Jump To:

• spa
  spa

  noun

  a mineral spring, or a locality in which such springs exist.
• Spa
  Spa

  noun

  a resort town in E Belgium, SE of Liège: famous mineral springs.
• SpA
  SpA

  abbreviation

  Società per Azioni
• SPA
  SPA

  abbreviation

  Special Protection Area: an area designated by the European Union in order to protect endangered species, esp of birds

spa

¹ American  

[spah] / spɑ /

noun

spas plural

1. a mineral spring, or a locality in which such springs exist.

2. a luxurious resort or resort hotel.

3. health spa.

4. a hot tub or similar warm-water hydromassage facility, usually for more than one person.

5. New England. soda fountain.

---

Spa ² American  

[spah] / spɑ /

noun

1. a resort town in E Belgium, SE of Liège: famous mineral springs.

---

SpA ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. Società per Azioni

---

SPA ² British  

abbreviation

1. Special Protection Area: an area designated by the European Union in order to protect endangered species, esp of birds

---

Spa ³ British  

/ spɑː /

noun

1. a town in E Belgium, in Liège province: a resort with medicinal mineral springs (discovered in the 14th century). Pop: 10 491 (2004 est)

---

spa ⁴ British  

/ spɑː /

noun

1. a mineral spring or a place or resort where such a spring is found

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• spas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of spa

First recorded in 1555–65; generalized use of Spa

Explanation

A spa is a fancy hotel or resort, especially one that offers health and beauty treatments or is located near a natural mineral spring. If you like being pampered, you might treat yourself to a day at a spa. You might go to a spa to get a massage and sit in a sauna, or to visit the naturally warm springs in Sonoma, California or Saratoga Springs, New York. The springs themselves are often called spas, and as a result even a Jacuzzi bathtub with underwater jets is sometimes referred to as a spa. The word comes from the town of Spa, Belgium, which has been known for its mineral springs since the 15th century.

Example Sentences

It will have a full-service spa and a rooftop observatory with a professional-grade telescope.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026

“To be clear, I’m not an advocate for deploying party tricks at a spa and using it to guide medical advice or care,” Mehta wrote in a LinkedIn post.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 18, 2026

The watchdog found that hundreds of thousands of pounds that should have gone to the charity was instead used on luxury hotels, spa treatments, cigarettes and security for the supermodel.

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026

Lula will be a guest at the G7 summit, being held from Monday to Wednesday in the French spa town of Evian.

From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026

Dad was always saying we should buy the Hot Pot and develop it as a spa.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls