ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the contemporary spa as a therapeutic space. It contributes to the expanding literature within geography on the relationship between place and wellbeing. In highlighting the arguably rather neglected spaces and practices of the spa, the chapter provides empirical detail of an original therapeutic environment. The chapter offers an interpretation of spa spaces and practices as both indulgent and disciplinary focusing on the ways in which the idea of the healthy body is highly dependent on the assumptions surrounding bodily size, shape and appearance. It explores the spa in the context of the relationship between gender identity, wellbeing and leisure. The chapter explores such issues as relevant to the spa as a therapeutic space, there are opportunities for further development in future research. It examines the importance of spa therapy as a natural' process of healing/wellbeing. The chapter provides an original perspective on the notion of the therapeutic landscape in a discussion of the contemporary spa.
