Читать книгу The Herb Lover's Spa Book - Sue Goetz - Страница 9

■ SPA: A LITTLE HISTORY AND LORE ■

The origin of the word spa is a bit ambiguous. It may have come from the word espa, which translates as fountain in the French-Belgian Walloon dialect. Then there is the reputation of the Belgian town of Spa, which is noted as far back as the 1500s, when Henry VIII came there for its healing pools of therapeutic waters… and even before that, when its waters were written about by the 1st century naturalist Pliny the Elder. One way or the other, the word has come down to us as a source of health and pleasure.

“Taking the waters”

All through history, people have been “taking the waters” in places like Spa and around the world – whether it be lounging along the edges of natural earthen pools or enjoying the amenities of elaborate public bathhouses. If you look at the evolution of bathing you will find that cultures everywhere have their own rituals of soaking in water. In the Western world, physicians have long prescribed bathing in waters full of minerals, herbs and other naturally occurring chemicals, to heal whatever one’s ailment was. In ancient Greece, bathing was beginning to move from simple hygiene to a communal experience, with bathhouses created for the purpose. Sparta had even developed a kind of steam bath. But it was the Romans who raised the simple ritual of bathing to high art. Roman “thermae” were free public bathhouses used for physical fitness, social interaction and entertainment. They featured heated pools, massage, serene gardens – even libraries. I suspect those waters were awesome therapy, too, for great thinkers to debate global domination while immersed in the steaming water.

In cultures everywhere, we see the many facets of water treatment – from the simplicity of taking a bath in mineral water to full-cleansing, herb-laden therapeutic rituals in beautiful surroundings.

Fragrant herbs and essences

I was interested to discover that those Roman thermae often had perfume shops attached to them. Unlike the modern methods of perfume making (which are usually alcohol-based, with synthetic fragrance added) the ancient foundation of perfumery was based on immersing oneself in natural, aromatic herbs. The use of plants for fragrance dates back to the beginning of historical records, which describe methods of boiling, crushing, pressing and powdering. Plant extracts were used in bathing and for scenting and cleansing linens and clothes, the floors of the home, tiles, tents, horses, and even the sails of ships (more on that in a moment). In Elizabethan times, aromatic herb waters and cut stems of plants were sprinkled on floors to mask unpleasant odors.

As an example of the power of natural scents, consider how Cleopatra chose to use them. We know that she employed wit and charms to get her way in a dangerous world, including the use of precious plant oils. In an attempt to expand her political influence, she seduced Mark Antony by her lavish use of aromatics. Shakespeare, in Antony and Cleopatra, described the time when Antony first fell under her spell. There they were, on her magnificent gilded barge: “Purple the sails, and so perfumed, that the winds were love-sick with them…”

Value and demand made fragrant plants a commodity on a par with gold and silver. But beyond the fragrance were their treasured healing and nurturing qualities. And so, the ancient power of fragrance and the ritual of healing waters brings us full circle to what we think of as the spa experience: a way to care for the body and soul.