Even though I’ve lived in Italy for a long time, I rarely visit its spas. Today, though, I had the opportunity to go to a popular one in downtown Milan. The person at check-in told me it wasn’t particularly crowded that day, though it was bustling with people in bathrobes and swimsuits when I went inside—so it actually felt quite busy to me. There were certainly some more tranquil areas with pleasantly warm pools to hang out in, but to be honest, it wasn’t so relaxing that I was beside myself to go back.


The experience got me thinking about the differences between Italian spas and Japanese onsen.
When most people hear the word onsen in Japan, it immediately conjures up images of traditional inns and large, shared bathing areas. Everything from the scenery to the food is designed to create a soothing, relaxing atmosphere. The word spa in Italy, however, paints a slightly different picture. While onsen feels synonymous with “soaking in hot water”, spa carries the idea of a comprehensive space for health and healing.
Historically, it all goes back to the bathing culture that has been in Italy since ancient Roman times. The Romans didn’t just bathe in their public bathhouses, or thermae. They were also places to enjoy exercise, reading, and socializing. One of the most classic examples is the Terme di Caracalla, constructed in the early third century. It’s a huge 11-hectare space that could accommodate more than 1,600 people at once. The interior had hot-water bathing areas, lukewarm baths, and cold baths, plus an exercise area, library—even a park. The water was brought in via aqueduct, with a sophisticated system that heated it under the floors.
The name Caracalla has a kind of humorous ring to it in Japanese, since the homophone karakara implies something abandoned, empty, or dried up. We use it to describe a parched throat or a wallet that’s empty of money, for example—in other words, it’s not the most luxurious of images. Of course, the Terme di Caracalla was once overflowing with water and people—not a “dried up” place in the least. Today, however, the bathhouse has lost its roof and features massive stone structures quietly towering over an empty field—a state that nearly begs a joke about how Caracalla is now karakara with its waters dried up and gone.


Modern Italy carries on its ancient bathhouse traditions in a different form today. Natural hot spring areas, such as Terme di Saturnia in Tuscany or Bormio in Lombardy, offer an extensive variety of facilities, from outdoor pools to steam saunas and mud packs. People go there not only to soak in the warm water, but also for massages, aromatherapy, or fitness.
Italian spas are not just hot springs; they’re complete healing experiences for the body and mind. If you ever get a chance to visit Italy, take the time to experience the cultural differences among historical hot-spring areas, hotel spas, and even the coincidental wordplay of the now-karakara Caracalla bathhouse.