×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Thursday
15
Jan 2026
weather symbol
Athens 9°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> Travel

NYT raving article on Lesvos healing springs (photos)

Springs at Eftalofou

Newsroom May 18 10:00

New York Times published a piece lauding the healing springs on the island of Lesvos. From The New York Times:

Dipping a toe into the Eftalou hot springs on the northern tip of Lesbos island can take what seems like an eternity. Channeled into a superb communal bathhouse at the edge of the azure Aegean Sea, the thermal waters that well up are so sultry — between 109 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit — that visitors tend to slip into the enveloping heat inch by inch.
Greeks have frequented this spot for centuries to soak up the therapeutic properties of the waters, which are rich with radium, chloride, sodium and other minerals said to ease arthritis and rheumatism. While Lesbos, as a volcanic island, has a number of natural thermal springs, Eftalou holds a unique perch next to a tranquil pebble beach with wind-sculpted lava formations.
Visiting is easy from the nearby town of Molyvos, adorned with pretty stone houses set into the side of a steep hill and crowned by an old Genovese castle. After walking or taking a bus to the entrance to Eftalou, a path leads to a domed, whitewashed building where the communal hot bath is next to a more modern facility, where visitors can rent private bath tubs.
Eftalou’s ritualistic endurance challenge involves soaking for a few minutes, or as long as you can stand it, then plunging directly into the bracing waters of the Aegean, and heading back to the thermal pool. The relaxation sets in after a few rounds, deepened by floating in the salty sea and looking across the horizon toward the purple mountains of Turkey, or gazing upward at the impossibly blue sky.
When you’re done pampering yourself, it’s a short walk around a bend toward curving Golden Beach, where the waves might lull you into a peaceful nap, if you don’t give into the urge to snorkel. The nearby Eftalou Taverna serves excellent fried, stuffed zucchini flowers and fresh seafood. There you can sit as the orange sun sinks into the Aegean, and the lava rocks formed at the birth of the island cast shadows on the warm beach.

les2

les3

>Related articles

The 19 islands in the Dodecanese, Northern and Eastern Aegean where VAT is reduced by 30% – See the list

The secrets of Greeks who live long and well – The profile of centenarians and Life expectancy by region

Detection of 26 migrants and arrest of their smuggler after a chase in Lesvos

les4

les5

by SETH SHERWOOD

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#healing springs#Lesvos#new york times
> More Travel

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

FBI searches the home of a Washington Post journalist who covered the Trump administration’s firing of federal employees

January 14, 2026

RealPolls: New Democracy above its European election result, Plefsi returns to second place – With a change of leader ND loses nearly two points, PASOK gains 5.5

January 14, 2026

Countdown to a U.S. strike on Iran: Americans and Britons evacuate bases, direct assassination threat against Trump from Tehran – Live

January 14, 2026

Direct assassination threat against Trump from Iran: “This time the bullet will not miss the target”

January 14, 2026

32 dead after a crane falls on a passenger train in Thailand

January 14, 2026

Meeting between Mitsotakis and the “agro-leaders” of the blockades set for Friday

January 14, 2026

Pierrakakis: We will achieve even more through collective effort

January 14, 2026

“All cash”: Netflix is preparing a strategic move to accelerate its $83 billion deal with Warner Bros.

January 14, 2026
All News

> Science

How was cancer treated in ancient Greece?

According to Galen, the most common types of cancer were the uterus and breast cancer found in women

July 11, 2018

Reptilian-mammal fossil changes the timeline of supercontinent breakup

May 25, 2018

Russia & US will cooperate to build moon’s first space station

September 28, 2017

Computer solves a major time travel problem

June 15, 2017

Why we can’t trust academic journals to tell the scientific truth

June 6, 2017
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα