HEALTH & WELLNESS
Ancient Cures for
MODERN WOES By Heidi Fuller-Love
Following in the footsteps of Aristotle and Plutarch to discover the healing hot springs of Greece
B
right as a red-lit Chinese lantern, the sun hovers above a pencil-fine rim of horizon as I clamber over rocks to reach the stone bath in Edipsos on the Greek island of Evia. Here, it is said that Roman general Sylla was cured of a mysterious skin disease in 115 BC.
Greeks have worshipped the healing powers of these hot spring waters since Antiquity. Rich in minerals including potassium, lithium and calcium, they are said to cure everything from eczema to depression, and Greeks in the know regularly visit these health-boosting sites.
Worn by centuries of use, the old stone basin is as smooth as a marble tub. As the mineral-charged water — which bursts out of the rocks above me at 38 °C — envelops my body like liquid chocolate, I relax for the first time in months. Watching the sun spread a last benediction over the wind-riffled Aegean Sea before slipping out of sight, I’m certainly hoping that my road trip to soak in Greece’s miraculous hot springs will restore wings to my lockdown-weary spirit.
Many water sources where the ancient Greeks once wallowed have since dried up, but there are still more than 700 hot springs in Greece. Since most of them are situated close to some of the country’s best-known archaeological sites, visiting them is also a great way to get to grips with its history.
32 • Vacations ® • Fall 2021
Leaving Evia, I drive onto an old red ferry to cross the Gulf of Euboean to Glifa. By lunchtime, I’m sitting at Nostos Psarotaberna, a vine-shaded taverna overlooking the
SULPHUR WATERS ON EVIA (EDIPSOS)
