Taiwan, China -

f you find yourself in Taipei on a cold winter's day, the first day of spring not even visible on the horizon, you may want to jump on the first available train out to Hsin Peitou for a hot spring spa. The volcanic mountains, lush tropical scenery and health-giving sulphur waters – offering toasty, year-round 60-degree spa temperatures – of this Taipei suburb will bring a glow to any weary traveller.

The Japanese, pining for their hot springs while governing Taiwan for the first half of the 20th century, soon set their sights on the hills around Taipei. The area around Peitou, supplied naturally by the geothermal energy of neighbouring Yangming Shan (an active volcano, as well as a national park) soon sprouted beer halls, tea gardens, bathhouses and hotels. For hot springs and spa resorts, the Peitou spa region is still the ideal hunting ground.

After a decline in the popularity of spa-going in the '70s and '80s, today's new resorts offer spa packages catering to tired businessmen, health-conscious families and reticent (or daring) lovers alike. Whether it's hot oil massages, aromatherapy treatments, saunas, karaoke or fine dining, the hot spring renaissance is upon us.

Hsin Peitou
Hsin Peitou is the most popular and easily accessible of several hot spring regions. For just USD 1, the MTR will whisk you from Taipei's main station out to Peitou, a half-hour ride away. Change at this station for a single stop along the branch line to the Hsin Peitou terminus and it's as though you've entered a different world. Mountain greenery and sulphur vapours stimulate the senses. Straight across from the train station is the Hot Spring Museum, a painstakingly restored Japanese colonial-era bathhouse telling the history of Peitou's spas.

Beside the museum is a road looping up into the steaming foothills; keep following it and you'll pass by most of Taiwan's best hot spring resorts. You don't even need to pay if you don't want to – just join the locals dangling their feet in the steaming water running alongside the road.

For a more refined approach, however, the absolutely best place to begin a tour of Peitou spa resorts is at the I-Tsun Hotel. Built in the late 1920's, this was a favoured spot for army officers, and during World War II, kamikaze pilots sometimes spent their last nights here. The hotel is a beautifully preserved wood-panelled collection of rooms built on different levels, set within a garden ring of bonsai trees and centred around an ornate goldfish pond. Many of the guestrooms are still decorated in the Japanese style, with tatami mats. Genial matron Mrs Lee is one of a gaggle of elderly female staff to whom the I-Tsun has been both workplace and home since their teenage years.

The baths – obviously the heart of any hot spring resort – are of the communal type, one for men and one for women. These steaming hot sunken pools are set in grey stone with views through large windows to the garden beyond. The waters here are clouded, almost white, topping-out at around 60C, comfortable enough for long, lazy soaking. Between dips you can order fabulous Taiwanese or Japanese food, which is eaten cross-legged at low tables. Sliding doors open to admit gentle breezes and the sound of water trickling in the nearby rock garden.

 
A little further up the valley is Whispering Pines Inn. Of similar vintage and design to the I-Tsun, the key word here is discretion. No neon signs or garish fairy lights advertise this spa, which could be mistaken for a private home. It is this low-key quality that patrons appreciate, and Richard Gere and Zhang Ziyi are among the many VIPs to have sought escape here. If relaxing in the milky sulphur waters hasn't already done the trick, blind masseuses are on hand to work out those knotty muscles. Later, delicious Taiwanese delicacies tempt the palate, with ice-cold beer to chase them down.

A stone's throw away, the huge, glitzy Spring City Resort offers a more energetic experience. Outside, the extensive grounds include cafes, warm sulphur paddling pools, children's play areas, swimming pools, fountains and a health club with all the trappings. All rooms come with en suite hot spring baths. Top of the range is the Spring Suite, decorated in minimalist Japanese style. This includes its very own juniper pool and precisely geometrical Japanese garden, a huge dining room laid with tatami mats and a high tech entertainment system. Chinese, Japanese and Western menus are on offer at the main restaurants of this five-storey pleasuredome.

Wu Lai
National Route 9 snakes along the contours of a steep valley towards the small settlement of Wu Lai, 20 kilometres southeast of central Taipei. Clustered here are some of the most splendid hot springs of Taiwan. Principal among them is the new Spring Park Spa & Resort, designed, unusually for Taiwan, to blend into the landscape.

You'll soon find yourself soaking in a deep tub, staring out through floor-to-ceiling windows at the copper-green waters of the river, overshadowed by a towering wooded hillside. One thing you'll notice is the crystal clarity of Wu Lai's sulphur water, as well as its lack of odour (a distinct plus for those who turn their noses up at the boiled-egg smell of most sulphur springs).

The Scandinavian atmosphere of Spring Park is enhanced by its open-plan, multitiered layout. Light – and lightness – is worshipped. A cafe and various restaurants make use of the open-air terraces. Whether you're trying the nouvelle cuisine or just getting a good old-fashioned massage, the bustle of Taiwan feels another world away.

More representative of the older, family-run hot springs which have attracted visitors to Wu Lai for decades is the Guo Chi Yen Hot Spring. The sound of kids splashing and shrieking in delight welcomes the visitor to this unabashedly communal resort. Families and groups of friends often prefer the more casual atmosphere of these traditional baths to the contemplative privacy of places like Spring Park Resort.

After a soak punctuated by cool showers, happy day-trippers mingle, drinking beer, eating salty local snacks and playing cards. This is the Taipei equivalent of a day at the beach. Similar in terms of price and facilities, the Tungfung Hot Spring Lodge, just down the main street from Guo Chi Yen, is well worth popping into. They are so relaxed here that no limit is imposed on the length of your stay. Pay your entrance fee and soak all day and well into the night.

Jin Shan (Yangming Shan)
The Jin Shan hot spring region is on the northern side of Yangming Shan, the volcanic national park. From this beautiful area, high up in the clouds and a good hour's drive from central Taipei (about USD 15 by cab), you can see down to the ocean at the northernmost tip of Taiwan.

Hikers gravitate to the trails across this rugged area. End a hard day's walk at Tien Lai, Jin Shan's most elaborate hot spring resort. Whether it's a restorative hour-long sulphur dip or a weekend hideaway, Tien Lai comes up trumps. The open-air pools impress, dropping off dramatically against a background of sweeping mountain scenery. There are sulphur showers and fountains, even a special area designated for hard-boiling your eggs.

Inside, many rooms come with their own hot spring baths. The main body of the complex houses a well-equipped health club, including both dry and humid saunas. Scrubbed and pummelled clean, you'll want to investigate the resort's many and varied restaurants and cafes to fortify yourself for the journey home.

In Jin Shan village, a little further down the mountainside, a cheap and friendly hot spring experience is offered at Jin Shan Hot Springs. Relax for as long as you can stand their piping-hot acidic sulphur waters. Private baths as well as public pools are available, along with the ubiquitous ice cold Taiwan beer.

Taipei
If time is of the essence, there's no need to leave Taipei for a spa experience. Simply head to Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza hotel and zoom up to the 40th floor for a relaxation session on top of the city. The Horizon Spa has packages designed to impress even a hardened connoisseur. Try the rejuvenating express facial treatment or an awesome two-hour Swedish body treatment, including 80 minutes of Swedish massage.

Even in the depths of winter, the hot spas of Taipei will put a spring in your step.