Stations with 'Spa' names

It probably goes back to when the railways were built in Victorian times and would have been considered a ‘selling point’ to get people to travel to these places which had thermal health given waters from deep underground.

Bath Spa has a modern take on this which you can read about here:>https://www.thermaebathspa.com

James, thanks. That sounds like the name is indeed used the same way as we use it now, describing the older version of a self-indulgent getaway.

Thanks!

Probably not unlike the German use of 'Bad' as a prefix to names of towns with natural Springs and other health promoting facilities, both old and new. Not in the train station, but in the town.

Spa towns had pump rooms and were relaxation towns for the rich. Most had pump rooms and baths in the Georgian and Victorian period so people could take the waters. With the exception of Bath, I think many spa towns repurposed their pump rooms.

In the cases of Bath, at least, it also delineated the station, as Bath used to have another main line station- Bath Green Park.
That still survives, even if in other use now.
Cheltenham is a similar example.

describing the older version of a self-indulgent getaway.

Not at all . Spa towns ( Also known on the European Continent as " Bad " or Baden " , in German or " Bain " in French ) even at times , the term " Hydro " pops up ( one of my hotels in Scotland for an upcoming trip has that in its name ) , weren't denoting self indulgence . In the Nineteenth ( and even early Twentieth ) century , before the rise of modern science based medical theory , It was accepted " knowledge " that indulging in natural mineral waters , either by bathing or ingesting them would provide curative powers for whatever it was that ailed you . Over time , it is now well understood that these treatments of the past are forms of " snake oil " . The resort aspect of them remains today . In one particularly egregious example , a location in the Czech Republic , today known as Karlovy Vary, but usually remembered by its German name - Karlsbad ,used to draw visitors ( largely from Russia , as it still does today ) for its curative waters , due to a certain level of radioactivity ,coming from its source in the Ore Mountains of the area . Pseudoscientific train of thought at the time thought that to be beneficial to ones health . One last point , the Railroad companies of the late nineteenth century , like Wagon-Lits , did promote these places , and often built the lavish hotels there , purely for reasons of profitability

I think many spa towns repurposed their pump rooms.

True , but one example comes to mind with some humorous implications - Karlovy Vary has about twenty five mineral springs that pop up all through the town at street level . You can see many visitors wandering around holding these odd looking sippy cups with built in straws and going from place to place imbibing this horrible stuff , ( It probably tastes worse than it smells ) After fifteen to thirty minutes . they have an immediate need for the facilities having a bad case of the trots . While I never drank this stuff , I brought home a small porcelain cup as a souvenir .https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlovy_Vary and a cup-https://c8.alamy.com/comp/GE2TBA/spa-cup-for-a-mineral-water-karlovy-vary-carlsbad-spa-town-west-bohemia-GE2TBA.jpg

Only slightly off-topic here...

While taking a stroll on the road to this topic with my friend Google, I fell down this Top Hot Springs rabbit hole: https://www.tophotsprings.com/ There are tons of listings worldwide, organized by regions and countries. By exploring, you can see what they're called relevant to the kinds of place or station names discussed.

When I lived in Germany, I went to a few baden, both the actual spas themselves and only the towns. But my most recent experience was in Bath where I spent a few hours at Thermae Bath Spa -- Bath, England in the pool and getting a massage: https://www.tophotsprings.com/thermae-bath-spa-england/

These facilities like the Blue Lagoon in Iceland (where I've also been to soak and get a massage) may not really cure anyone of anything, but experiencing them is definitely pleasant, if sometimes a little smelly.

Full disclosure: I grew up in the Hot Wells neighborhood on the south side of San Antonio at a time when I was one of those kids who scared themselves by exploring the dilapidated former Hot Wells Hotel and Spa, which originally opened in 1893. It's now a park: https://www.bexar.org/3057/Hot-Wells-of-Bexar-County That spa supposedly had therapeutic hot sulfuric waters as did the Terrell Wells swimming pool that we called Terrible Smells. 😁

That's one of those train travel things you learn early on, it's risky to just wing it and say "Oh I'll just get off the train at" London, or Zurich, or New York.

There are spas in Britain which are referred to as Baths - Matlock Baths is one with a station of that name.

Thanks for the history lessons!