Baños de la Hedionda
- Location
- Carratraca, Andalusia, Spain
- Water type
- sulfurous
- Temperature
- 18 °C
- pH
- 6.5
Water profile
Stimulating — wakes the body and boosts circulation.
Rich in active gases or metals — a strong mineral character.
Soft water — natural, classic buoyancy.
On the bank of the pool fed by the sulphurous Hedionda spring, at Casares in Andalusia, the story stretches back to the 1st century BC: the Romans built a water-catchment installation here at a time when public use of mineral waters was a hallmark of Romanisation across the Iberian peninsula. Archaeological surveys inside the pool have revealed Roman structures in the water-capture galleries, while the main vault and perimeter walls reflect later Muslim modifications, adapted to shifting groundwater levels and river flow.
The name "Hedionda" — literally "stinking" — comes from the strong sulphurous smell given off by these waters, rich in sulphur compounds. Legend credits their origin to Julius Caesar himself, said to have had them built after finding relief here, with his troops reportedly bathing in the waters while awaiting confrontation with Pompey. Now a listed Site of Cultural Interest, the spot remains a free open-air bathing site in the heart of the Serranía de Ronda.