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Glossary

Spa

Facilities located near a spring of thermal waters or mineral medicinal waters (link to glossary definitions) que that have suitable health care professionals and facilities for carrying out hydrotherapy techniques. In order to be considered a spa or thermal resort, three conditions must be present (medicinal mineral waters, health care professionals and suitable facilities). Currently, many spas have expanded their wellness offering to include hotel services, from accommodation to convention organisation. They also offer medical programmes for rehabilitation, healing and disease prevention and anti-stress and relaxation programmes.

Thalassotherapy centre

Thalassotherapy centres are located near the sea and apply a therapeutic method, thalassotherapy, which is based on the utilisation of the climate and the sea as a therapeutic agent. Similar to what takes place at spas, treatments are always performed under medical supervision. Before use, the waters are collected over 800m from the coast and treated and purified in order to avoid pathogenic agents. Like spas, some thalassotherapy centres also include hotel services.

Urban spa centre

DFrom the Latin ‘Salutem per Aqua’, these facilities are normally located in urban zones and aesthetic and relaxing treatments are offered that do not use medicinal mineral waters. Normally drinking water is used to which additives are added to increase their relaxing effects. The main difference between an urban spa centre (from the Latin ‘salutem per aquam’) and a spa is that the former give treatments that do not use medicinal mineral waters while spas use therapeutic techniques with medicinal mineral water.

Medicinal mineral waters

Water whose composition includes minerals with therapeutic characteristics, obtained from different biological and geological processes. They can be thermal (emanating at a temperature hotter than the surroundings) or cold.

Thermal waters

Waters that rise to the surface with a temperature that is 5º higher than the average annual temperature of the location. The benefits of thermal waters are due to the existence of minerals in their composition and they are consequently medicinal mineral waters.

Sea environment

Sea water, alga, mud and other substances that are extracted from the sea that are used in thalassotherapy as therapeutic agents. Thalassotherapy: Therapeutic method that is based on the usage of the environment and the sea as therapeutic agents.

Hydrotherapy techniques

The different ways of applying water as a therapeutic agent to contribute to the relief and healing of different ailments and illnesses. The most highly-used techniques are baths, showers, jets and wraps.

Wellness

Integral wellbeing that means that a person is well on all possible levels: psychic, psychological, environment and spiritual. It could also be interpreted as an active process of becoming aware and taking decisions that lead to a better overall existence.