While delving into the origins of the term spa, I stumbled upon various sources suggesting that it stems from the Latin phrase Salus per Aquam, translating to “health through water”. However, such acronym-based explanations are often unfounded, and this case is no exception. Another theory suggests that spa may be derived from the Latin verb spargere, meaning “to scatter”. In truth, spa likely originated as the name of a specific resort in eastern Belgium renowned for its healing springs, believed to offer remedies for various medieval ailments (possibly stemming from the Walloon term espa, meaning “fountain”). Sometime during the sixteenth century, Britons began using the Belgian town’s name to refer to health retreats in general, leading to the widespread adoption of the term. The rest, as they say, is history.
