Way before St. Tropez and Mykonos started drawing the jet set to their marinas and beach clubs, the summer capital of Europe was in a landlocked corner of Germany. In the late 19th century the place to go was Baden-Baden, a haven for royals and titans of industry at the edge of the Black Forest, some 26 miles from Strasbourg, France.
Baden-Baden was, in many ways, the original spa town. Its status as an internationally recognized wellness destination stretches all the way back to Roman times, when invaders discovered that its natural hot springs could help with body aches. Emperor Caracalla visited the area to treat his arthritis in the early 210s A.D.; Mark Twain wrote about soaking in the waters in 1878. By the time people such as Henry Ford and Walt Disney started frequenting the place, the point was just as much to see and be seen on the promenade as it was to take in the baths.
In Europe, the Oldest Ideas in Wellness Get a New Spotlight
