Water is taking center stage in travel this year — and it’s not just about beach vacations. Tripadvisor’s 2025 Trendcast points to “waterculturalism” as a rising trend, with travelers embracing everything from group water-therapy sessions to invigorating cold plunges.

Eight hours north in Bath County, Va., the Warm Springs Pools are reviving centuries of spa tradition near the heart of the Appalachian Mountains.

A spa legacy older than America

The Warm Springs are part of nearly 100 naturally heated springs scattered along the Virginia-West Virginia border. Their waters flow at a steady 1.7 million gallons a day and stay warm year-round. Archaeological finds suggest Indigenous communities were soaking here more than 9,000 years ago, making it one of North America’s earliest wellness des

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