12 Historic European Spas and Bathhouses for a Wellness Getaway | Condé Nast Traveler

"Thermal baths, herbal steam baths, various sauna options — the kelo sauna, for example, utilizes honey to nourish and cleanse the skin and salt from the Dead Sea to detoxify and disinfect, and the banya sauna, meanwhile, incorporates hot and cold phases in addition to a gentle yet vigorous caress of the body with birch twigs or venik — and it’s a wonder anyone manages to leave this bucolic escape. Physiotherapy massages do much more than ease stress and tension; this type of massage therapy is intended to help musculoskeletal problems including arthritis and joint pain. But in spite of the attention on healing, Claudius Therme doesn’t have to work too hard to appeal to the visitor seeking basic rest and rejuvenation too, thanks in part to a beautifully designed space featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, views of Rheinpark and Cologne Cathedral, and, of course, warm thermal water." - Stacey Lastoe