Although the etymology of the word is commonly attributed to the latin acronym Salus Per Aquam (Health Through Water), the term is probably derived from the name of the health resort in eastern Belgium called Spa, known already since the Roman Empire.
Spa comes from the Walloon espa "spring, fountain".
The word "spa" is commonly used in most modern European languages, with some notable exceptions:
- Terme (Italian, from thermae , hot springs)
- Balneario (Galician, from balnium , bath)
- бања [banja] (Serbian, from balnium , bath)