Spa Wars

The term is derived from the name of the town of Spa, Belgium, where since medieval times illnesses caused by iron deficiency were treated by drinking chalybeate (iron bearing) spring water. In 16th century England the old Roman ideas of medicinal bathing were revived at towns like Bath, and in 1571 William Slingsby who had been to the Belgian town (which he called Spaw) discovered a chalybeate spring in Yorkshire. He built an enclosed well at what became known as Harrogate, the first resort in England for drinking medicinal waters, then in 1596 Dr Timothy Bright called the resort The English Spaw, beginning the use of the word Spa as a generic description rather than as the place name of the Belgian town. At first this term referred specifically to resorts for water drinking rather than bathing, but this distinction was gradually lost and many spas offer external remedies. — WikipediaWhenever I go for holidays, I look forward to visiting the local spa, especially if that region is famous for it. I have been to Bali, Indonesia and tried the famous Balinese hot stone massage. In fact I’ve tried the Balinese massage almost every where I went. However, Bali has still the best valued spas and the service rivals the land of smiles.

However, I do wonder what is the normal expectation whenever a guy goes into a spa. Are we suppose to go full monty or just down to our shorts? I know some spa provides those flimsy disposal ones, some do not and some provide their change of shorts.

I presume this may have something to do with each country’s culture and how they view nudity but…aren’t we suppose to be free of the restrictive clothing, be free and comfy and let our body relax and enjoy the therapeutic treatments? I mean if the masseuses are really professional then they should know what’s best right?