Nr 5 Naantali’s old spa

Naantali’s history as a spa town begins in the 1700s, when the water of the Viluluoto Spring outside the town was found to promote good health. Previously limited to drinks of spring water and clay baths, when the spa moved to the shore of Naantali in the 1860s, a wide variety of new spa services became available.

Guests received a full spa treatment. Emphasis was placed on hydrotherapy, exercise and getting away from day-to-day worries. The treatments were designed by the spa’s doctor, and a wide variety were available. Hot baths were supposed to help with aches, while cold baths improved blood circulation. The spa offered various hydrotherapy treatments using water pouring, wraps and herbal, steam and pine needle baths. Spa treatments were enhanced with methods like mud and clay massages.

Walks and spending time outdoors were also part of the spa’s health treatments. Spa guests could rent rowing boats, go sailing, play tennis and croquet or take day trips around the local area.

Social life and recreation were a key part of spa life. The core rule of social life in Naantali was that everyone was allowed to be alone or seek out company as they wished. In 1899, Merisali was opened on the seafront, and it quickly became the heart of social life in Naantali.

Spa trips were a luxury for the wealthy. Naantali was frequented by the Finnish gentry, as well as Russian civil servants and military officers up until the First World War.

Spas were thought of as a service for the upper classes, but as early as the late 1800s, the spa reserved 20 beds for the poor. Treatments were also available to members of the civil service, such as police, postal service workers and elementary school teachers. The spa created jobs for locals as bathers and trolly boys and brought business to local shops and the hospitality industry.

The golden age of Naantali’s spa business came to an end with the First World War. Due to financial difficulties, the spa was acquired by the Town in 1932 and shut down entirely in 1963. Only a few buildings remain from the old spa: Kaivohuone, Merisali, the observation tower and the music pavilion.

Caption 1: Spa buildings seen from the sea in the early 1900s.

Caption 2: The large Kaivohuone space has been expanded several times.

Caption 3: Patients would sit in steam cabinets with only their heads outside the cabinet. The steam was sometimes infused with spirits or turpentine.