What to do · Sierra de Javalambre
Thermal day with lunch at the Balneario de Manzanera
Information
- From
- €49 per person
- Season
- All year
The Balneario de Manzanera opens its thermal centre to people who don't sleep there. You come in the morning, spend time in the water and the salt, have lunch in the hotel dining room and in the afternoon go up to Galáctica, 22 km and about 28 minutes by road. The hotel is at km 2 of the Abejuela road, in the Paraíso valley, and its spring is called El Salvador.
What the €49 includes
The 2026 price list sells two thermal days. The one with lunch costs €49 Monday to Friday and €55 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and adds three techniques: the active thermal pool, a halotherapy session (a salt room) and a leg spray with thermal contrast, alternating hot and cold water. Afterwards you have the menu at the El Paraíso restaurant, with home-style Aragonese and Valencian cooking.
The second has no lunch and adds one technique: active thermal pool, circular shower, leg spray and halotherapy, for €45. If you stay at the spa, that same day without lunch costs €34. It is the option if you prefer to have a sandwich in the hills or dine later somewhere else.
The El Salvador spring
The water was declared of public utility in 1929, the year the spa was founded. It comes out cold, at 14 degrees, and is highly mineralised: the spa classifies it as sodium chloride and calcium and magnesium sulphate. On its website it recommends it for rheumatic problems and functional recovery, for some skin conditions and for the respiratory system, and drunk for the digestive system, with a contraindication in cases of ulcer or excess acidity. If you have a specific ailment, consult your doctor first: a thermal day is not a treatment.
Swimsuit, cap and flip-flops
The thermal centre is in the main building, with a lift and stairs. The spa's programme sheet asks for a swimsuit, flip-flops and a cap for the treatments: bring them, because the website does not say they are sold there. It also does not publish the thermal centre's hours or a minimum age for the thermal day, so ask when you book on 978 78 18 18 or 661 187 057.
Before or after Galáctica
In winter Galáctica opens from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 15:30 to 19:30, and Saturday night observations start at 20:00. With that, the order that fits best is water in the morning, lunch at the spa around two and the afternoon in Arcos de las Salinas, as the plan A Saturday at Galáctica suggests. If you sleep at the Balneario de Manzanera itself, you can turn it round: Galáctica on Saturday night and the water on Sunday before going home.
Tips
- Ask for the technique you don't know The leg spray and halotherapy are in both thermal days; if you want another, such as the circular shower, choose the day without lunch.
- Check the public holiday calendar The price rises to €55 on weekday public holidays too, not just at weekends.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to sleep at the spa?
No. Both thermal days are in the section of programmes without accommodation, and the restaurant welcomes customers who don't sleep at the hotel.
How much is it without lunch?
€45 per person, with four techniques; €34 if you are staying.
What do you need to bring?
A swimsuit, cap and flip-flops, which the spa asks for the treatments.
Can you go to Galáctica in the afternoon?
Yes: it is 22 km away, about 28 minutes by car, and in winter it opens in the afternoon from 15:30 to 19:30.
Who runs it
- Balneario de ManzaneraThermal Day with restaurant: active thermal pool, halotherapy, leg spray and menu Visit their website
- Balneario de ManzaneraThermal Day without lunch: active thermal pool, circular shower, leg spray and halotherapy Visit their website
