Taking its name from the Greek word for sea, Thalasso therapy uses warm seawater in specially designed pools to provide an intensely therapeutic and relaxing water massage. Thalasso hydrotherapy pools look completely different from regular pools; they are outfitted with a series of jets, waterfalls, spouts, and special seats so the water is trained on different areas of the body in varying degrees of intensity.
While Thalasso is not yet well-known in the U.S., it’s enormously popular in France and Spain, where it was originally pioneered as a treatment for joint pain, muscle aches, and arthritis.
Probably the best introduction to the thrill of Thalasso I can offer you is to show you a video taken at the Hacienda Na Xamena resort in Ibiza, Spain:
My own experience with Thalasso hydrotherapy treatment took place at the luxurious Loma del Mar spa resort in Ixtapa, which just opened the first outdoor Thalasso pool in North America last month. During my pre-opening visit to the spa in September, we were guided through a specially designed series of positions and postures. There were seats with jets trained on the lower and upper back, high spouts that trained a firehose-strong stream of water on the shoulders and neck, even special jets to massage the soles of the feet.
A few of the most famous Thalasso resorts in France, Spain, and elsewhere, are:
• The Hotel Sofitel Miramar and Thalasso Therapy Institute in Biarritz, France
• Thalazur Thalasso Spa, Antibes, France
• The Insotel Fenicia Prestige Thalasso Spa in Ibiza, Spain
• The Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort and Thalasso Spa
As you can probably tell, Thalasso Spas tend to be very, very high-end. But that doesn’t seem to have put a damper on the trend; one recent survey of spas in France estimated that 200,000 people will have Thalasso therapy in French spas this year. I’m not always one to jump on something touted as the “next big thing” in Europe, but in this case I do think they’re on to something. And I can promise you that the Loma Del Mar, while luxurious in every sense of the word, is going to be considerably more affordable than Ibiza, Biarritz, or Bora Bora.
That looks so soothing and relaxing!
This sounds amazing. I wish there was somewhere I could drop in to get this treatment. I think I'd never have another stressful day ever with something like this~
I could definitely get into this were there one in my area. Regarding France where I used to live, I was always amazed how their national health insurance would pay for "cures" so maybe Thalasso therapy counts as one of them and explains the high number.
Are these hydrotherapies included in the room rate or is there an extra fee? How expensive is this hotel?
(An incredibly similar version of this exists at many traditional Korean spas; there's a great one in New York City called Spa Castle — I LOVE it there and it's only $35 for the entire day.)
This looks like a lot of fun. Now that the weather has gotten so cold here, I dream about a trip to Mexico and I would love to try this!
I went to Mexico this year and we debated about visiting Ixtapa, but it didn't look like there was much to do there–I wish I'd known about this!!
How therapeutic this must be. I imagine it's wonderful for the body and mind. Warm saltwater sounds amazing and is so good for your skin. Perhaps these treatments will make their way to the US and be more available to the mid-level consumer, too.
Beautiful photos! I'd love to try that sometime.
What I would give to go to one of these place this very moment…
Nothing like a warm water massage. At my husband's club, they have these massages with fire hoses, which sounds way too aggressive. I would love Thalasso therapy.
Ahhhh! makes me semi-relaxed just thinking about that warm water. I've never been to thalasso therapy – my husband jokes that we live close enough to the Mediterranean sea and why pay for thalasso therapy when we can just go dip in it for free. Here in Tuscany we have a number of thermal baths though, and these can be equally hot and relaxing! The Url i've signed in with is to the page describing some of the spas in Tuscany from the official tourism site, should you be inclined to visit!
I've just followed you on twitter @TuscanyActive; found you thanks to a RT by @RobertaK. Now off to check out the rest of your blog!
Oooh! I'm going to be in Ixtapa in January! I might have to check this out, depending on the cost…
I've done hydrotherapy but not this particular kind. It's really heavenly to get a massage in the water!
I would like to be in that pool right now, please!
loved the thalasso spas and the seawater pools in Ireland. They MUST come to the US. Tension, stress, toxins, are eliminated and you are left with the feeling of floating in heaven. Plus, since it's sea water/saltwater, you are naturally almost weightless.
Le plus grand choix d’offres de séjours courte et longue durée toutes destination pour votre détente
dans les meilleurs établissements tous standing de thalassothérapie
Spa, sauna,hammam tous les forfaits vitalité en thalassothérapie
hébergement tous standing en France et à l’étranger.
Nous vous proposons le plus grand choix des spécialistes
du bien-être et thalasso en ligne, de la remise en forme aux meilleurs prix toute l’année.
Vous aussi chassez la fatigue et le stress offrez vous un séjours en thalassothérapie