The baths, a practice that dates back to Antiquity
Finally, spa treatments have almost always existed: in ancient Greece, lepers and patients were placed in thermal baths to relieve them. The name "baths" comes from elsewhere Greek "thermos" which means hot. But it is the Romans who perfected the system , with reference to the Baths of Agrippa built in Rome in 29 AD And especially they exported the concept of baths during their conquests: Vichy, Aix en Provence, Dax and Bourbon Lancy ...
It was in the nineteenth century that thermalism experienced an exponential craze. A success linked to the development of the railways. Spas then set up in the Pyrenees and Lorraine.

Spa and its waters
As for thalassotherapy, hydrotherapy treats and relieves with water ... but this time it is fresh water, very mineralized. It owes its therapeutic virtues to a particular composition of minerals and trace elements. And no improvisation: to be "elected" a thermal water must be recognized and certified by the Academy of Medicine.
There are 5 families of thermal waters : bicarbonates, sulphates, sulphides, chlorides and trace metals (they are less mineralized).
Medically, they are used to relieve 12 types of pathologies : rheumatology, respiratory and ENT, oral-lingual diseases, developmental disorders of the child, neurology, cardio-arterial diseases, psychiatry, urinary disorders, gynecology, dermatology and phlebology.
Since 1950, the Social Security reimburses spa treatments of 3 weeks as part of a medical follow-up.

Thermal cure: from medical to fitness
Gradually and under the influence of the "spa" wave, the baths are set to cure more modern ailments such as fatigue, stress and nervous tension. In short, to get in shape when we really need a break.
Whether located in the Auvergne, Charente-Maritine, Jura, Auvergne or southern or eastern France, the spas have diversified their offerings and now invite us to relax and well-being . In parallel with medical treatments (and reimbursed) of 3 weeks, we can find shorter courses (but not supported) and even spa formulas between 2 days and a week. Today, thermalism rhymes with anti-stress and well-being.

Short tour of France to find the cure and the thermal center (or spa) that suits you