Berkeley Springs has spent 250 years perfecting the art of the wellness getaway. Now the Town of Bath has the title to prove it.
Looking for a getaway that sends you home feeling better than when you arrived?
Berkeley Springs has been drawing people to its warm mineral waters for centuries. There’s even a bit of Fountain of Youth lore surrounding the springs, dating back to the era of Ponce de León. Whether there’s anything to it is anyone’s guess, but two centuries later, this was the place famous people flocked. George Washington came to take the waters. So did prominent statesmen, society figures, and Revolutionary War generals.
Turns out, wellness travel isn’t exactly a new idea.
The warm mineral water still rises right in the heart of Berkeley Springs, filling the historic baths and flowing through Berkeley Springs State Park. Best of all, you don’t need an appointment to indulge. The outdoor springs are free and open year ’round, so kick off your shoes and step into mineral water that flows at a steady 74.3 degrees, whether it’s the middle of July or the middle of winter.
Now the Town of Bath, better known as Berkeley Springs, has been officially proclaimed America’s First Spa Town by West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey. The recognition comes as Bath celebrates its 250th anniversary—a fitting moment for a town founded in 1776 around waters that had already been attracting people for generations.
“Our town was created and named after the historic spa town of Bath, England, in the year of our nation’s founding,” says Travel Berkeley Springs Executive Director Dusty Martin. “This designation solidifies our enduring legacy as a community built for wellness that stems from our healing mineral waters that have for thousands of years attracted people looking for natural healing and calm.”
The ritual today would probably feel familiar to those early visitors. Book a bath. Enjoy a massage. Along with the state park’s Main Bathhouse and Old Roman Bath House, spas around town offer everything from mineral soaks and facials to body treatments and massage.
“This is more than a title on paper—it is a declaration of 250 years of history, resilience, and enduring community spirit,” says Bath Mayor Greg Schene.
America’s First Spa Town may be a new title. But the cool crowd figured it out centuries ago. berkeleysprings.com
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