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Lourdes, France - 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.

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Pamukkale Hot Springs, Turkey - 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.

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Machu Picchu, Peru - 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.

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Camino de Santiago, Spain - 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.

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Mount Kailash, Tibet - 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.

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Bear Lake, Romania - 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.

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Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Canada - 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.

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Dead Sea, Jordan - Swimming in this lake is akin to floating, such is the density of the saline content. The Dead Sea's rich cocktail of salt and minerals help treat a number of medical conditions, including psoriasis, sinusitis, and osteoarthritis.

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El Santuario de Chimayó, USA - 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.

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Varanasi, India - 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.

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Sedona, USA - Sedona in Arizona enjoys a world-wide reputation as a spiritual mecca. It's also where people come to seek enlightenment and personal enrichment of the body and the soul.

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Saturnia, Italy - 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.

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Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico - 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.

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Mount Batur, Indonesia - 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.

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Parque Terra Nostra, Portugal - 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.

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Kusatsu Onsen, Japan - 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.

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Bath, England - 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.

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Fátima, Portugal - 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.

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Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs, USA -

The Ojo Caliente mineral hot springs spa in New Mexico has been a healing oasis for centuries. The secluded refuge helps heal the mind, body, and spirit.

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Myvatn Nature Baths, Iceland - 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.

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Hamat Gader, Israel - 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.

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Basilica of Our Lady of Knock, Ireland - 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.

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Beitou Hot Springs, Taiwan - 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.

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Chalice Well, England - 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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The Omni Homestead, USA - 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.

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Hell’s Gate, New Zealand - Hell’s Gate near Rotorua is New Zealand's most active geothermal reserve and mud spa. A place of myth and legend, the destination also features the largest hot waterfall in the Southern Hemisphere.

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Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina - 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.

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Madron Holy Well, England -

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.

See also: Treading the road to Fátima.

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