▲Many of the pilgrims who gather twice a year at the Shrine of Fátima in central Portugal drop to their knees while clutching wax limbs in the hopes of being cured of ailment or malaise.

▲For many, walking the Camino de Santiago to the Santiago de Compostela cathedral in Galicia is more than just a pilgrimage—it's a spiritual awakening.

▲The natural hot springs at the foot of Mount Batur on the island of Bali are heated deep in the earth. Colorless and odorless, the minerals flow into two "hot tubs," where weary souls gather to soak their woes away.

▲The Hindu religious ritual of bathing in the Ganges River is a centuries-old tradition. Most of the ancient ghats (or riverfront steps) of Varanasi are designed for bathing and puja (prayer) ceremonies.

▲The sulfur content in Myvatn's alkaline bathing pool has a positive effect on asthma and other respiratory diseases. It also does wonders for skin complaints. The steam baths, fanned by natural geothermal steam, are simply blissful.

▲The Terme di Saturnia are a group of springs located just outside this picturesque Tuscany village. The sulfurous spring water is well known for its therapeutic properties.

▲One of the world's most important sites of pilgrimage and religious tourism, Lourdes also lures the faithful with its spring water from the Grotto of Massabielle, believed by Catholics to possess healing properties.

▲Visitors have been coming to this corner of northern Israel since antiquity, drawn to the hot springs and their therapeutic effect on skin diseases, asthma, and rheumatism. Oddly, there's a crocodile farm set within the facility.

▲Kusatsu Onsen is one of Japan's most famous hot spring resorts. The Yubatake ("hot water field"), which is the main source of the water, supplies the resort with 1,320 gal (5,000 L) of curative water per minute.

▲A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pamukkale features a series of warm, transparent pools filled with mineral-rich waters set over the remains of the Greek-Roman spa city of Hierapolis.

▲Regarded as the most important Catholic pilgrimage center in the United States, this New Mexico shrine, which dates back to 1816, features a small room called el pocito (the little well). El pocito contains a round pit that's the source of "holy dirt" (tierra bendita), which is believed to have healing powers.

▲This Quebec City basilica is associated with many miracles of curing the sick and disabled, and attracts around a half-million pilgrims every year. Two pillars near the entrance are filled with racks of crutches, canes, braces, and other items left by those believed cured of their mobility issues.

▲The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world. The faithful flock here for spiritual enlightenment, but do so in a celebratory manner.

▲A number of cures and favors are associated with the Knock Shrine in the village of Knock, County Mayo. Visiting pilgrims with mobility issues sometimes leave crutches and sticks at the shrine in the hope of walking properly afterwards.

▲Taipei's hot springs village bubbles up at the foot of Yangming Mountain in a leafy district of the city. The Millennium Hot Springs public bathhouse is where to enjoy the benefits of the hot, mineral-rich water.

▲Bath in Somerset was founded by the Romans. The famous baths are no longer open to the public, but the nearby Thermae Bath Spa allows modern-day bathers to experience the waters in a contemporary setting.

▲The largest heliotherm lake in the world, Bear Lake, also called Ursu Lake, is located at Sovata. Its waters are used for treating rheumatic, endocrinological, and cardiovascular disorders.

▲Furnas, a village of São Miguel island in the Azores, is a geothermal crowd-pleaser known for its hot springs and curative waters. The thermal pool at Terra Nostra Gardens (its brownish color comes from the dissolved iron in the water) works wonders on sore and aching limbs.

▲What sets this spa resort in Hot Springs, Virginia aside from numerous other wellness facilities in the United States is its National Historic Landmark status and the Jefferson Pools, named after President Thomas Jefferson (who regularly took a dip in the mineral-rich waters in a bid to ease his rheumatism). Sadly, the pools are currently closed to the public.

▲Lots of visitors to this ancient Inca citadel remark upon the spiritual energy they encounter as they ponder the 15th-century ruins. Some have even indulged in a spot of yoga rather than mingle with the tourist hoards.

▲First reported of in 1981, apparitions of the Virgin Mary are apparently still being seen at this picturesque rural town. A statue (pictured) of Our Lady of Medjugorje stands where the first vision was allegedly glimpsed.

▲Mount Kailash is considered to be sacred in four religions: Bon, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. The 21,778-ft (6,638-m) high peak is a pilgrim site for thousands. Its summit has never been conquered.

▲Set at the foot of Glastonbury Tor in Somerset is the Chalice Well, which has been in almost constant use for at least two thousand years. The well water is reputed to possess healing qualities.

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Set within the 12th-century ruins of Madron Well Chapel in Cornwall is a well that holds water said to have healing properties. Visitors maintain a tradition of attaching pieces of rag (clouties) to the nearby bushes as a symbol of appeasement to the spirits within the well.