Kur-Royal Day Spa | Wilhelm II | Golf Haus Restaurant | rheumatism

Though impeccable continental cuisine is served at the Golf Haus Restaurant, and the historical casino where Dostoyevsky went bust remains a large draw to this day, it is the spa park's holistic hot springs - said to ease rheumatism, liver problems, you name it - that keep Bad Homburg afloat. The most important public medicinal spring, the Elisabeth Spring, dates to 1622 and was "rediscovered" in 1834. Shrouded by a columned temple, it is a thing of beauty indeed. In addition to drinking straight from its tap and others in the park (many people do), there are two wildly different ways to experience the Kurpark.

Ground zero within the park is Kaiser-Wilhelms-Bad, a stunning neo-Renaissance bathhouse built in 1890 with a bronze statue that honors the Prussian King Wilhelm II, the last of Germany's emperors, and all of his rich and influential friends. Today, it houses what just might be the world's coolest spot for a reawakening, the $4.6 million Kur-Royal Day Spa, a lavishly restored den of decadence and healing that opened in late 2002.

Once inside this nearly 27,000-square-foot facility (a two-hour admission runs around $33), it doesn't take long to realize this isn't your average day spa. There are no lavender-infused spritzers, no jasmine candles - this place is all about curing what ails you. While all the usual spa suspects are offered at an extra cost (hot-stone massages, Thai reflexology, and the like), it's the unique all-inclusive facilities, ranging from hopelessly relaxing to pleasantly trippy, that beat a visit to the doctor's office any day.