Thalassotherapy Resorts: Less Stress, Fewer Wrinkles — for a While

Treatment packages focus on everything from relaxation and sleep to weight loss and anti-aging. Due to my aching back, I selected the six-day Sea & Health package, a program combining 24 seawater treatments and physiotherapy sessions designed to provide relief from joint and muscle problems. The package also included a preliminary visit with a doctor. Plus I had unlimited access to the Aquatonic Pool, a heated water labyrinth with 194 underwater jets; the seawater swimming pool; and the sea mist room, my personal favorite. Between treatments, I regularly popped into that chamber, plunking myself down on a chaise lounge and breathing in a mist of micronized seawater.

My week started with a meeting with Hélène Gaumerais, M.D. She gave me a brief medical checkup and asked about specific health ailments. From there, she put together a program of four daily treatments. Over the week, I was on the books for three massages, four seaweed body wraps, eight supervised kinesiotherapy group sessions in a pool, and nine individualized hydrotherapy sessions. Gaumerais said these treatments, and thalassotherapy writ large, would be very helpful for someone like me, whose body has experienced wear and tear over five-plus decades.

“Thalassotherapy … is a particularly effective approach to treating various ailments in people over 50,” she said, because the mineral content of seawater helps “strengthen the immune system, improve blood circulation and regulate cellular functions.” She added that treatments based on warm seawater, marine mud and algae can help with a variety of age-related issues, including “inflammation and pain associated with rheumatic conditions such as osteoarthritis and arthritis.” As for those prescribed kinesiotherapy sessions in the pool, she noted that as we age, “Exercises performed in water are less traumatic for the joints and help maintain or improve mobility and muscle strength, crucial for preventing falls and injuries.”

For those of us accustomed to one-hour spa sessions, 24 treatments may seem like a lot. But thalasso treatments are quick, ranging from 12 to 25 minutes, and are scheduled within a three-hour window, either in the morning or the afternoon.

I opted mainly for morning treatments, so I would have the afternoons free for sightseeing, shopping or seaside ambles. For all of the above, Les Thermes Marins de Saint-Malo is delightfully situated. You can walk along a 2-mile promenade parallel to the sea to get to the walled city of Saint-Malo. The small town, a tourist favorite, is filled with historic buildings, cobblestone streets, delicious creperies, gourmet eateries plus the requisite souvenir shops. 

Another charming town in the area is Cancale, the so-called oyster capital of Brittany. It’s about a 30-minute bus ride from Saint-Malo. Another town, Dinard, known for its half-timbered houses and medieval ramparts, is a 10-minute sea bus ride from Saint-Malo. The abundance of half-day touring options is ideal, given that you spend only half a day getting waterlogged at the resort.

After a week of being doused and pelted with water, I noticed a huge reduction in my stress levels, an anti-aging effect on my skin (wrinkles be gone, albeit temporarily) and a reduction of my aches and pains. Sadly, the latter reverted to form a day or two after I left, thanks to schlepping around Paris for two days (mon Dieu!).

The price for accommodations for seven nights (single occupancy) and treatments was about $1,900. Had I shared a room, I would have saved several hundred dollars. Prices vary depending upon the time of year. Meals are not included.