willing and able to show visitors just why spa culture is becoming so popular.

Seva, Catalunya Central

Mosaic, collections of the Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya (MAC), Barcelona

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Catalonia’s spa and thermal water traditions have taken this even further. Today, whilst the benefits of taking the waters have not changed, the services offered by spa resorts have become extraor-dinarily diversified to adapt to the needs of 21st-century society. These centres are equipped with all the latest, cutting-edge technology and are staffed with specialists always ready to provide advice and recommend the best treatment or therapy for each individual’s mental and physical health. All visitors receive personalised attention as they enjoy unique design and comfort features to ensure an unforgettable experience during their stay.

La Garriga, Catalunya Central

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Spas

Catalonia, a land rich in thermal, mineral and medicinal waters, boasts 16 spa hotels, which account for 22% of all such resorts in Spain. These waters emerge to heal our bodies and minds after taking their mysterious and fascinating underground journey.

Today’s spa hotels owe their existence to the Romans’ passion for bathing in thermal waters. In the late 19th century, the vogue for taking the waters led to the construction of buildings for healing the body in addition to providing indulgence, rest and relaxation. Many of these places, such as the Hotel Balneari Termes Orion in Santa Coloma de Farners and the Hotel Balneari Vichy Catalán in Caldes de Malavella, are still open and fully operational today. Other establishments, such as the spa centre in Caldes de Boí, and the Hotel Balneari Font Vella in Sant Hilari Sacalm, have modernised their services whilst also keeping the spirit and essence of those earlier times. The main difference between spa hotels and other accommodation establishments are the thermal waters offered at them. Each different spa source varies in terms of water temperature, mineral composition and medicinal properties.

Although it is not necessary to consult a doctor or follow any specific medical advice in order to en-joy the benefits of thermal waters, medical teams and highly-qualified auxiliary staff are on hand at all spa centres. This means that anyone seeking not only rest, relaxation and general well-being, but also treatment for muscle strain or rheumatism, for example, will be personally advised by experts, who can recommend the best treatment to follow for their particular ailments.

Spa therapy has enormously beneficial effects on both our bodies and minds. Both men and women can choose from among a vast range of beauty treatments, from therapies to tone up the body and hydrate the skin to treatments designed to encourage weight loss. Add comfortable accommodation and excellent food and drink to these outstanding services, and you have an unbeatable formula by the highest standards.

Caldes de Malavella, Costa Brava

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Wellness centres

Thalassotherapy, spa and recreational termal water cen-tres are more generally known as «wellness centres». Water – both fresh and saltwater – forms the basis for all the treatments these centres provide, and yet it is always su-pplemented by other techniques, therapies and services.

As their name indicates, thalassotherapy centres are devoted to providing curative, preventive, health and beauty treatments principally using seawater – a constant source of well-being – and the coastal climate that goes along with it. Thalassotherapy, in which mud, sand, algae and other substances extracted from the sea are also used, is ideal for nurturing the body inside and out. The objective is clear: to relax, tone up and revitalise our bodies thanks to the marvellous properties of seawater. The establishments devoted to this cause include Le Méridien Ra Beach Hotel & Spa, housed in a refurbished sanatorium in El Vendrell, and the modern Hotel Colon in Caldes d’Estrac. Both these sites are located on the coast.

By spa, moreover, we should also understand all indoor and outdoor establishments that use run-ning water to improve their clients’ physical health and mental well-being. Whether through pools, jacuzzis or saunas, spas provide a full range of treatments, therapies and relaxation methods. Apart from hydrotherapy, such centres even provide beauty salons and facilities for physical exer-cise, offering alternative activities like yoga, meditation and Ayurveda, as well as massages and other body treatments, all administered with expert advice.

There are countless resorts and hotels all over Catalonia that supplement the services and facilities they offer their guests with a spa, which nearly always includes a gym or similar space for physical exercise. The Montanyà Resort & Spa in Seva, the Estival Park Salou Hotel Resort, the Silken Park Hotel San Jorge in Calonge-Palamós and the Mas de Torrent Hotel & Spa are just a few prominent places where rest and relaxation are guaranteed.

Moreover, recreational termal water centres such as Aquatonic at the Hotel Termes Montbrió in Montbrió del Camp, the Magma Centre Lúdic Termal in Santa Coloma de Farners and Termas Baronia in Les, all provide services and facilities similar to those at spa hotels, and use thermal, mineral and medicinal waters recognised as benefitting the public good. With facilities such as bubble loungers, water massage beds, counter-current rivers and colour therapy, to name a few, recreational termal water centres mark a new development in this field, combining health, relaxation and well-being with delightful and playful aspects.

El Vendrell, Costa Daurada

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These centres provide all the medical specialities and treatments that good health demands. Visitors to Catalonia will also find leading medical and health centres where they can benefit from comprehensive health programmes under professional supervision with maximum guarantees.

Hydrotherapy stimulates both body and mind in such a variety of ways that many medical and health centres now include it in their programmes. Hydrotherapy centres are ideal facilities for en-joying the beneficial and therapeutic effects of running water on the body, improving health and enhancing or restoring beauty. The services available at such centres include baths, massages of all kinds (underwater, lymph, etc.), water jets, circular showers and mud and algae treatments. Catalonia’s hydrotherapy centres are innovative and pioneering, and are among the most outstan-ding facilities of their kind in Europe. The services they provide, combined with excellent personal treatment, have rightly earned them the highest international prestige and renown.

Many of the facilities that form part of Catalonia’s medical tourism trade are based in the Catalan capital city of Barcelona, making it an international leader in the field. A perfect example is Barce-lona Centre Mèdic, a health centre whose services are considered among the most complete in southern Europe. Staffed by the finest medical professionals in all specialities, Barcelona Centre Mèdic is also equipped with the latest, cutting-edge technology.

Health and medical centres

Barcelona

The Catalan Tourist Board would like to thank all the companies and organisations that contributed information and photographs for this catalogue

© Generalitat de Catalunya

Published byAgència Catalana de TurismePasseig de Gràcia, 105 3ª planta08008 Barcelona

PhotographsAgència Catalana de Turisme: 4, 12Iolanda Astor and Anna Elias: 5 (below)Juan Manuel Borrero: 8Jordi Mas. Arxiu d’Imatges Patronat de Turisme Costa Brava-Girona: 12Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya: 10 (above)Miguel Ángel Nalda: cover, 14Pepo Segura: 5 (above), 10-11 (below), 11 (above), 16Jordi Serra: 3The reproduction of any part of this work, without written permission from the copyright holders, by any procedure, including photocopying and computer processing, and the distribution of copies by hire or public loan, is strictly prohibited by law.

TextJoan Miquel Llodrà

www.catalunya.com

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