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Spa... This word sounds mysterious and alluring. On whispering it one can feel tender sea breeze on the face and hear the lash of the waves. But what is SPA, indeed? In its contemporary meaning a SPA is a place where with the help of various sophisticated treatments based on the healing properties of mineral waters, thermal springs, mineral salts, therapeutic muds, and seaweeds as well as different types of massage, body wraps, masks, scrubs, and so on you can relax and restore your physical and mental health.

There are numerous day SPAs that offer their clients a wide range of services, where you can drop in at any time and immediately immerse into the relaxing world of soothing aromas and herbal teas. At a day SPA you can experience such healthy and relaxing procedures as massage, different body treatments and facials. You may try various types of massage (hot stone massage, Thai massage, etc.) to find the one that you like most. During a facial performed by a trained specialist your skin will be deeply cleaned and rejuvenated. A good day SPA will also offer you SPA manicures and SPA pedicures, which are slightly different from those you can have at an average nail place. These SPA procedures usually involve additional steps like a hand soak or paraffin dip.

KurÅŸunlu geothermal field is 7 km away Salihli and located in southern part of the Gediz graben. KurÅŸunlu Spa is one of the fifteen important geothermal areas of Turkey. Thermal fluid produced from the field is energy source of Salihli Geothermal Heating Center and is used for heating of about 4000 residences in Salihli province, spa activities and greenhouse heating in agricultural areas. The thermal waters in the study area have outlet temperatures of 50-114ËšC and their discharges vary from 20 to 80 L/s. The Menderes Massif rocks which are composed of highly fractured karstic marbles, granodiorite, gneiss and guartz-schist units are the aquifers of the geothermal systems. The Neogene terrestrial sediments, which are made up of alluvial deposits, act cap rocks for the geothermal systems. Alluvium is the most important unit for cold ground water production. Circulation of thermal fluid in subsurface is along fault and fracture zones.

According to the results of the chemical analyses of the waters and IAH (International Association of Hydrogeologists) classification, the thermal waters in the study area are of the Na-HCO3 type. Cold waters are mainly dominated by the HCO3ˉ and SO4= ions, with Na+, Ca+2 and Mg+2 cations. Reservoir temperatures were calculated by various chemical geothermometers are about 120-210˚C. The saturation states of carbonated minerals (calcite, aragonite and dolomite) are most likely to cause precipitation from the thermomineral waters of the geothermal area. These attributes are caused scaling problem during production of thermal fluids. Boron contents of the thermal waters are quite high and exceed irrigation and drinking water standards. High boron contents are one of the contaminant factors for irrigation and drinking waters in the area. Therefore, re-injection of thermal waters to the thermal aquifers after use is important not only recharge of reservoir but also prevent harmful effects to the environment.

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