Termas de Panimavida

Panimavida lies in the Maule foothills near Linares, where mineral water comes out at moderate temperature and has been used medicinally since at least the nineteenth century, with the hotel and bath house developed from that period. The treatment here has always been as much about the mud as the water: fango applied to the body and then washed off, used for joint and skin conditions, in the tradition of the European mud spas. It works as a working thermal establishment rather than a resort - the clientele is substantially Chilean and often there on medical grounds. Colbun lake and the Maule foothills are close.

What's there

• Mineral springs used since the 1800s - with a hotel from that period.
• Mud treatment as much as water - fango applied and washed off.
• A working thermal establishment - rather than a leisure resort.
• The Maule foothills around - with Colbun lake nearby.

When to go

Year round. Half a day, or a stay.

Practical notes

Temperatures here are mild - this is a soaking spa, not a scalding one. The buildings are dated in places. Treatments are booked separately and the atmosphere is medical rather than recreational. Day passes are limited in number.

Nearby

Colbun lake is east; Linares is west in the valley.