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Healing
Hot Mineral Baths of Lesvos
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I am not really a therapeutic miracle waters type of person. At least I did not think of myself as one until one summer when I threw my back out of whack the second day after I arrived in Lesvos. I was climbing into my little rental car and felt a painful twinge like a charge of electricity. I knew at that moment if I did not get back to the house and into a bed I would have to be carried there in about 20 minutes when every muscle would tighten up in response to whatever act of treason my spine was committing. I spent the next two days in pain. It would take me five minutes to get fully to my feet and another twenty before I was walking fully upright instead of bent over like an old woman dressed in black. On the third day I took my wife's advice and slowly got dressed and made my way down to the car and somehow or another managed to squeeze myself in behind the wheel. I drove to the hot springs at Eftalou. |
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Healing Springs of Lesvos: Polychnitou
For more pictures and info click here Nearby are the hot springs of Lisvori with therapeutic mineral bath installations on the banks of a torrent of water that flows into the bay of Kalloni. These healing waters are recommended for rheumatism, arthritis, sciatica, gynecological and dermatological ailments. |
Healing Springs of Lesvos: Eftalou At
Molyvos
are
the
Eftalou
springs
with
their newly renovated bath house
with individual private tubs or
communal bathing. Recommended for
rheumatism, arthritis, sciatica,
neuralgia, skin diseases,
kidney and gall gravel and
gynecological complaints. You can
swim in the sea or sit along the
shore where the hot mineral water
seeps through the rocks and mixes
with the sea water in warm pools.
Because of the beautiful beach and
surroundings this is my favorite
of the spas. It is a short walk to
the excellent Eftalou restaurant.
There is a paved path to the bath house and the beach below it. The old bath house is
sometimes locked, probably to get
people to go to the new bath house
which you have to pay for. The new baths are tubs with faucets that ypou can control the temperature. The old bath house which is often locked is an anciuent tub that looks like a small swimming pool and is so hot that if you can keep your little toe in the water for more than thirty seconds thats pretty good. Old baths are open from 6am to
8am and 6pm to 10pm. New baths
from 9am till 6pm. If you get here and want to take a free bath here's what you do. Go through the bath building and out the back to the small rocky beach. Right where the sea meets the old bath-house you can touch the water and see where the hot spring water is coming out. By stacking some stones and using the pebbles you can dig out your own bathtub and by letting the seawater mix with the hot spring water you probably can't find a healthier spa on the island. There is an outdoor shower nearby too. If you
continue walking around the bend there is another long beach. |
Healing Springs of Lesvos: Skala Thermi
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Healing Springs of Lesvos: Thermi on Yera
The
baths at
Thermi
on the
beautiful
Gulf
of Yera
date
back to the beginning of the last
century. It is believed to be on
the site of the ancient temple to
Hera. Renovations have respected
the original architecture of the
baths. Beside the hot baths there
is a cafe restaurant overlooking
the bay and a beach suitable for
swimming. Recommended for
rheumatism, arthritis, bronchitis,
kidney and gall gravel, prevention
of heart attacks, sugar diabetes,
neurasthenia, illnesses of the
womb, sciatica of the hip joint,
intestinal diseases, bronchial
diseases, gynecological complaints
and more. The Separate baths for men
and women are the largest on the
island. Some people claim these are the best baths on the island but of the ones I have used I prefer Polychnitou.
Healing Springs of Lesvos: KariniThough not a hot mineral spring, the cold water spring at Karini, near Agiassos should not be missed. It is a spring of cold clear water that comes from the ground into a stone pool and then into a stream which irrigates the entire valley below. There is a wonderful taverna there and lots of shade including a giant hollowed out platanos tree where the artist Theophilos lived at one time.If you are planning to visit Lesvos with a focus on spending time in the healing baths then I recommend staying in Vatera and using the Polychnitou baths and doing day trips to visit the others. Another option is to stay in Molyvos or Eftalou so you can use those baths regularly and visit the others on day trips. If you are coming to Lesvos for the baths don't stay in Skala Eressos because it is far away from any of the hot springs. For more information and more pictures there is a book The Sacred Waters by Jelly Hatzidimitriou available in most Lesvos bookstores and in Athens. |
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The
hot springs of Lesvos have been
well known since antiquity. They
are ideally situated in areas that
allow one to enjoy the peaceful
surroundings, amazing scenery and
the great relaxing and soothing
experience. They also offer
changing and shower
facilities.
After
unfolding myself out of the car I
walked down the beach to the stone
building that housed the baths but
alas, it was closed. Even the
ancient building next door which
still houses the original baths
had an iron padlocked gate. But having
been here many times before I knew exactly what to do. I walked
around the old stone building to the
beach where I could see from the steam
rising where the hot spring water was
coming through the walls and into the
sea. By taking stones and piling them
in a semi-circle around me and digging
away at the gravel and sand, I could
contain this hot water in my very own
healing spring. Within twenty minutes
of laying in this mixture of fresh and
sea water my back was fine. I was able
to take a ten minute relaxing swim at
the beautiful beach there, before
continuing my treatment. I was cured.
I did not have a problem with my back
for the entire summer and usually when
I have thrown out my back it can take
a week to ten days before I am
anywhere near normal.
Polichnitos
has
the hottest natural springs in all
of Europe. The baths are 60 meters
above the sea close to the banks
of the Almyropotamos river. There
are five mineral springs but only
three are used, two by the
municipality and one is privately
owned. In the winter time you can
see the springs from a distance
because of the hot vapor rising
from it. These springs are
recommended for the cure of
chronic rheumatism, arthritis,
scropules, skin diseases, sciatica
of the hip joint, myalgic pain,
illnesses of the womb, lymphatisms
and gynecological diseases in
general. The entire area is alive
with steaming streams of fantastic
colors, boiling ponds and the
stone ruins of old bath houses. The main
bath house has two pools and the
temperature is kept quite
comfortable. The two pools are
designated male and female but
because we came as a family and
there was nobody else there we
were allowed to use one and bathe
together. What could be finer then
spend the morning in the baths and
then have a nice seafood lunch at
one of the inexpensive restaurants
along the waterfront in Skala
Polychnitos or
At
Skala
Thermi
the
historical baths have been in use
since ancient times and was at one
time the divine spring of the
goddess Artemis. Recommended for
rheumatism, arthritis, sciatica,
neuralgia, kidney and gall gravel,
gynecological complaints,
hypertension, circulatory
problems, liver diseases,
lymphatism, spleen enlargement,
cirrhosis, paralysis, periostitis,
rachitis and hardening of the
arteries. The mineral waters are
also inhaled for chronic bronchial
catarrh, catarrh of the pharynx
and the eustachian tubes. The
Grande old Hotel Starlitza which
was the center of the community
and had beautiful gardens has been
deserted for years but plans for
its restoration are under way.
Behind the relatively new bath
house are the ancient baths now
closed to the public but worth a
visit. Skala Thermi itself has
many large cafes near the
waterfront as well as two
excellent fish tavernas right at
the fishing boat docks.
We stopped
here on the way back from the airport
one day when it was about 95 degrees
out and the last thing in the world I
wanted was a hot bath. But Andrea
wanted one and thought it would be
good for me as well. The procedure is
very simple. You pay the man in the
booth, take your towel and go into the
men's or the women's baths. You strip
naked and go through a metal door
where you will find a big marble
swimming pool that looks thousands of
years old. The water is comfortably
warm and you could easily spend a day
paddling around or lounging on the
ledges that line the pool. Without
coming right out and saying it and
perhaps offending some people, my
first reaction was that if these baths
were co-ed it would be like paradise
(if you could lock the door). I don't
know what it is about swimming around
naked in a giant bathtub but its a
very neat feeling, for me anyway. I
recommend a cold shower after you
finish, especially if it is hot. I was
assuming that if I had emersed myself
in hot water, that the air which was
not as hot, would feel cooler. This
was true for about 5 minutes and then
I was desperate to throw myself in the
cold sea.