Thermal Baths in Calabria – The Hot Springs you Need to Know
- Nature Source Chaude
- Published on
- Updated on 29 April 2025
The geology of the Italian peninsula has produced a wide variety of thermal springs, which can be used to treat most ailments. They can be found in most regions, not to mention the islands, such as Sicily and Sardinia. Some regions of the peninsula that are less well known for their thermal baths also have numerous baths, such as Calabria, which forms a small peninsula jutting out into the Mediterranean.
In this region, with its sunny climate, thermal springs have always been used for therapeutic or recreational purposes. As a result, many of the towns and villages have grown up thanks to the thermal spa business.
Some of these spa towns have large thermal water resources, but some of this water is not used. As a result, very rudimentary baths, accessible to all, collect this water before it is lost to nature.
IN SUMMARY :
Map of Hot Springs and Thermal Baths in Calabria
On this map, you’ll find thermal baths in Calabria that are accessible to everyone. Thermal water baths can be taken in :
– Free spas, with or without facilities.
– Paid spas. Some spas have very basic facilities, but are available at very reasonable prices.
1. Terme di Galatro - Galatro
Galatro is a small village on the western side of the Calabrian Serres mountain range, in the province of Reggio Calabria. The village owes its fame to the Sant’Elia thermal spring. The waters of Galatro have been famous since time immemorial. As early as the 8th century, local monks considered and used it as a genuine medicine to treat the sick. Since then, the spring has been a great success with the various monastic orders that followed until the 17th century.
With the rise of thermalism in the 19th century, a bathhouse was built in the north-east of Galatro, where the thermal water gushes out of the ground.
🚌 How to get there :
There is no public transport to Galatro. It is best to leave your car in the square in front of the village church.
From here you can walk along Via Stabilimento Balneare to the thermal baths of Galatro. To get to the baths, which are free but a little difficult to reach, you have to cross the river bed carefully. Water shoes are essential.
At the end of the road, there’s nothing to suggest that the building inside the enclosure is an old bathhouse. In fact, it stands next to the hill from which the thermal waters flow.
These ancient baths were built on a single level because it was difficult to pump the water, especially at that time. The external thermal character of the baths is expressed by arcades, which are clearly visible on the façades of a small pavilion (main floor) with a 4-slope roof. This architectural form is a motif specific to a thermal gallery.
Where the establishment extends over 2 levels, it is almost certain that it was used for other functions (entertainment, accommodation, etc.).
This building, which houses the spring, discharges the thermal water (at a temperature of around 40°C) into a large stone basin built by the locals. The flow is considerable (more than 150 l/min). The pool is fed by unused thermal water, as there is no longer any thermal activity in this disused building. These waters, which remain close to the catchment area, carefully preserve their therapeutic properties.
The stream that runs by the thermal pool brings a calm and freshness to the place. The pool is also obscured by the vast forest that surrounds it, as the valley is particularly narrow, especially at this point.
Finally, as with all health resorts worthy of the name, there is a real establishment about 200 metres from the modest baths, which have become inadequate.
A spa complex has been built just above the stream, without any particular architectural character. It includes a first-class hotel (official website), a restaurant, an outdoor thermal pool and an indoor thermal pool, a bathhouse with modern facilities (baths, showers, etc.) and a conference centre. The complex also uses water from the Sant’Elia thermal spring, which is supplied by a distribution network.
These waters are salt-bromine-iodic in nature, containing mainly sodium, bromide (which are natural and bioavailable) and iodide ions.
If these waters are not altered, they can effectively treat rheumatic diseases, arthrosis, osteoporosis, degenerative diseases, dermatological diseases, respiratory diseases, intestinal diseases, etc.
2. Terme di Caronte - Lamezia Terme
In the province of Catanzaro , the Lamezia Terme thermal springs, of which there are 4, are located on a deep fault in the subsoil, through which flows a stream called Bagni and which is fed by the Reventino massif.
As always, these springs have been used for centuries. These thermal baths have been known since Roman times under the name of Aque Angea. Roman remains and artefacts have also been found in the area.
By the middle of the 18th century, things had changed and interest in these springs was evident. Cures and spa treatments were also in vogue. Successive owners of the springs understood the financial benefits of exploiting them.
This success has been the driving force behind the growth of Lamezia et des Terme di Caronte (Caronte thermal baths), which is now a comfortable health resort with modern, well-equipped facilities offering a wide range of services.
When the Caronte baths were built, there were no plans to build a whole complex, hence the somewhat disparate appearance of the whole.
It is likely that a bath was built for each thermal spring. These buildings, built at the foot of the mountain, are no longer in use.
All the thermal treatments (foot baths, inhalation room, massage, aerobath, shower, vaginal irrigation, etc.) are now grouped together in a large modern multi-storey building, flanked by a pavilion built near the disused buildings. There is also an outdoor artificial thermal pool.
This health resort also has free baths, making it one of the top destinations for local residents. They come here to get some fresh air and enjoy the water in a natural and relaxing environment.
Until about ten years ago, the pipe from the old Caronte baths used to discharge a large amount of thermal water to the other side of the road. This discharge was all the more regrettable because the thermal water was of no use to anyone; it was lost in the middle of groves of trees and then in the stream.
So a local man turned the place into a public bath, much to the delight of the people of the Calabria.
The abundance of naturally warm water at a constant temperature has made it possible to create a large pool. There is also no need to add cold water to regulate the temperature of the thermal water, which arrives at the right temperature (40°C when it leaves the spring).
As the water is renewed at will, the temperature of the pool remains stable at around 39°C. This considerable flow rate (at least 400 litres per minute) prevents the water in the pool from cooling down too much (barely 1°C compared to the point at which the spring emerges).
There is also no need to add hot water intermittently to regulate the temperature of the thermal water. So there’s no need to heat the bottom of the pool. In this pool, the thermal water resources do not need to be regulated.
The depth of the pool is between 0.60m and 0.80m, which is considerable. When you get to the edge of the pool, you can’t resist the temptation to soak yourself or do all sorts of swimming exercises.
Next to the main pool is a smaller, shallower pool. This is next to the changing rooms (with a proper dressing room), where there is a man dressed in black who looks after the place from morning to night.
He’s the one who designed the pool and has been running it for the last 10 years! Thanks to him, the place is clean and free of plastic waste (the surrounding area is littered with it). There’s even a clock that tells you how long you’ve been in the water.
Finally, although the baths are free, I noticed that each bather gave a small coin. You can only be grateful for such a service.
These thermal waters are sulphurous-sulphate-alkaline-earthy-iodic-arsenic. If these waters are not altered, they can be used effectively to treat rheumatic, dermatological and gynaecological diseases, etc.
The health benefits of hot springs
For thousands of years, ancient civilisations around the world have recognised and appreciated the benefits of hot springs.
Even before knowing its mineral composition, a thermal bath is useful because of its temperature, and it is already proving to be very effective. To find out more, I invite you to read the article: The Amazing Health Benefits of a Hot Bath.
Mineral water is an effective treatment for many ailments when it comes into direct contact with the skin or mucous membranes (if the thermal water has not been altered):
– respiratory diseases. To find out more, I invite you to read the end of the article : How to Cleanse your Lungs with Simple, Natural Ways ? ;
– dermatological problems : acne, psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema, etc. can be effectively treated with thermal baths and showers ;
– gastrointestinal problems (when used as a drink).
It can also be useful in the treatment of rheumatism and bone diseases: hot springs rich in minerals, trace elements and organic substances are particularly effective in this type of disease.
