Top 5: Wild spas

Canada's wilderness has some great wild spas

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Canada's wilderness offers adventure in the outdoors
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Liard Hot Springs, Canada

Get the real wilderness experience at this get-away-from-it-all hot spring, in the middle of a spruce forest in deepest British Columbia. Relax in one of two natural hot springs (the second biggest in Canada), reached by wooden boardwalk. Take a few deep gulps of fresh air and sit back and steam. No need for an oxygen infusion here, it’s all provided by nature. No need for birdsong recordings either as you’ll have plenty of trilling. There’s plenty of stunning plant life all around, and moose can be spotted sometimes. You can camp nearby, but, as with the Canadian wilderness generally, take notice of any bear warnings.

New Zealand has lots of hot springs to try
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Mangatutu Hot Springs, Kaweka State Forest, New Zealand

For the full experience, pitch a tent at the nearby campsite and stay overnight at this lovely secret spot on the edge of the forest. The complete Kiwi hot springs day out would obviously include a barbeque, and fresh fish is an option here, if you have skills in that area. It takes a bit of finding, down a rough road, but the reward is a hot pool to soak in among the wide open spaces. Well worth the trek. Heat up in the hot stream and then take a dip in the cool water to chill out further. After an afternoon’s simmering in the pools, there’s a great campsite to star spot with no chance of urban glow.

Relax in the warm waters at Thermopyles
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Thermopyles, Greece

Mix an infusion of history and a steam at this most ancient of destinations, not far from Lamia, and reasonably easily accessible. Thermoplyes’ name actually stems from these hot sulphur springs which cascade down the side of the mountain. Look out for people in dressing gowns and you’ll known you are in the vicinity of this natural steam experience. There are great views, while you sit back and contemplate the victories of Ancient Greece. This mountain pass has a great deal of Greek history to look back on including the second Persian invasion of Greece by Spartan king Leonidas. Follow up your wild spa with a visit to the history museum. Don’t forget your dressing gown or wrap!

Winter in Wyoming: Steam in the snow
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Granite Creek Hot Springs, Wyoming

Hike in along a trail to these hot pools in the middle of a wilderness and try running through your first hot waterfall. There’s a series of hot pools which you can simmer in, and you’ll probably find no one else around for miles. Less famous than the Yellowstone National Park, this area in the Teton National Forest, near Jackson, has plenty of hot pools to explore. In winter it can be a stunning sight to see the steam rising from the pools with snow all around them. In deepest winter trek in on snowshoes and then take a brave dip. There’s a nearby US National Forest campground with basic facilities.

Relax in this wild spa near Siena
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Saturnia, near Siena, Italy

The Tuscan hills offer up a range of hot springs for your wild spa delectation. Start with a delectable long lunch in the winding streets of historic Siena – maybe followed by a small espresso – then, after a period of digestion, pick up your swimsuit, and your car keys and head for the hills. A towel isn’t a bad idea either, if you are feeling conventional. Saturnia is about an hour’s drive away, depending on traffic, and you can dip into its milky hot waters as they cascade down the hills while admiring the nearby olive groves. Sink into a sulphur and calcium bath with skin softening qualities under the trees. There’s a nearby cold river for the aftershock treatment should it be desired.