In Ourense, a Galician city of about 100,000 people, you can soak in hot springs for free on a weekday afternoon: a riverside path along the Miño links a chain of open-air thermal pools, some public and free, some run as small paid spas, a few minutes’ drive or bus ride from the cathedral. No other city in Spain has anything like it.
Spain’s spa culture comes from two traditions. The Romans and then the Moors built baths over the hot springs, and the hammam survives in the restored Arab baths of Granada, Seville and Córdoba. The 19th century added the balneario, the grand spa hotel, from A Toxa in Galicia to the Pyrenees, and many still run, filled off-season by Spanish pensioners on subsidised stays.
Away from the resorts, warm rivers make free swimming spots at Montanejos in Castellón and Arnedillo in La Rioja, and the Balearics, Canaries and Alpujarras host most of the country’s yoga retreats.
At a Glance#
- Free hot springs: the riverside pools of Ourense in Galicia, Arnedillo in La Rioja, and the free pools beside the river at Alhama de Granada.
- Arab baths: candlelit hammams with massage in Granada, Córdoba, Málaga, Seville, Madrid and Barcelona.
- Warm river: the Fuente de los Baños at Montanejos, a natural pool at about 25°C all year.
- Grand balnearios: A Toxa in the Rías Baixas, Mondariz near Vigo, Lanjarón in the Alpujarras, and Panticosa high in the Pyrenees.
- Retreats: yoga and wellness weeks on Ibiza, Mallorca, the Canary Islands and in the hills below the Sierra Nevada.
- Costs: free to about 7 euros for Ourense’s pools, about 60 to 75 euros (about $70 to $85) for a hammam session with massage.
Ourense and Galicia#
Ourense sits on some of the hottest springs in Spain. In the old town, the As Burgas fountains pour out water at over 60°C, steaming on cold mornings; the bathing pools beside them have been closed for renovation, so check whether they have reopened. The real draw is the Paseo Termal along the Miño, a walking and cycling path of several kilometres linking the outdoor pools: the free public pools at Muíño da Veiga, A Chavasqueira and Outariz, and two paid complexes, the Termas de Outariz and the Termas da Chavasqueira, with entry from about 5 to 7 euros. The free riverside pools close when the Miño floods, usually from about November to March, while the paid complexes stay open. A tourist train runs from the centre along the river in season, and city buses serve the pools too.
On the coast, A Toxa is a small island joined by a bridge to O Grove, with a 19th-century spa hotel, thalassotherapy centres and the shells-and-soap shops the island is famous for. Mondariz, inland from Vigo, is a Belle Époque spa town built around its bottled spring water, with a modern thermal pool complex open to day visitors.
Arab baths#
The modern hammams of Andalusia recreate the Moorish baths whose ruins still stand in Granada’s Albaicín: dimly lit vaulted rooms with pools at warm, hot and cold temperatures, a steam room, mint tea, and an optional massage. Hammam Al Ándalus runs baths in Granada, at the foot of the Alhambra, and in Córdoba and Málaga; a 90-minute session with a short massage costs about 60 to 75 euros. The Aire Ancient Baths chain has similar baths in Seville, Barcelona and Almería, some in historic buildings.
Sessions run on fixed time slots with a cap on numbers, and evening slots sell out days ahead, especially at weekends. Swimwear is required; towels and slippers are provided.
Warm rivers and free pools#
Montanejos, in the hills of Castellón about an hour and a half from Valencia, has the Fuente de los Baños, a stretch of the Mijares river fed by a spring at about 25°C all year, with turquoise pools under limestone cliffs. It is free and crowded on summer weekends.
In La Rioja, the village of Arnedillo has a row of free stone pools by the Cidacos river fed by hot springs, next to its balneario, a short drive from Logroño and the Rioja wineries. In Andalusia, the hot river below the balneario at Alhama de Granada, between Granada and Málaga, has free pools under a Moorish-era bridge. Expect basic facilities: no changing rooms, and slippery stones.
Balnearios and mountain spas#
Spain’s traditional spa hotels combine thermal pools with medical treatments and full board, and most sell day access to their thermal circuit too. In Andalusia, Lanjarón, the gateway to the Alpujarras below the Sierra Nevada, is a spa town known across Spain for its bottled water. In the Pyrenees, the Balneario de Panticosa sits at about 1,600 m in a cirque of peaks above Huesca, combining a modern thermal centre with hiking, and Caldes de Boí lies near the Romanesque churches of the Vall de Boí. Near Barcelona, Caldes de Montbui has had baths since Roman times, and in Murcia the Balneario de Archena is one of the largest in the country.
Retreats and hotel spas#
Yoga and wellness retreats cluster on Ibiza, with a long-standing holistic scene in its north, on Mallorca and the Canary Islands, where Lanzarote and Tenerife offer winter sun, and in the Alpujarras villages below the Sierra Nevada. Most are a week long, with daily yoga, vegetarian food and walks or swimming. Check the teacher’s qualifications and what the price includes before paying a deposit. In the big cities, luxury hotels sell day passes to their spas, and the Canary resorts have large thermal circuits aimed at winter visitors.
Costs and booking#
- Free pools: Ourense’s public pools, Arnedillo, Alhama de Granada and Montanejos cost nothing; bring a towel and sandals.
- Paid thermal pools: about 5 to 7 euros at the Ourense complexes; 25 to 50 euros for a thermal circuit at a balneario.
- Arab baths: about 60 to 75 euros for a session with a short massage; bath-only slots cost less.
- Booking: book hammams and spa circuits online a few days ahead, more for weekends. Balnearios fill with Spanish groups off-season, so book stays early.
- Rules: many balneario pools require a swim cap and flip-flops; some have adult-only hours.
Visit Ourense’s outdoor pools at dusk in winter, when the air is cold, the water is steaming and the riverside path is lit. Combine it with a night of octopus and Ribeiro wine in the old town’s tapas bars.
For spas elsewhere in Europe, see the Europe wellness and spa guide and the world wellness guide.
Best places for spas in Spain#
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More Things to Do#
Spain spa FAQs#
Are there natural hot springs in Spain?
Yes. The best known are the outdoor pools along the river Miño in Ourense, Galicia, several of them free. Arnedillo in La Rioja and Alhama de Granada also have free riverside hot pools, and Montanejos has a spring-fed river at about 25°C.
Are the Ourense hot springs free?
The public riverside pools, such as Outariz and Muíño da Veiga, are free, but they usually close from about November to March when the river is high. The Termas de Outariz and Termas da Chavasqueira complexes charge an entry fee of about 5 to 7 euros.
How much does an Arab bath in Granada cost?
About 60 to 75 euros for a 90-minute session with a 15 to 30 minute massage at Hammam Al Ándalus. Bath-only sessions cost less, and evening slots should be booked a few days ahead.
Do I need a swim cap in Spanish spas?
Many balneario pools and some thermal circuits require one, along with flip-flops. Arab baths and natural pools usually do not. Caps are often sold at reception.
What is a balneario?
A traditional Spanish spa resort built around a mineral spring, often from the 19th century, with thermal pools, treatments and a hotel. Many sell day passes to their thermal circuit for non-residents.