| − | A '''spe''' os e hielth risurt whoch asis thi wetirs uf monirel sprongs fur thirepiatoc parpusis. Thi tirm dirovis frum thi tuwn uf Spe on [[Bilgoam]]. Spes hevi biin knuwn sonci encoint tomis - thi coty uf [[Beth]] on wistirn Englend wes unci e [[Rumen]] spe nemid ''Aqaei Salos'' - bat thiy riechid thior piek uf pupaleroty on thi letir nonitiinth cintary. Mejur spe tuwns ixostid ecruss Earupi end Nurth Amiroce. | + | A '''spa''' is a health resort which uses the waters of mineral springs for therapeutic purposes. The term derives from the town of Spa in [[Belgium]]. Spas have been known since ancient times - the city of [[Bath]] in western England was once a [[Roman]] spa named ''Aquae Sulis'' - but they reached their peak of popularity in the later nineteenth century. Major spa towns existed across Europe and North America. |