MARION SAUVEBOIS discovers that a true Bathonian must a bather be

A BATH address does not a Bathonian make. First, you need to get the tricky pronunciation correct. It’s Barth not Baath.

Despite our best efforts to fly incognito in the city, the proper pronunciation did not quite roll off my French tongue and my boyfriend’s Scottish one when we first moved there.

But diligently we have earned our bona fide Bathonian points; our cobbled street cred, if you will.

This has meant exploring every nook and cranny of the Georgian city.

The Roman Baths? Tick. In fact add six more ticks as this is how many visits I've paid to the heritage site.

The Jane Austen Centre, Assembly Rooms, Pump Room, Circus and Royal Crescent? Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. Each has been duly explored, strolled along, or eaten at, wherever applicable.

Call us upstarts or assiduous tourists desperate to shake the tacky label, but one attraction and sightseeing tour at a time, we have been joining the inner circle.

There was only one missing link to our finally becoming naturalised: the ‘Holy Grail’ – Thermae Bath Spa.

Visitors have for millennia poured into Somerset for a chance to cure their ailments. So it follows that a true Bathonian must a bather be and take to the restorative waters. It is not quite there in black and white on our council tax form but it might as well be and, anyway, it is strongly implied.

Feeling ever so slightly like imposters, we walked through the spa’s glass foyer where we were warmly welcomed and offered a tour of the facilities, complete with a bit of history.

The spa’s water fell as rain around 10,000 years ago and then sank to a depth of about 2km below the earth’s surface.

There, it is heated by high temperature rocks to an estimated 69C before rising back up through one of the three springs in the centre of the city, namely the Cross Spring, the Hetling Spring and the King’s Spring which supplies the Roman Baths.

Once they reach the surface, the spring waters are on average 45C. They then cool down to the optimum bathing temperature of around 34C.

With this and many other fascinating facts, we were handed a fresh robe, towel and slippers and left to explore the spa.

We were faced with a difficult choice: should we work our way up from the spacious Minerva Bath to the aroma steam rooms and leave the sweeping vista of Bath from the rooftop pool for the finale, or do the exact opposite?

Swayed by the prospect of a skyline view of the city, we made our way to the roof. Suitably cocooned by the hot spring water, we lazily drifted in the pool until we chanced upon bubbling jets.

Next were the soothing vapours of the steam rooms, each infused with a different essence including lotus flower and, my favourite, eucalyptus mint.

Invigorated, we headed to the Minerva Bath on the lower floor; a pool with impressive high ceilings and imposing modern columns.

After a spot of lunch – a delicious Caesar salad for me, mushroom rigatoni for my partner and a cheeky dessert – each to recover from the morning’s exertions – we were off to the Minerva Bath again, followed by restorative steam.

The time then came for hot stone therapy.

If I had not quite reached the optimum level of Zen, the treatment certainly gave me a warm push in that direction.

The sensation was simply delightful as the warm basalt stones were skilfully used to massage my legs, feet and back.

The heat radiated through my body. A gentle cleanse and facial crowned the experience.

Emerging from the treatment room in a state of ultra Zen, I was shown to the relaxation room with a cup of warm ginger tea and settled down with last month’s issue of InStyle.

Still floating in a hot-stone induced daze, I embraced the quiet of the relaxation room, only to realise I had stood-up my partner, whom I was due to meet 30 minutes previously for a farewell dip in the rooftop pool.

I need not have worried. He may have been shrivelled like a prune but as obliviously to the hour and my tardiness as I had been.

One last time we drank in the view of Bath Abbey’s tower and the hills beyond.

If I had known two years ago that this was what we were missing out on, I probably would have put the Thermae Spa top of my sightseeing list.

As the old adage goes, better late than never.

And we had finally captured our ‘Holy Grail’. We had officially seen everything there was to see and experienced the best (well, attractions-wise) Bath had to offer.

We had stepped into the glass atrium mere bathers, we left Thermae Bath Spa true Bathonians.

  • To book, or for more information about treatments and spa packages, call 0844 8880844 

    email info@thermaebathspa.com or visit www.thermaebathspa.com 

  • THE Thermae Bath Spa, Hetling Pump Room, Hot Bath Street, BA1 1SJ.
    Open all year except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day from 9am to 9.30pm. The pools and steam rooms close at 9pm.
    A two-hour spa session, with towel, robe and slippers provided, cost £32, Monday to Friday or £35 on Saturday and Sunday. 
    The Spring Cafe restaurant is open from 10am to 9pm.
    The Cross Bath, situated opposite Thermae Bath Spa, is not included in the standard admission. It is open from 10am to 8pm.