La Boqueria, Barcelona, Spain

Evian-les-Bains, French Alps, France

This spa town was made internationally famous by the bottled Evian spring water, but the first spa buildings opened in 1839. Located on the southern shore of Lake Geneva, the town stands opposite Switzerland, in lush surroundings with Mont Blanc rising in the distance. Geneva is 28 miles away. The founding of the Society of Waters in 1890 saw the expansion of the spa town and in 1902 two grand hotels were built, the Splendide and the Royal.

Hanmer Springs, New Zealand

In 1999, South Island's Hanmer Springs, which is surrounded by sequoias and mountains, won the New Zealand Award for Best Visitor Attraction. It has seven open-air sulphur and rock pools, four private ones, a freshwater pool and a family activity pool. People bathe outdoors here in winter (July and August), when there is often snow. Ski at nearby Amuri, bungee jump from the Waiau ferry bridge, or go lake fishing, hiking or mountain biking.

Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic

Goethe, Schiller, Chopin, Beethoven, Peter the Great, Bismarck, Karl Marx and various royal figures came to Karlovy Vary, eastern Europe's premier spa town, in the 18th and 19th centuries. Of the 12 hot springs here, the Vàídlo, which shoots 12 metres into the air, is the main one. Visitors can use spa cups to drink the curative water, or bathe in the open-air thermal pool. The country's International Film Festival takes place in the town every July.

Reykjavik, Iceland

Reykjavik boasts seven public thermal pools and baths – the majority of which are outdoors and open year round, many until late in the evening. The pools have been shown to relieve skin problems, asthma, arthritis as well as lung and heart conditions. A dip in a hot pool costs as little as £1.50 and all spas are easily accessible by bus. A must-do however is the day trip from the capital to the Blue Lagoon. The man-made lagoon is surrounded by jet-black basalt lava to form a natural spa. As well as swimming in the mineral-rich waters, you can visit the cave sauna, or enjoy a head, neck and shoulder massage.

Baden-Baden, Germany

Queen Victoria, the Vanderbilts, Bismarck and Brahms all came to this wealthy spa town on the edge of the Black Forest to take to the waters and to gamble. Bathe in 1,000 square metres of outdoor and indoor pools at Caracalla Therme, or enjoy the opulent surroundings of the neo-Renaissance Friedrichsbad pool, which is graced by columns, ornaments and sculpture.

Calistoga, California, United States

While the glitterati pamper themselves in Palm Springs, head north of San Francisco to the natural splendour of the Napa Valley and the spa town of Calistoga. The first resort in the area was established in 1852 and there are now more than a dozen offering access to the hot, mineral-water springs. Choose from a glamorous resort with accommodation or a day spa.

Abano Terme, Italy

Less than an hour's drive away from Venice and Verona, Abano Terme has been inhabited since prehistoric times and claims to be the oldest spa centre in the world. Located in the basin of the Euganian hills, the 130 thermal springs are the result of a nearby dormant volcano. Legend has it that the springs became hot after the fall of Phaeton, son of the sun. Today the town is dotted with luxury hotels, all with direct sources to the mineral-rich water.

Spa, Belgium

The name unmistakeably gives away this eastern Belgian town's raison d'être. Discovered in the 14th century, the therapeutic benefits of the waters became much sought-after by the royalty and elite of Europe in the 18th century. One pouhon, or water source, is named after Russian Tsar Peter the Great who visited in 1717. The 1880 building that now stands over the source contains paintings of the town's famous visitors.

The Dead Sea

Although not a spa town, the Dead Sea deserves to be mentioned as one of the foremost destinations to seek therapy and relaxation from mineral-rich waters. Several of the hotel resorts along its shore have direct links to hot springs, but most visitors come for the sea itself, whose very high level of salt and other minerals has proved helpful for skin, and rheumatic and arthritic problems.

Bath, England

1.2 million litres of mineral-rich, hot spring water bubble to the surface in Bath every day. A new building to house a modern spa complex using the original spa waters was opened last year. Bath, a spa town since Roman times, has been designated a World Heritage Site and is full of Georgian architecture. Visit the Roman Baths, or have cream tea in the famous Pump Room, where you're often serenaded by live classical music.