Hydrotherapy, mineral waters and thermal spas in Aix les Bains, Savoy, France

Aix-les-Bains is a city of water: clear and living water from the mountains, soothing and mysterious water from the lake and revitalizing and vitalizing water from its thermal springs. This water with healing virtues has attracted many populations throughout history.

4 th spa town of France, it welcomes each year 30 000 spa guests for its spas medicalized rheumatology, ENT and phlebology. Aix-les-Bains has been labeled a health city by the WHO and a nautical resort. The Bourget Lake, the largest lake natural of France, is both a site of unspoilt natural beauty and a place to practice many sporting activities or relaxation.

Hydrography
The 588 km2 watershed of Lac du Bourget is occupied by the spa town of Aix-les-Bains, which borders it on its eastern shore for approximately 3.45 km. The lake is mainly fed to the south by the waters of the Leysse, and, to the east, by those of Tillet and Sierroz, both passing through Aix territory. The Esplanade du Lac is delimited to the north and south by the “Grand port” and the “Petit port” respectively, thus constituting the Aix marina which is the largest in freshwater.of the country with more than 1,500 places for the boaters of the lake, the boats finding a summer or annual site.

Other small streams also cross the Aix area, mainly visible outside its highly urbanized part: the Chaudanne stream, the Cambo-Garins stream, the Foran stream, the Gachet stream, the Nant de the Abbey and the Nant des Fougères (bordering with Grésy-sur-Aix).

Hydrotherapy
After the two wars, Aix turned again towards hydrotherapy. It even became the first spa resort in France in the 1980s with nearly 60,000 spa visitors. With the aristocracy less present, the city gradually attracted a mass clientele and, as a result, most palaces and large hotels closed their doors in the 1950s and 1960s. The population then increased sharply and new housing estates were built during the Trente Glorieuses in particular.

In 2016, Aix-les-Bains is the 3rd spa resort in France, after those of Balaruc-les-Bains and Dax. Attached to the city of Vienna, after the conquest of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus the i st century BC. AD, the Roman vicus of Aquae (Aix) developed around a bathhouse, several times enlarged and improved. This tradition of baths was therefore definitively preserved over the centuries. We also have testimonies of the presence of King Henry IV in 1600 who washed in the only Roman swimming pool still accessible at the time, says the Royal Bath. In 1783, thanks to subsidies from King Victor Amédée III, a first modern spa was built. These royal baths, enlarged several times, naturally became National thermal baths when Savoy was joined to France in 1860. New buildings completed the complex in 1897, and especially in 1934. In 2000, a new establishment belonging first to the State and then to the private group Valvital in 2011, the Chevalley thermal baths were inaugurated, based on several new deep catchments from the sources.

We should also mention the thermal baths of Marlioz. The latter establishment is located in a park of ten hectares. It uses water from springs discovered around 1850. This spa is particularly suitable for releasing the respiratory system and curing ailments of the mouth. The ENT pathologies treated are ear infections, rhinitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis, surgical and post-surgical preparations in ENT. Also treated are pathologies in pneumology, tracheitis, bronchitis, bronchial dilation and finally asthma. Thanks to its thermal baths, in 1986, the city had approximately 52,000 curists and in 1992, more than 44,550 curists. Since 2000, following the disappearance of agreements with Social Security, attendance has decreased. Between 2004 and 2005, a significant drop of 3% in the attendance rate was observed. Since 2007, the management of the Thermes Nationaux d’Aix-les-Bains has been pursuing a voluntary policy to revitalize attendance and privatize the establishment.

The increasingly effective decrease in curists has a negative effect on the local economy, particularly in the hotel sector. According to Marie-Hélène Albert, president of the Aix hoteliers club, “We have always worked with the thermal baths. But today it is much more complicated. We can estimate this decrease at around 30% ”. Between 2014 and 2015, according to the Aix-les-Bains tourist office, reservations by spa guests fell by 20%. But according to the director of the tourist office, “Having discussed it with the company Valvital, our analysis is to say that a lot of customers do not need accommodation, because they are regional”.

The year 2016 marked a turning point: the number of spa visitors increased by 4.9% with 28,100 spa guests, or 1,320 more than 2015. In 2016 and 2017, the town hosted the European thermal spa meetings. There were more than 260 scientific and economic actors from all over Europe in 2017.

A financial support plan has been set up by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, as part of the Grand thermal plan 2016-2020. The thermal spa of Aix was chosen, along with fifteen other regional sites 462. The amount of aid amounts to € 20 million.

Spa Town
Aix-les-Bains is the 4 th spa France. Its therapeutic orientations are: the respiratory tract and ENT diseases, diseases of the oral mucosa, rheumatology and phlebology.

Pellegrini swimming pool
Personalized care, rigorous organization, short and targeted cures, dual orientation of care, qualified and multidisciplinary staff, the Aix resort is the destination for well-being and renewal.

Ancient baths
The thermal vocation of Aix-les-Bains comes from Antiquity. From the 1 st century before our era, hot springs were the subject of cultic attention which continued during the Roman period. The village was then endowed with monumental thermal baths. This tradition of baths has been preserved over the centuries.

Aix-les-Bains thermal baths
You will find all our favorites, accommodation, activities, events… according to your treatment dates and your tastes… Aix-les-Bains currently has 2 thermal baths. These are the Thermes Chevalley and the Thermes de Marlioz: THE CHEVALLEY THERMAL BATHS, therapeutic orientations: rheumatology – phlebology (new in 2015).

Thermal Spa
On the heights of Aix-les-Bains, in the heart of Thermes Chevalley, thermal Spa offers a breathtaking view of Lake Bourget and the palaces of the 19 th century jewels of hydrotherapy. He offers a moment of absolute letting go. The 1600 m 2 of the garden level house thermal water swimming pools, hammams, saunas, gymnastic relaxation room, solariumwhere to improvise your relaxation course. At 34 ° C, the water in the indoor pool invites you to relax; the outdoor one at 28 ° C allows you to enjoy thermal water in all seasons. Upstairs, find the softness of personalized treatments – scrubs, facials, massages – from the best of thermal tradition.

The Thermal Baths of Marlioz
Therapeutic orientations: respiratory tract and ENT diseases – affections of the bucco-lingual mucous membranes.

Bourget Lake
When Quaternary glaciers retreated 19,000 years ago, they left a huge lake, fed by the surrounding rivers and streams. This inland sea is framed by the last links of the Jura: on the west coast, the steep and wild chain of the Epine which plunges into the lake; on the eastern coast, the soft inhabited mountains of Cessens, Chambotte, Corsuet and the hill of Tresserve.

Natural, because its banks remain wild: its west shore has even been called the wild coast. Uninhabited, inaccessible by land, from the sea it looks like an island, with its coves and anchorages. Because its ecosystem has been preserved. At the northern end of the lake, the reed beds are home to ducks, coots, grebes, moorhens, herons and even some cormorants.

The Esplanade and The Port
A privileged place for strolling in Aix, the esplanade is a large wooded park by the lake. Refreshments, snacks, bowling green and children’s games are all amenities that make the place even more pleasant. A long pedestrian promenade, shaded under the plane trees, allows you to stroll while admiring the view of the lake and the Epine mountain. It leads from the small port to the large port, where it is possible to take the path of the dikes.

Water Activities
Rowing, water skiing, sailing, paddle boarding, kayaking, kite surfing or swimming… discover the full range of water activities in Aix-les-Bains Riviera des Alpes:

Beaches
Stroll, tan, breathe, relax… You are at the beach with water at 26 ° C. From north to south, the shores of Lac du Bourget have many beaches, some large with a multitude of activities, others more discreet where the atmosphere is peaceful.

Aqualac Aquatic Center
The Aqualac aquatic center in Aix-les-Bains is located in a huge 12-hectare green space next to Lake Bourget. Swimmers benefit from a 50 m Olympic swimming pool and a 25 m indoor swimming pool.

Aqualac aquatic center
Every summer, regular bus transport is provided along the beach line. Bicycles are accepted. Aqualis, the lake experience to understand and discover Lake Bourget. Aqualis, a new kind of museum space, accessible to all. To love and protect nature, you have to start by knowing and understanding it better. This is what Aqualis offers, in an innovative approach, which aims to provide the keys to understanding while mobilizing the senses, emotions, imagination and humor of visitors. Aqualis is intended to be a museographic space of a new kind, accessible to all, which arouses curiosity in an interactive and fun way.

Because the Lac du Bourget is a source of wonder and questions, the Aqualis visit route is organized in a succession of islands which gradually reveal some of the mysteries of Lac du Bourget.

Natural mineral water of Aix-les-Bains
The city of Aix-les-Bains has its own local natural mineral water marketed: the natural mineral water of Aix-les-Bains. The water conditioning site is based in the neighboring town of Grésy-sur-Aix and is managed by SEAB. The source’s collection point is called “Raphy-St-Simon Est” and is, for its part, located in the city of Aix.