ABSTRACT
When uttered in modern conversation, the word spa seems to produce an almost instinctive affective response, especially in the female listener. A visible relaxation of the shoulders and a slightly pleasurable exhalation of breath mark an embodied response to an imagined place. In the destination spa at Monart that image is reflected in the blue water, the green landscaping and the white robes circulating in the space. These therapeutic associations between word and place are experienced in modern spas through a combination of relaxation and wellness within specifically designed spaces. Yet simultaneous feelings of pampering and luxury are also implicit in the term, which challenge those health and wellbeing identities. In this mix of constructed curative space and cultural practice a familiar set of themes associated with the ‘watering-place’ re-emerge. While the previous settings described in the book are primarily historical, they all have, even as relict features, some foot in the twenty-first century. It is useful, therefore to consider a contemporary therapeutic setting, the modern spa, to examine how older performances of health are reflected in contemporary practices.
