Take The Plunge
Yorkshire Life|September 2017

 As Harrogate Turkish Baths celebrates a spacial birthday, manager Chris Mason talks to Jo Haywood about its long-lasting appeal

Take The Plunge

WE all enjoy a good soak, but 120 years? Just imagine the wrinkles.

Harrogate’s award-winning Turkish Baths first opened for business on July 23rd 1897 and is now celebrating its milestone 120th anniversary while still attracting upwards of 55,000 people every year. It was the most advanced centre for hydrotherapy in the world when it was launched as part of the Royal Baths, where visitors were able to experience myriad water-based treatments including a medicinal waters’ dispensary, mud baths and steam rooms.

During the Victorian era, wealthy folk flocked to the town to ‘take the waters’ and, perhaps, ogle members of royal families from around the world (Queen Victoria’s granddaughters were frequent visitors) who turned up, stripped off (at least a few outer layers) and dived in. But was it a Victorian lifestyle trend (like our quinoa and kale juice) or was it regarded as seriously beneficial to health?

‘I think it’s safe to say a bit of both,’ said Turkish Baths manager Chris Mason. ‘Like all the spa towns in the country, Harrogate was seen as a resort based around the spa waters, with the Royal Baths hydrotherapy centre as the most established and respected in the country, if not Europe.

‘The practice of taking the sulphur water at the nearby pump rooms was seen to have many health benefits and, as such, I imagine you could say was more of a lifestyle and health-conscious choice. But it’s a testament to the Turkish Baths, one of many different options people could partake in, that the trend turned into a substantial mainstay and that we’re still here, along with the pump rooms, 120 years later.’

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 2017 من Yorkshire Life.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 2017 من Yorkshire Life.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من YORKSHIRE LIFE مشاهدة الكل
Charity Starts At Home
Yorkshire Life

Charity Starts At Home

How do we teach our children the importance of giving back?

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2020
THE INTERVIEW Steph McGovern
Yorkshire Life

THE INTERVIEW Steph McGovern

Live from Leeds - Steph McGovern returns to the studio after a scary lockdown lesson in live TV

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2020
THE SCENE SETTERS
Yorkshire Life

THE SCENE SETTERS

Hidden away in a North Yorkshire village, you’ll find a business making huge stage sets for global audiences, from TV’s The Voice, to the Olympics and Trafalgar Square’s plinths

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
On solid ground
Yorkshire Life

On solid ground

Dry stone walls are the thread that bind Yorkshire’s landscape. Fancy giving it a go? Pete Maynard quit his job to do just that

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2020
The French furniture hunters
Yorkshire Life

The French furniture hunters

A day in the life of Stephen and Kath Hazell who run The French House in York, one of the largest French antiques businesses in the UK

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
Face value
Yorkshire Life

Face value

We caught up with Sarah Thomas, co-founder of the York-based beauty brand that’s changing the game with waterless, vegan, natural and organic products

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2020
Wildlife in crisis
Yorkshire Life

Wildlife in crisis

From the bottom of the sea to the top of the tallest tree, there are tales of wildlife woes all over Yorkshire. The good news is that it’s not too late to save what little remains

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
Decorative art
Yorkshire Life

Decorative art

Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2020
Boxing clever
Yorkshire Life

Boxing clever

The Hare at Scawton was named Yorkshire Life Restaurant of the Year in 2019 and owners Paul and Liz Jackson had big plans for their gourmet hotspot. When lockdown happened, they put down the kitchen knives and opened the tool box. The results are spectacular

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
All the dales
Yorkshire Life

All the dales

This route from Thixendale to Hanging Grimston is often missed by local hikers, but it covers a number of glorious dales. Warning: there’s a one in six climb, but the views make it all worthwhile

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020