What do you make of householders turned austere pilgrims who live in tatty canvas tents on a flood plain of a river braving regular baths in freezing water, biting cold, smoky skies and ear-splitting din for more than a month?

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Located in Arlington, the 15, 000-square-foot mansion has multiple wet bars, gourmet kitchen, pool with two water slides, 5 bedrooms and 6 baths.

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More worrying still, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry has warned makers of 24-hour baths, which keep supposedly purified water hot all day, that their products may harbour Legionnaires' disease.

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" All this occurs in an elaborate spa where Guido is taking thermal baths as well as daily quantities of "holy water.

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Once you leave Franklin Street and enter the 18th century former textile factory that contains Aire Ancient Baths, you get an instantly lulling effect from candlelight, soft music and water flowing from a fountain originally part of a 16th century palace in Granada.

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Droitwich Spa became the only salt water spa town in Britain when John Corbett created the first spa, St Andrew's Brine Baths, in 1887 as part of the Raven Hotel.

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Sitting behind private gates on Doheny Road, the pink-hued 10, 000-square-foot manse has six bedrooms, nine baths, a gym, a beauty salon, a gift-wrapping area and a pool with water slide in the backyard.

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