The hidden history of spas

Book review of Health, Hedonism and Hypochondria

If you are the sort of person who likes to visit spas as part of a self-care routine, it must be hard to have no access during the Covid-19 pandemic. It might take a while before you get your next deep tissue massage, or hit the jacuzzi, lounge in the sauna or sweat it out in the steam room. In the meanwhile, you could brush up on “the hidden history of spas”, thanks to Ian Bradley’s new book Health, Hedonism and Hypochondria.

The author is Emeritus Professor of Cultural and Spiritual History at the University of St Andrews. He describes himself