Aguas de Busot Spa – Aigües, Spain - Atlas Obscura

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Aguas de Busot Spa

Aigües, Spain

Once a spa resort, then a tuberculosis sanatorium, and now a crumbling ruin. 

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The former Aguas de Busot Spa was built in the 19th century near Aigües, Alicante, Spain. The spa was originally called the Hotel Miramar Winter Station by owner, designer, and Spanish aristocrat Senor Conde de Casa Rojas. The complex was located directly opposite the thermal springs that date back to the Roman period. A 1908 photograph of the hotel from the nearby hillside shows a large, open-air pool of spring-sourced water.

In the 19th century, the hotel operated as a treatment spa as well as a luxury hotel, featuring a casino and extensive hydrotherapy facilities, and earning a visit from the king and queen of Spain. During the Spanish Civil War, the hotel took on a new role. The building was converted into a sanatorium meant to cure tuberculosis in children.

The only building left standing today was built in 1816 by the engineer and architect Pedro García Faria. In 1989, a company called Prognosis acquired the building with the intention of restoring it. In 1993 the company signed an agreement with the local authority to develop the site with the construction of two hotels and a spa, but it never came to fruition, and the crumbling building is now supported by steelwork. The once regal spa now attracts graffiti taggers, artists, and urban explorers. 

Know Before You Go

Currently access to the interior is not permitted and the site is surrounded by a chain link fence. However, it is possible to get a good feel for the site from outside the perimeter. 

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June 24, 2024

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