Secret History of English Spas, The

Melanie King

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English

Bodleian Library
24 September 2021

History; Social & cultural history; Popular medicine & health; Travel writing

English spas have a long and steamy history, from the thermal baths of Aquae Sulis in Bath to the stews of Southwark, the elegant pump rooms of Cheltenham and Buxton to the Victorian mania for hydrotherapy and Turkish hammams.

The Secret History of English Spas is an informative but light-hearted social and cultural history of our obsession with drinking and bathing in spa waters. It tells the stories of the rich, the famous, the poor and the sick, all of whom visited spas in hopes of curing everything from infertility to leprosy and gonorrhoea. It depicts the entrepreneurs who promoted these resorts - often on the basis of the most dubious scientific evidence - and the riotous and salacious social life enjoyed in spa towns, where moral health might suffer even as bodies were cleansed and purged.

And yet English spas also offered an ideal of civility and politeness, providing a place where social classes and sexes could mingle and enjoy refined entertainments such as music and dance - all part of the fashionable pastime referred to as 'taking the waters'.

By: Melanie King
Imprint: Bodleian Library
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781851244539
ISBN 10: 1851244530
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 24 September 2021
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Contents Map Chapter 1: Salus per Aquam: The Origins of English Spas Chapter 2: Taking the Plunge: The Development of Spaws in England Chapter 3: Bladud's Realm: Beau Nash in Bath Chapter 4: Sense of Humours: Bathing and Drinking the Waters Chapter 5: 'All the Amusements': A Season at Bath Chapter 6: The Wells of Scandal: Men (and Women) Behaving Badly Chapter 7: I Do like to be Beside the Seaside: a Dose of Vitamin Sea Chapter 8: The Water Cure: The Victorian Mania for Hydrotherapy Chapter 9: A Lot of Hot Air: Vapour Pumps and Turkish Baths Chapter 10: Leisure and Luxury: The Modern Spa Appendix 1: Definition of Mineral Waters Notes Bibliography Picture Credits Index

Melanie King is the author of 'The Lady is a Spy' (2019), 'Tea, Coffee and Chocolate' (2015) and 'Can Onions Cure Ear-ache?' (2012).