In our August newsletter Dr Dominique Fradin-Read shared with us the various places in the world where she went for vacation to rejuvenate her health undergoing Thalassotherapy treatments.

Several patients asked for more information about these treatments. Let’s start with a bit of history…

There is a long tradition in Europe to use mineral hot spring water to heal the body. Many places exist in France, Italy, Germany, Romania, and Hungary. Hungary is known as the thermal bath spas paradise with more than 1300 hot springs in the country. These places offer various forms of thermal treatments using the benefit of mineral water rich in sulfur, magnesium, calcium and more.

The benefits of sea water have been known since antiquity as the Romans and the Greeks used to bathe in the Mediterranean Sea for its rejuvenating virtues.

However, the practice really became popular at the end of the 18 th Century with the idea to use the water from the sea in the same way mineral waters were used inland; the term thalassotherapy was born. The name comes from the Greek thalassa which means “sea- ocean.” It uses sea water and all its by-products to treat the body. It also includes the benefit of shore climate during a stay near the ocean.

Let’s look at the day of treatment and what you would be going through if you decided to go.

You wake up around 8 or 9 AM (or earlier if you wish) and are welcomed in a nice dining room with a great healthy buffet for breakfast. Usually, it is recommended to keep this first meal light as you will be bathing in water all morning.

You will get your schedule of treatments for the week at the Thalassotherapy center.

Each day usually starts with a hydromassage in a bathtub with sea water. This is the quintessential seawater treatment. You will pamper your body with the regenerative properties of seawater while sequential pressured jets massage your body from head to toe. This is an extremely relaxing treatment with multiple benefits: muscular relaxation, stimulation of the circulation, easing of the joints... the list is endless. And do not worry if you tend to fall asleep during the treatment.

An option is to ask for the hydrolegs treatment when lying in the bathtub that specifically stimulates the circulation of the legs by sending cold water jets along the lower extremities of the body.

You will then probably receive the Vichy shower treatment. Lying on a table under a fine mist of seawater you breathe deeply, inhaling the sea spray ions while relaxing under the nice hot jets. You can ask to add a massage under water with a massage therapist to enhance the benefits of the shower itself.

Another version of this treatment is the Vichy shower body scrub with exfoliating and skin regenerating properties. You will combine the benefits of a citrus body scrub enhanced by a gentle rhythmic mist of seawater.

Then come the marine wraps. One of Dr Read’s favorite treatments. You lie on a table for 20 minutes wrapped in a cocoon of seaweed cream under a heated blanket. Your skin and your body are replenished with active ingredients, minerals, and trace elements. This treatment not only brings you complete relaxation, it also relieves painful joints. You can choose the music of your choice during the wrap session; this induces a state of meditation benefiting the most stressed patients.

For those of you who like tonic treatments the jet shower might be your daily start. Standing a few feet away from the technician, a strong jet applied to your body from your bottom to your neck. This will definitely boost your energy. It is a good treatment to mobilize some localized excess of fat or cellulite.

A few centers have what is called “le parcours marin,” a walking pathway to follow in a small swimming pool with underwater jets that massage your body under water as you walk.

In some places the Watermass is offered using a rolling device used under seawater for a deep tissue massage. It does help circulation and is certainly the best treatment to reduce cellulitis. Dr. Fradin-Read was hoping at one point to be able to bring the Watermass treatment and use it with regular water but it was too complicated to install. Instead, she is now offering a version of this treatment called Vacuodermie with a device imported from France that gives similar results.

Finally, various types of massages are offered a la carte that can be added to your daily treatment. Those include therapeutic massages for back pain, relaxing massages using essential oils of different kinds, lymphatic drainage, and vitality tonic massage, for athletes in particular.

If you are courageous, you will try the bold old cold plunge by taking a dip in cold sea water. A fun and extremely beneficial session. Thanks to appropriate breathing techniques, you will learn to brave the cold water to experience its stimulating effect on blood circulation, its strengthening of the immune system, and above all its psychological and euphoric benefits. You will love it!

The morning treatment usually lasts 3 hours. Then you have full access all day to a heated seawater Olympic-size swimming pool with underwater jets to use as you wish. You can also follow the yoga or meditation classes offered in the afternoon or get a few more benefits of the day with a short stay in the seawater steam room of the center.

Or if you prefer, go for a long walk along the ocean and rejuvenate your lungs by breathing in deeply the ionized air that the shore climate offers along the ocean.

At the end of the day, you will deserve a good meal to restore your energy. The restaurants offer various options depending on your dietetic needs and a dietician can guide you to find the best menu for your health.

What is Thalassotherapy?