A beautiful spa in Ronda, Spain
“Massage is not just a luxury it is a way to a happier healthier life.” Do you fancy taking a break in your Spanish adventure in order to spend a relaxing afternoon at the exotic arabic-themed spa in Ronda? Then you’ve landed in the right place!
We know as well as the next person how tiring travelling can be, particularly if doing it on a budget! Town-hopping from hostel to hostel has its charms, but we all have those pangs of envy when we turn up at the next destination and catch a glimpse of the infinity pool at the local 5-star hotel. Treating ourselves often feels well out of the budget – but it should not.
Despite the desire to make the most of everywhere you visit during your travels, it is important to take the odd day to recharge your batteries. Spa days can be a great way to do so, but often as a tourist, it is hard to know which spas there are aside from the ones attached to those big hotels, and their invariably extortionate price lists are enough to make you want to curl up in your bed for a day and cry.
What’s more, they usually offer services you can find anywhere, and you will be loathed to waste a day of travelling. However, we are delighted (and even a little smug!) to boast a spa in Ronda, Spain which is the perfect antidote to all of this: the city’s totemic Aguas de Ronda Hammam.
Ronda’s unique spa
This spa in Ronda is designed in the style of the traditional Moroccan hammam, but with the exciting improvements enabled by modern technology. Popular with locals, there is no other spa day in Malaga quite as authentic as this one. So if you are looking for things to do in Ronda, take a few hours to escape the beaten path and slow down. Rejuvenate and you will be able to get much more out of the next leg of your trip.
In practice for thousands of years, hammams are designed to help rid the body of toxins beyond mere surface dirt. They are excellent for skin health, improving elasticity and hydration as well soothing any irritated patches. They also have more holistic benefits: muscle aches are relieved, pains eased and stresses simply evaporate away.
Arabic roots
The communal nature of the spa also harks back to a different time when the bathing of the body and shared experience of cleansing was a social exercise, a time to come together and relax. This spa in Ronda or hammam is one of the most salient reminders of the Arabic influence in Andalusia, and as a result is a key cultural experience for anyone passing through Spain’s most southerly comunidad autónoma (Spanish autonomous community).
Treatments
At Aguas de Ronda, you can combine your time between the pools with different treatments such as massages and facials, and tea is provided throughout. Note that flip-flops are obligatory, but if you do not have a pair to hand, the spa sells cheap foam ones for next to nothing.
Cheap spa days can be hard to come across for travellers, and that is why this gem in Ronda is so very special for our tight-knit community. Through connecting with this ancient tradition, you will get a glimpse of the daily life of present-day locals. Far away from the gimmicks of coastal resorts, this spa day in the pueblos blancos of Malaga province (the iconic White Villages of Andalusia) is definitely an unmissable experience.
- Written by @Valentin Brillanceau