Steenie Gets Boiled Alive

These hot springs at Polichnitos are cooled down before entering the baths…but with water temperatures of 108 degrees Fahrenheit, I still felt a like a boiled lobster.

Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007
Polichnitos, Lesbos

Red pools, streams, and little rivers. The ground steaming with vapors. This place resembles something from another planet.

I’m at Polichnitos, in the far south of Lesbos. A mountainous land of silvery olive groves and no real mass tourism, Greece’s third largest island was noted for its healing thermal waters back in antiquity.

But bathe in the wrong place and it could prove nasty. In Greek and English, a notice warns that the waters hereabouts are unsuitable for freelance dips:

ATTENTION DANGER!!!
HOT SPRING YOU DO NOT APPROACH

”Hot” means hellish hot. Bubbling up through volcanic rock, these springs sometimes reach temperatures of 198 degrees Fahrenheit. If you visit with youngsters, don’t let them wander too far.

The ruins of an old bathhouse from Turkish occupation times lie across a meadow. It looks interesting but I’ll let a more foolhardy traveler investigate. Reaching the ruins means clambering across a fence and somehow crossing a stream--at 14 degrees below the boiling point of water, it would probably scald my skin off if I fell in.

Polichnitos boasts of having Europe’s hottest springs, but a number of places around the island have small thermal spa bathhouses. Some in better condition than others.

According to one local guidebook, the Gulf of Gera’s hot springs are the most popular. Just over six miles from Mytilini, the island’s main town, they get around 10,000 annual visitors. Near the tourist resorts of Molyvos/Petra in northern Lesbos, Eftalou’s hot springs are another busy spot. These are the island’s only thermal baths to allow mixed bathing.

For 3 euro ($4.25), don’t expect anything too luxurious at Polichnitos. Inside its domed-roof bathhouse are two small bathing pools (one for females, one for males), and separate areas with cold showers and a changing room. I’m sure the ancient Greeks weren’t so modest, but nowadays you’ll need to bring a swimsuit.

The thermal water gets cooled before reaching the baths, but 108 degrees Fahrenheit still feels sweltering. You’re advised not to stay in too long. Ten minutes in the water, ten minutes out, then 15 minutes back in again. Salt-timer gadgets allow you to judge when to get out.

I felt a bit like a boiled lobster during the first submersion, so the cold shower was pure bliss. The second dip felt more comfortable--it’s definitely a relaxing experience. Well, it was until a gang of German biker women turned up…

Polichnitos is open daily in the summertime (April 1 to Oct. 31) from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. During winter (Nov. 1 to March 30) it opens from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.

Bathing is supposedly therapeutic for rheumatism, sciatica, gout, and various gynecological conditions. And whatever “gastric lassitude”’ might be, it may relieve that, too.

Steenie Harvey
Roving Europe Editor, International Living

Editor's note: If you think you could write as entertaining a story as Steenie about your next vacation…look out later today for a note from International Living Executive Director Martina Dunphy about how you can learn the tricks of the travel writing trade for a dollar.

Related articles:

- Leave All Modesty at Home: Etiquette of a Belarusian Banya

- This Town Is Not for Tourists (Travelers Will Love It)

- 200 Seasoned Travelers and Expatriates Spill Their Best-kept Secrets...

Steenie Harvey will speak at:

- The Ultimate Event, Oct. 24-27, Panama City, Panama

- Global Business Opportunities Workshop, Nov. 12-14, Denver, Colo.