A massage and spa is a location where mineralrich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are especially widespread in Europe and Japan. Day spas are also quite popular and offer various personal care treatments.
Body massage parlours specialise in offering varying types of massages for men and women. From Swedish body massage for reducing muscle tension and improving blood circulation to Ayurvedic massage for stimulating the energy points on the body, these massage parlours provide all kinds of massage services. The term is derived from the name of the town of Spa, Belgium, whose name is known from Roman times, when the location was called Aquae Spadanae, sometimes incorrectly connected to the Latin word spargere meaning to scatter, sprinkle or moisten.
Since medieval times, illnesses caused by iron deficiency were treated by drinking chalybeate (ironbearing) spring water (in 1326, the ironmaster Collin le Loup claimed a cure,when the spring was called Espa, a Walloon word for "fountain")
In 16thcentury England, the old Roman ideas of medicinal bathing were revived at towns like Bath (not the source of the word bath), and in 1596 William Slingsby who had been to the Belgian town (which he called Spaw) discovered a chalybeate spring in Yorkshire. He built an enclosed well at what became known as Harrogate, the first resort in England for drinking medicinal waters, then in 1596 Dr. Timothy Bright after discovering a second well called the resort The English Spaw, beginning the use of the word Spa as a generic description.
It is commonly claimed, in a commercial context, that the word is an acronym of various Latin phrases, such as salus per aquam or sanitas per aquam, meaning "health through water".This is very unlikely: the derivation does not appear before the early 21st century and is probably a backronym as there is no evidence of acronyms passing into the language before the 20th century; nor does it match the known Roman name for the location. The therapist lubricates the skin with massage oil and performs various massage strokes that warm and work muscle tissue, releasing tension and breaking up muscle "knots" or adhered tissues, called adhesions. This promotes relaxation, eases muscle tension, and creates other health benefits. Read more..
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