The word "spa" is an acronym of the Latin phrase "sanitas pro aqua" (health through water). Nowadays, there are many places advertised as spas, however, not all of them are the real thing. A place that offers vigorous body massage and waxing, for example, is not an authentic spa. Quality spas must have marine hydropods with underwater massage jets that use water infused with algae and minerals.

Lately, there has been an amazing increase in the number of Muscovites seeking spa treatment abroad. Whether your ailment is rheumatism, depression or even just boredom, somewhere in the world there is a spa just for you.

If you want a holistic overhaul, for example, try the new-age spas of Moscow, France, Switzerland, Israel, Africa and Spain. There you will receive a really far-out physical and mental makeover.

Most spas offer relief from rheumatism and arthritis with the help of thalassotherapy, which involves all sorts of pummeling and soaking in purified seawater. Given the country’s beauty cult, France rules the spa world, and sits at the forefront of thalassotherapy, which the French call "les medecines douces" (the gentle therapies). Aix-les-Bains is the French spa (Tel: 33 4 79 35 38 50) that specializes in rheumatism treatment.

Though flying down to South Africa is an expensive pleasure, this is the place to go to purge the body of impurities. If you visit the Hydro at Stellenbosch (also known as High Rustenberg; www.thehydro.co.za) you will stay in a fantastic wine-growing area and be restricted to eating the best fruit and vegetables in the world. A couple of days of anti-anxiety therapy and detox at the Hydro will change your life and health for the better.

A brief stay at The Kneipp Cure Centre spa in Maastricht, in the Netherlands (Tel: 31-43-608-8888) will cure your mental and physical pains as you stay at the 13th-century luxurious Chateau St. Gerlach. This romantic spa offers a regime of alternate doses of very hot and cold water, a method developed by 19th-century preacher Sebastian Kneipp to improve blood circulation.

One of the most advanced spas in the world is St. David’s Spa (www.thestdavidshotel.com) where all the rooms have lovely balconies with views of the sea across Cardiff Bay, which gives the place the feel of an ocean liner. All the therapists are trained in the art of Ayurvedic mind and body treatments making St. David’s one of the five spas in the world to offer these services, which is why A-list stars like Catherine Zeta-Jones and John Malkovich are often spotted here.

One of the best spas in Moscow is situated in Ghukovka’s World Class fitness club (1 Ilyinskoye Shosse, tel: 418-3738) and is famed for its pain-relieving massage. World Class’ spa is the real deal, offering mud packs, thermal baths, and expert massage. Here you can run into beautiful T.V.-host Yekaterina Andreeva and filmmaker Andron Konchalovsky.

But no other spa comes close to the Dead Sea in Israel for results. The secret is in the incredible salt-rich combination, as well as sodium magnesium, calcium and various sulfides that help reduce irritation on the skin, offering relief to eczema. Skin sufferers report fantastic improvements after a week in the healing Israeli waters.

P.S. Celebrities have been visiting spas for years. Kate Moss, Sting and Gwenyth Paltrow all frequent a Jamaican spa resort, where the minimum cost of a 3-day stay is $1360.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Claudia Schiffer usually stay at one of the oldest spa centers in Bangkok, which will observe its 126th anniversary this year.

Cindy Crawford and Whitney Houston are devoted patients of the Comeback Inn in Arizona, famous for its massages with Indian oils.

George Clooney often goes to New York’s Away Spa & Gym where the therapists claim to have learned to shoot Polaroid pictures of the human aura.

Ricky Martin and Janet Jackson do aerobics at the Miami Beach Eden Roc Resort & Spa.

Anthony Hopkins and Drew Barrymore while away the hours at Ojai Valley Inn & Spa in California.