A bronzed, willowy veteran in black Speedos glides into the shallow, round-ish thermal pool snuggled into a grassy riverbank. It’s one of a huddle of rock pools, with trees and a modest wooden changing hut. We’re the only people here bathing beneath a cement-coloured sky that seems to inhale the steam billowing from the baths. It could be an onsen in rural Japan, except I’m about 10,000 miles from there, in north-west Spain.
The Outariz and Burga de Canedo thermal baths in Galicia are the largest of the council-run thermal areas in Ourense, with six thermal pools and two cold plunge pools, linked by a white, curved metal footbridge. Today, it’s almost empty and, most importantly, free to use, like most thermal baths here.
I didn’t know Ourense, or its thermal springs, existed until I recently stumbled across an American couple on YouTube who were doing the Minho Thermal Route – a gentle wander along the river of that name, which takes in four thermal bathing areas (three public, one private). It looked so lovely on their video that I had to follow their lead. So here I am, at the last stop on the short 4km (two-and-a-half-mile) hike, melting into thermal waters.
On the way back to Ourense, I snake by wise-looking trees with fluffy beards, pretty red bottlebrush, and a couple of cormorants perched on a mossy branch in the fast-flowing Minho – Galicia’s longest river. I pass a hórreo (a traditional Galician granary), a tunnel graffitied with a mural of Albert Einstein, and a family tucking into a picnic under an umbrella too small for four. All the while, the mighty Minho drowns out the hum of cars from a nearby road.
I stop to swill my mouth with thermal water at Fonte do Tinteiro – a solitary blue fountain on a wooden deck overlooking the river. Then I skirt by the pretty but waterlogged Chavasqueira thermal baths (it’s winter and the riverbanks have burst). Next, I cross the impressive Ponte Romana, the city’s ancient Roman bridge, before arriving at Ourense’s old town.
Founded as a Roman spa town in Galicia’s only landlocked province (also Ourense), it looks like all the great Spanish cities – timeworn squares, twisting cobbled streets and countless traditional tapas restaurants – only without the hordes of international tourists.
One of the delicacies here – served, appropriately, at Bar Orellas – is oreja, or pigs’ ears, which look and taste exactly how you would expect. The culinary scene, however, isn’t limited to meaty classics like this. There are also a handful of Michelin-acknowledged restaurants with excellent, innovative menus, such as Nova, Ceibe and Pacífico. Still, Ourense’s main draw is its thermal springs.
“Ourense is the thermal capital of Galicia. Not many people realise, but we have about 70 thermal springs pumping an estimated three million litres of thermal water daily,” Karlos Sanmartín, a local tour guide, tells me over coffee at La Zapatería del Abuelo, a cute church-like shoe shop turned cafe in the city’s old town.
Locals, in-the-know expats and a small swell of tourists bathe in Ourense’s hot springs year-round, keen to take advantage of the supposed therapeutic benefits – from easing arthritic pain and soothing skin conditions to aiding circulation and respiratory issues. It’s not as popular as Hungary or Iceland but thermal tourism here isn’t new.
Roman soldiers came almost 2,000 years ago to use the city’s mineral-rich waters as a form of post-battle convalescence. “They used the hot springs as a place of rest, healing, leisure and relaxation, but also as a place of worship,” Karlos says.
The Romans named Ourense “Aquis Aurienses” or “the city of golden waters” after finding gold nuggets in the river that washed down from a nearby quarry.
Karlos tells me the Romans would discuss their daily affairs while bathing together at As Burgas – one of Ourense’s most famous thermal areas, and the only thermal pool in the town centre. Remains of a Roman bathhouse and an altar were found here, leading experts to believe it was once a focal point for pilgrims. Today As Burgas has an unassuming shallow, lido-like pool (currently under renovation and due to open later in 2024), a small Moorish-looking plaza and a rustic fountain pumping hot spring water.
Before saying our goodbyes, Karlos says I must try the baths at night, his favourite time to visit.
I spend the afternoon strolling around Os Viños, a warren of tapas bars, restaurants and watering holes in the old town. It’s packed with weathered gothic, baroque and neoclassical buildings and smells like cigarettes and freshly fallen rain. I glide through the medieval-looking Plaza Mayor, home to the Bishop’s Palace and City Hall, and lunch on excellent risotto at Tapa Negra – a great spot for people watching.
Later, I squeeze into Demamáluis, a delicatessen on a corner with room for 12 people, where I eat a chunky slice of tortilla and enjoy a glass of local vino for less than £7. For dessert, I enjoy cheesecake and more local red wine at O Frade – a long, narrow tapas bar with framed brewery logos on the walls and a leg of jámon dangling over the counter.
During drier months, visitors to the region take vineyard tours at Ribeira Sacra – a gorgeous Lord of the Rings valley nearby. The bartender says Ourense is Galicia’s most prominent wine region, home to four of its five denominacións de orixe (Ribeira Sacra, Ribeiro, Valdeorras and Monterrei). But the conversation comes back to the hot springs.
“You can taste the minerals,” he says, pushing the glass of wine towards me. He’s right, but the acidity is neutralised by the thick slab of Galician cheesecake I’m devouring at breakneck speed.
With my trip drawing to a close, I take a cab to Termas de Outariz for one final dip – this time under the moonlight. The curved, wooden Japanese-style construction is the only private thermal resort on the Minho thermal route. Unlike the public areas, which close at 8pm, it’s open until 11pm. It costs just over a fiver and has 11 outdoor and three indoor thermal baths of varying temperatures.
I pause to take in the surroundings from the terrace, which overlooks a scattering of rocky, thermal baths, dense woodland and the thundering Minho River. Then, as dusk descends, I tiptoe from Celtic-inspired rock pools and waterfalls to cavernous granite huts and Japanese pools made from wood and stone. Soon, it’s so dark I can barely see my hand in front of my face.
Occasionally, a soft, bluish glow from the baths’ uplights reveals a solitary, blissful face that fades in and out of focus. Elsewhere, friends perched on rocks talk in hushed tones and couples steal intimate moments in dark corners. As closing time approaches, I watch as steam rises and melts into a black sky sprinkled with stars that seem to dance to the trickling sound of water. I whisper a little thanks to Karlos. He was right: moonlit bathing is magical.
