Spa town Spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word "spa" is derived from the name of Spa, a town in Belgium. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath in 1668. He became interested in the curative properties of the hot mineral waters there and in 1676 wrote "A discourse of Bathe, and the hot waters there. Also, Some Enquiries into the Nature of the water". This brought the purported health-giving properties
Shangri-La's Mactan Resort & Spa, Cebu recognition of its environmentally friendly energy conservation measures. For its 20th anniversary in October 2013, the resort underwent an expansive renovation program over three phases with a new “ocean to shore” concept. Since it opened in 1993, Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa has won various awards from international institutions such as AsiaMoney, Business Traveller, Conde Nast, HotelClub.com, Smart Travel Asia, "Time" magazine, Travel Weekly (for “Best Spa”) and Zagat World’s Top Hotels, Resorts and Spas. Its impact has been said to have “put Cebu on the map when it opened in 1993” and is frequently cited as creating the tourism