Only five years after Marie Curie discovered radium, another famous scientist, J. J. Thomson, wrote a letter to Nature magazine describing his findings on the presence of radioactivity in well water. Soon enough, the same magazine published a study showcasing the radioactivity of different mineral waters. Some of the world’s most famous baths were tested positive for natural radioactivity, the source of which was attributed to traces of radium in the rocks the water was flowing through.
Not long after that, the health industry caught on to this discovery. Radium salt used in bath water was suggested as an experimental therapy for patients with gout, arthritis, and neuralgia. Discovering more efficient ways of extracting radium from pitchblende in 1913 allowed for commercialization of this type of treatment, starting a golden era of radiation therapy.
Ancient Minerals Magne...
Buy New $9.95 ($0.38 / Ounce)
(as of 06:00 UTC - Details)
Today, especially after the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we’re extremely cautious when it comes to any presence of radiation. But in truth, we are all exposed to it every day. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, normal radiation exposure from the Sun, cars, CT scans, X-rays, and so on is 2,400 microsieverts per year.
Taking radium baths is, of course, a personal choice. But the fact is they were used by people from all over the world long before anyone even knew about radiation—long before the disasters or the “radium fever”—and they are still widely popular today in many places around the globe.
So if you decide to take a dip in one, where can you find it?
10 Jachymov Spa, Czech Republic
Located in northwestern Bohemia in the Czech Republic, Jachymov is the world’s oldest radon spa, founded in 1906. Even now, around 20,000 patients visit it every year. Bathing is rigorously timed, and every person is exposed
Minera Dead Sea Salt -...
Buy New $27.99 ($0.17 / Ounce)
(as of 12:40 UTC - Details)
to 3.5 millisieverts of radiation during their three-week treatment.
But Jachymov’s fame began much earlier, when local miners discovered silver in the mineral-rich Ore Mountain Valley in the 16th century. After that, immigrants from Saxony came there and renamed the place to Sankt Joachimsthal, from the German word thal, simply meaning “a valley.” Coins minted here were called “Thalers,” from which “dollar” eventually evolved. Joachimsthal is also where the world’s oldest uranium mine—the Svornost (Concord) pit—is located. It started as a silver mine, then became a source of uranium ore, and now it’s a place where radon water for the Jachymov spa is collected before being transported through a network of pipelines to the city’s many baths.
It was actually in the pitchblende ore gathered in Joachimsthal that Marie Curie first discovered radium, for which she later received her Nobel Prize.
9 Milk River Mineral Bath, Jamaica
Epsoak Epsom Salt
Check Amazon for Pricing.
Milk River Mineral Bath is named after the river flowing nearby, which is unfortunately infested with crocodiles and therefore not suitable for swimming. The water in these baths is advertised as being 54 times more radioactive than in Baden, Switzerland and three times more so than in Karlsbad, Austria. The baths are located in the basement of Milk River Hotel. There are six private rooms, each with its own bath. The recommended time for a single dip is 15 minutes, no more than three times a day.
Local legend says that the radioactive spring here was discovered in the 18th century by a runaway slave who, after being whipped and beaten, soaked in its healing waters. When he returned healthy to the plantation after just a few days, the owner promised him forgiveness in exchange for the location of this incredible spring. The owner then built a bath in that place and, after his death, left it for the public to enjoy.
8 Rudas BathBudapest, Hungary
Budapest could easily be called the world’s baths capital. But one in particular stands out because of its slightly radioactive waters and historic interior: Rudas Bath. Built in 1550 and reconstructed in 1566 by Pasha Sokoli Mustafa in the Buda side of the city, it was originally created as a Turkish bath during the Ottoman rule in Budapest.
This can be clearly seen in the centerpiece—a 10-meter (30 ft) dome with star-shaped apertures, filled with colored glass, held up by eight pillars, and an octagonal pool below it. It is also surrounded by smaller dome-covered pools, which are also filled with slightly radioactive water of different temperatures. There is a drinking hall, where spring water is available for consumption and appreciated for its health benefits. It is also worth mentioning that the spa, as a Turkish bath, even now has separate days when it is open to either men or women.
But not everything is serious or relaxed about the Rudas Bath. In 1998, Cinetrip—party producers under artistic direction of Laszlo Laki—threw their first ever so-called “sparty” here. With the combination of international DJs playing electronic music, lasers, belly dancers, silent movies, and historical interiors of Turkish baths, it became a popular party not only among locals but also foreigners.
