One of my favorite memories of living and traveling through Mexico, was going to El Sindio, a large man-made pool in the middle of the Michoacan forest overflowing with thermal waters that come from the local springs.
A big part of that memory, is reminiscing about the many times my aunt would gather all of us nieces and nephews, pack lunch, and guide the kiddy rat pack through the tree's, overgrown grass, and rocky dirt path to then discover what seemed to be a mirage in the middle of the forest.
That natural pool with thermal spring water was perfection. It was warm and soft due to its natural minerals, and clear and beautiful because it was unspoiled by humans.
I have since tried many times to tell my hubby and several friends about my experience and benefits of bathing in the thermal waters, but come out short in both describing the simplistic beauty and the wondrous appeal of bathing in water born from the earth; while Termatalia exists to do just that: spread the word about the benefits of thermal waters and to share educational resources and trends of thermal spa's throughout the world.
It was at my recent visit to Galicia, Spain where I had the opportunity to represent Wellness Tourism Worldwide during the annual Termatalia Conference that I saw first-hand the international appeal of thermal waters.
Unlike my childhood experience of simply bathing in thermal waters, I learned that these waters are not just bottled, but an entire travel industry has emerged that appeals to travelers interested in natural health and wellness.
Health-focused, spa or wellness travel is huge in Europe, especially in the region of Ourense in Galicia, Spain because of its large concentration of thermal spa's. But thermal spa travel has also begun to get the recognition it deserves in the U.S. because of the health benefits that counteract our more hectic and stressful life.
The more than forty Latin American and European countries and spas that were represented at Termatalia shared their spin on wellness travel that was unique to their respective countries.
While some resorts focused on thermal water treatments, others incorporated a full spectrum approach to wellness travel that included food and body treatments. But most surprising, was the creation of wellness spa's for dogs.
Attending Termatalia also gave me the opportunity to see how many resort spas exist in countries and locations I would have otherwise not been familiar with. But not only that, learning about the "add-ons" that will elevate any wellness travel experience, including food therapy and body treatments, was something I would have never thought about had I not attended Termatalia.
To plan your own trip to Termatalia to learn more about wellness travel, visit their website to purchase your conference tickets:
www.termatalia.com
Ana Lydia