The Mud Baths of Crenides

As people lived much closer to nature, thermal baths in antiquity belonged to everyday life rather than to plush spa resorts as we know them today. Such spots are mentioned throughout history as a matter of fact and are often overlooked.

This is the case of Crenides, the city that was conquered by Philip of Macedonia who renamed it Philippi. Inevitably all attention goes to the latter and the hot springs are ignored although they were known to Aristotle and Xenophon.

[Picture from WikiHow]

However, today, Crenides (or Krinides) is a thermal city that attracts tourists to enjoy its curative waters and therapeutic clay. The spring water has a pleasant temperature of 29 degrees Celsius and is used in hydrotherapy for ailments of the musculoskeletal system and as mineral drinking water to treat gastrointestinal and urinary problems.

What is more, the city also boasts of its clay therapy that is adequately housed in a late Byzantine building used as a Turkish Bath. The mud therapy results from a balanced mix of argil, a local plant, and hot mineral water. It is especially indicated in cases of autoimmune diseases, skin problems, and rheumatism.

It is tempting to imagine King Philip soaking in this hot clay to relieve the pain in his gammy leg and the sore scars of war he suffered although he strongly believed that bathing was only done in cold water. Maybe even Alexander and his companions in spite of this stoic Macedonian rule about cold water enjoyed a pleasant halt at the springs when heading for Thracia or on the way back, who knows…