Spa Souvenirs
an Excerpt of an Article by Dr. Bruce E. Osborne
Spas Research Fellowship

To understand spa souvenirs is to understand the water cure. In the endless pursuit of immortality or at least longevity, the water cure has had many attractions. One was certainly that a water cure was potentially less damaging than the measures applied by orthodox medicine. From the earliest times to quite recently, a sojourn at a spa was totally different to the consultation with one's physician or worse, one's surgeon. The water cure represented a more holistic approach to healing, whether it was in the UK or abroad, more often than not in Continental Europe. Bathing and massages were certainly ways of making the patient feel better and drinking the water at worst caused purging, and that was usually no bad thing. Not only did taking the cure involve water however; the spa location was often in pleasant countryside and if a town, there would be parks and gardens in which to promenade and socialise. Then there was the entertainment. The Theatre and the Assembly Rooms provided a constant stream of events that often involved dancing, combining fun with exercise. Sports were laid on, often with the small wager being placed on a likely winner. The spas were no strangers to horse racing and in fact the sport developed alongside the other infrastructure of the spa. Gambling and the Casino provided entertainment for those of like mind.

Those who could afford it flocked to the spas, often for several weeks at a time, to recover from ailments described as Melancholy, Distempers and the King's Evil as well as terms that we are familiar with today. This caused a social hierarchy to emerge at the spas and between rival resorts. At their zenith, Bath and Tunbridge Wells were typical of those patronised by the elite. This in turn cultivated a social scene that only the unambitious or the poor could afford to ignore. Less publicised were the sexual goings on. With such a social intercourse it is little wonder that many saw the opportunity of a modest debauch. The result was that spas became a place to enjoy oneself, all in the interests of good health. In fact doctors recommended the enjoyment as a remedy. With hindsight it is possible to conclude that a combination of genuine benefits from the mineral waters, a regime that encouraged the body's natural healing to function and feeling good as a result of having a good time, all combined to make the spa resort worthy of patronage.

No wonder visitors returning home from the spas cherished souvenirs as tangible testimonials of those memorable experiences. Commerce prospered and like the seaside towns that flourished in the 19th and 20th centuries, the spa resorts spawned a souvenir trade.

To read the rest of the article and details about spa souvenirs such as guidebooks, directories on the qualities and healing uses of spa water, diaries, late Roman and Byzantine pilgrim souvenirs, badges, flasks, drinking glass, cups, poharies, bottles, food, soap, natural rock salt, bottled water, siphons, postcards, Bristol diamonds, paperweights, bottle top removers, armorial china, pieces of a Roman ruin, posters, toweling, sports apparel, spa related beauty and therapy products and spa artifacts…Click HERE.