page_title: Spa town
section_title: Portugal
hierarchical_section_title: Spa town / Portugal
caption_attribution_description: English: Waterfall, Caldas De Monchique, Portugal
context_page_description: A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa. Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word spa is derived from the name of Spa, a town in Belgium.
  Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath in 1668. He became interested in the curative properties of the hot mineral waters there and in 1676 wrote A discourse of Bathe, and the hot waters there. Also, Some Enquiries into the Nature of the water. This brought the purported health-giving properties of the waters to the attention of the aristocracy, who started to partake in them soon after.
  The term spa is used for towns or resorts offering hydrotherapy, which can include cold water or mineral water treatments and geothermal baths.
context_section_description: Portugal is well known by famous spa towns throughout of the country.
  Due to its high quality, as well as the landscape where are located, the most important ones are: 
  Caldas da Rainha
  Caldas das Taipas
  Caldas de Monchique
  Caldas de Vizela
  Pedras Salgadas
  Vidago
  Chaves
  São Pedro do Sul
  Caldas da Felgueira located in Viseu District, and 5km from Nelas town.
  Termas de Monfortinho
caption: A waterfall in Caldas de Monchique, Algarve (south region of Portugal).
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