Thalassotherapy, hydrotherapy… Why turn to the benefits of cures?

Juliette Moreau Alvarez 5:32 p.m., January 13, 2023

Why not take care of yourself with water?

For years now, spa treatments have been prescribed by our doctors to help us beat our ailments.

Joints, fatigue, blood circulation... Spa treatments have nothing more to prove on this side.

Nevertheless, for several decades, they have been specializing, expanding and gaining momentum.

Today, they meet the expectations of the entire population.

In

, Mélanie Gomez and Julia Vignali detail the advantages of thermal cures thanks to the expertise of Agnès Pelinq, journalist at

and Olivier Raulic, general manager of the Thermes Marins de Saint-Malo.

>> Find all the shows of Mélanie Gomez and Julia Vignali from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Europe 1 in replay and podcast here

"Sea water is a serum of life"

If thalassotherapy is effective, it is because it uses "the therapeutic virtues of seawater, heated between 34 and 36 degrees", explains Agnès Pelinq on Europe 1. "It also uses algae and mud."

The sea is very rich in mineral salts which "penetrate into the pores dilated by the heat".

For Olivier Raulic, general manager of the Thermes Marins de Saint-Malo, "sea water is a serum of life".

It contains "all the trace elements that are necessary for us, such as magnesium, potassium, calcium..." Algae also concentrate "nearly 50,000 times the trace elements present in seawater".

There is also hydrotherapy which uses groundwater, "rainwater that re-emerges from the bottom of the earth" distinguishes the journalist.

In any case, Agnès Pelinq emphasizes that "six days [of cure] are enough".

"The first three days of treatment, the body undergoes fatigue due to the release of tension and muscle sensitization caused by massages and hydrotherapy treatments."

Olivier Raulic reports that his loyal customers come back "about twice a year", at the change of season.

"Seek to get better"

If thalassotherapy was mainly medical a few decades ago, the offer has "greatly widened" since the 1990s, particularly around well-being and fitness.

"At the Thermes Marins de Saint-Malo, a third of the stays are health stays", notes Olivier Raulic at the microphone of Europe 1. In this logic, the cures are also open to a wider public.

Gone is the cliché of senior citizens crammed into a thermal bath.

People in their forties appreciate the process, as do younger people who come to discover the benefits of thalassotherapy.

But it's not just baths and massages.

The cures are complete and also address nutrition and sport.

"For example in thalassotherapy, when you do a slimming cure, you can deal with a dietician who will give you advice on how to lose weight better, but not just eat flowers and seeds", specifies Agnès Pelinq.

Some centers offer personalized sessions around your goal, such as resuming sport gently or relieving osteoarthritis, for example.

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 Hydrotherapy, a "medicine that helps us to consume fewer drugs"

For Olivier Raulic, if the French increasingly choose to turn to cures, it is above all to "seek to get better".

"Sometimes getting better is treating your osteoarthritis. Sometimes getting better is disconnecting from modern life. Sometimes getting better is sleeping better, that's a bit of everything." 

Nowadays, the cures can almost seem like a miracle cure, so much they can help on many points.

Drainage of the digestive system, management of stress and emotions, menopausal disorders, weight problems... The thermal baths are adapted to each spa client, for an optimal health and well-being experience.