The Wild Spas of Italy

These days we think a spa means massage, white robes and new age music. But the original spas were hot springs where people gravitated for a good soak because it felt so good. You can still have that primordial spa experience at natural pools of hot sulphur springs near Rome, detailed in a New York Times travel article called The Wild Spas of Italy. There are a half-dozen of the springs, which draw from a single water source but each have their own personality. In most cases, there are "no entrance fees, no towel services and no changing rooms. The only things you need are a car and a little geography lesson," reads the article. Sulphur springs have a strong smell of rotten eggs, but the sulphur is what makes the waters good for the skin, the respiratory system and aching bones, according to locals.