Caldas de Chaves

The Termas de Chaves (Caldas de Chaves) rise in the historic spa town of Chaves in the far north of Portugal's Trás-os-Montes region, close to the Spanish border. Fed by a thousand-year thermal tradition known as the Águas Termais Flavienses, these are Portugal's hottest springs, with the source water emerging at around 76°C. The water is mineral-rich and bicarbonated, with a pH of 6.80 measured at 20°C.

The thermal water

The naturally hot mineral water surfaces at approximately 76°C, making it the hottest thermal source in the country. Classified as bicarbonated and rich in minerals, it is used across the resort for both therapeutic drinking cures (hydropinia) and immersion treatments.

Balneotherapy and health treatments

The therapeutic thermal bathhouse offers a full range of balneotherapy techniques under a medical framework. Treatments and facilities include:

• Steam / vapor chambers
• Hydromassage bathtubs and immersion baths
• Jet showers (Vichy-style hydrotherapy)
• Hydropressotherapy
• Lymphatic drainage sessions
• Hydropinia (thermal-water drinking cures)

The waters are indicated for musculoskeletal pathologies, respiratory-tract conditions and digestive-system disorders, and the resort also provides podology, nutrition and dermocosmetic services.

Aquae Salutem wellness complex

Operating alongside the therapeutic baths, the Complexo Termal Aquae Salutem is a dedicated wellness and spa center offering structured programs. These include the Programa Shape — combining hydropinia, jet showers, hydrotherapy, lymphatic drainage and sauna — and Aquae Relax, which pairs a vapor-chamber session and a hydromassage immersion bath with a massage.

Roman heritage and setting

Chaves was founded by the Romans as Aquae Flaviae, named after the Emperor Flavius Vespasianus, and the springs' address on Largo Tito Flávio Vespasiano recalls that Flavian legacy. The town's mineral waters have been valued since antiquity, and today the thermal complex sits within a historic spa town in the scenic Trás-os-Montes highlands.