Searching for Rejuvenation Where Skiers Chase Olympic Gold

After the day’s Olympic skiing races ended and sunset drenched the Italian Alps in a soft pink glow, the ancient spa above the town of Bormio came alive. Visitors shed coats and boots to slip into swimsuits, donned plush white robes, braved the near‑freezing air and plunged into steamy pools tinged with the faint smell of sulfur.

"It feels ancient," said Laure Bollinger, who had come from neighboring Switzerland to watch the Alpine events; elite skiers have long been among the baths’ devotees, and locals say the thermal waters help reduce inflammation. Nine hot springs deep under the Alps naturally keep water between 98.6 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit (37–40 Celsius).

Bathhouses range from the city‑center pools with indoor and outdoor options and a children’s water slide to the upscale Bagni Vecchi and Bagni Nuovi; a few baths north in Valdidentro have been turned into adults‑only spas. Ancient Romans prized these waters — "salus per aquam" — and Cassiodorus wrote of Bormio’s baths in the fourth century.

Italy, Bormio

bormio, bagni vecchi, bagni nuovi, hot springs, thermal baths, italian alps, valdidentro, roman baths, sulfur springs, olympic skiing