An Impromptu Visit to Edipsos Thermal Spa

The morning after the launch event at breakfast, a small group of people staying at the same hotel gathered for breakfast. The simple breakfast of bread, cheese and ham and a little slice of cake was very welcome after a night of merriment – or should I say drinking! We all agreed that there was no doubt that the book launch for a Parthenon in Pefki had been a success.

Two of our compadres very kindly invited us to join them for a visit to the hot springs. They had visited the Edipsos hot springs the day before and would explore another one a little further around the coast.

This was such a welcome invitation because unless you book yourself onto one of the tours, the only means of transport in this part of Evia is by hire car – and we all know how that ends (for me anyway!) We all squashed into the back of this small hire car and headed off to Loutra Gialtron a small village to the west and around the other side of the deep bay that Edipsos sits on. The landscape that we drive through is just stunning – and green! Where the densely pine-clad hills end, broad groves of olive trees begin and with no let up in between.

We arrive at the small village of Gialtra which appears to be quite low-key but with a couple of modern looking bars along the back of the beach. It isn’t immediately apparent where to find the thermal spas and when we do reach them we understand why – they are small. Literally standing room only or in this case – two men lying only. The area itself is attractive but this strikes me as the type of place that you would come and stay for a couple of days to rest, relax and take the thermal waters.

As we hadn’t had the opportunity to visit Edipsos our very kind companions made the decision to go there which is fantastic. Edipsos is a beautiful town which I assume had developed as a spa town some time ago. Spa towns appear to have fallen out of fashion in recent times – just look at towns like Methana – still beautiful but with the faded elegance of a once buoyant spa resort.

That’s not the case with Edipsos though. A large and very grand-looking spa hotel backs the beach where the thermal pools ease away the aches and pains of those who visit. BTW – I firmly believe that they do have therapeutic benefits and have definitely had an impact my old aching bones!

The beach and thermal waters are busy. I decided to go for a quick scout around fascinated to see where the source of the hot waters came from. I walk along the edge of the beach towards the most peculiar-looking rock formations. Thermal water runs over the rock above creating a shower which then runs off into the sea. You can plonk yourself on a rock and just let the hot water hit your head.

I take the steps back up onto the promenade and can see that the water source is coming from a channel above – whether it is pumped or naturally flowing from the rock I don’t know. Further beyond this is another small beach which is almost like a mirror image of the other beach – both being served by the magical waters, over the large rock and down below.

Just above the water outlet is a small channel filled with mud. Not your common garden mud but the stuff that beauty companies package up and sell for top dollar. Well, I decided that I’m going to have some of that! Not only do I slap some on my face but I also cover my many many mosquito bites with this grey, silver balm. I let it permeate my pores with high expectations of looking and feeling completely rejuvenated at the end of it!

The thermal pools are quite busy so I throw myself into the sea to remove the clay. Besides, it was beginning to sting my eyes. The thermal water flowing into the sea means that it is really warm. There is no having to ease yourself into it bit by bit, acclimatising one sensitive body part at a time.

Once the clay is off, it’s time to try and squeeze myself into one of the pools. It’s a case of making friends with people at close quarters whether you like it or not. My lovely compadre who had been there the day before told me that the hottest ones were at the top. Having dipped my hand into it I can honestly state that this is probably poaching temperature – way too hot for me.

I find a little space in one of the lower pools that sit along the edge of the sea making a conscious effort to submerge my whole body. And there we sat talking about life until the sun began to set, throwing the pools into shadow. Now was the time to leave.

The timing was just right. As we made our way back to the car we were just in time to watch the sunset. A beautiful end to a lovely day!

Actually that wasn’t the end of the day. We all met up later for souvlaki at one of Pefki’s fabulous little eateries along the front. Now that was a lovely end to the day! Thank you so much L and E – this was a very kind gesture that we all appreciated! ❤️

The faces have been disguised to protect the innocent – or whatever the saying is!