Pausanias baths

The Pausanias Baths lie on the volcanic Methana peninsula in Greece, one of the country's most remarkable thermal-spring areas. The healing water is a direct product of the region's ongoing volcanic activity: an underground magma dome, located roughly 4 to 7 km deep, heats groundwater that rises through fissures in the rock and emerges as warm, mineral-rich water along the coast.

Volcanic thermal-mineral water and its source

The springs contain sodium, potassium, chloride, bromide and sulphur compounds such as hydrogen sulphide (H2S), which give the water its characteristic aroma and its healing properties. Two main types of spring occur: sulphur springs, typical around the harbour of Methana and beneficial for skin and joint conditions, and chloride-sodium springs near the coast, considered helpful for rheumatic and gynaecological complaints. Across the peninsula the water temperature ranges between about 28 and 41 C depending on the source. Traditionally the thermal waters have been used to treat rheumatism and arthritis, spinal and disc disorders, skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema, and respiratory and gynaecological problems.

The Pausanias bath

The bath sits in the small settlement of Agios Nikolaos in the north-east of the peninsula, where a small house stands on the coast. A mofetta (a natural vent of carbon dioxide) heats the seawater to around 39 C: when a little water is pumped out and the pressure on the gas column drops, the water warms. An electric pump conveys the warm water outside to fill a small pool that was built in May 2020. Above the driveway, on a platform reached before the stairs down to the house, are scant remains of a Roman bath, and ancient sculptures are said to have been found there; archaeologists have not yet confirmed whether this is truly the famous bath described by the ancient writer Pausanias.

History

The travel writer Pausanias already mentioned, in the 2nd century AD, hot springs that appeared after the volcanic eruption of 230 BC, describing warm, salty water that burst out where a great fire had died down. The springs were later used for healing, probably already in the Roman period, when bathhouses and water-collecting basins were built. Modern use began around 1870 with the first simple bathing facilities; organised spa operation began by 1906, and the representative neoclassical bathhouse by the harbour was designed in 1917 by the architect Ernst Ziller. In the 1960s Methana became the second-most important spa town in Greece after Loutraki, drawing tens of thousands of visitors.

Pools and bathing today

Many springs remain active; some flow directly into the sea to form natural "marine spas", while others bubble up in small rock basins. Several free, open-air bathing spots serve visitors:

• Pausanias bath (Agios Nikolaos) - the small outdoor pool fed by the mofetta-heated seawater at about 39 C. The historic bath house interior itself has not been accessible for bathing since a fatal incident in 2014.
• Sfagia sulphur springs - medicinal sulphurous springs at the entrance to the town, open all year round and free to bathe in whenever the water temperature allows; the same healing water used by the former spas, rising along the fault zone that runs through the town.
• Gouva thermal pool - a little coastal pool at the east end of Methana town where warm thermal water invites a bath; the water is rich in salt, chlorine and radon gas, temperatures range between 30 and 39 C depending on sea level and volcanic activity, and bathers are advised not to stay longer than 30 minutes. Use is free of charge.

Setting and current state

The baths sit within a striking volcanic landscape shaped by the peninsula's many lava domes, with the sea breeze, the scent of sulphur and the quiet activity of the volcano close at hand. The official state hydrotherapy spas - the western sulphur baths and the eastern Agios Nikolaos baths - were leased to private investors but have been closed for years, hampered by the missing official certification of the healing waters together with bureaucratic, monument-protection and archaeological obstacles. According to the site, the only spring still operating in a run establishment is found at the Ai Pigae hotel, while the Sfagia, Gouva and Pausanias sites remain freely accessible to bathers.