A primer for visiting spas in France

by Leyla Alyanak

All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go. No phones, no deadlines, no attempts to reinvent myself. Just a week of water, rest, quiet, and doing very little, an annual ritual I call “my week of letting go”, when I leave my village in eastern France and head for the mountains or the coast for a week at a health spa.

This year, I spent a week in Ouistreham in Normandy, the site of so many historic D-Day moments. In the past, I’ve explored mountain spas in Brides-les-Bains, five minutes from world-class skiing at Courchevel, or along the Atlantic near Biarritz for a taste of the Basque Country. Each offers something different, but all share that same sense of rest, that permission to simply be.

Coming home, I am full of ideas I can’t wait to put into practice. I am raring to GO, replenished from a fountain of energy that I knew would be there for me whenever I needed it.

It’s a very French thing, this desire for bien-être, which translates into wellbeing, although we didn’t invent it so much as inherited it. When the Romans settled in Gaul, they treated hot springs as part of community life – places to soak and slow down. By the Renaissance, people were already travelling to Vichy or Bourbon-l’Archambault or Plombières-les-Bains to “take the waters” by spending a few days bathing in natural springs and following a slow routine that let the body settle and step out of the rush.

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A primer on French wellness

It all begins with a meal

Don’t most things in France?

In many other parts of the world, meals have turned into fuel, something you ingest between two important activities.

Here, the meal is more of an intermission, and even a weekday lunch can last over an hour, with real conversation and real dishes. France even has a law that won’t allow you to eat lunch at your desk.

We’re not multitasking when we eat. We eat. We relax from the pressures of work, and as French sociologist Julien Riou points out, shared meals are moments of “socializing, sharing, and strengthening ties.” Let’s call it a sign of respect, for the food, of course, but also for the people around us. Our wellness routine often begins when we sit down to eat.

Many of us don’t need a gym

We’re not particularly thin (trust me, I’m anything but!), but we do use our bodies. I have a car, but only for distances, not to the shops or to the next village – I have legs or a bicycle for that. I live in an old three-story farmhouse, so I’m constantly running up and down, usually to scold the dog for chasing one of the cats.

Asking a friend of mine what she does for exercise elicited this reply: Je marche. I walk.

And it’s mostly true. On Sundays, local mountain slopes will be as crowded as a mall during a sale – everyone is out, grandparents, grandchildren, cousins, a dog or two. After the family Sunday meal, everyone heads out for la promenade.

If you’re travelling alone, this is one of the easiest ways to slide into French life: village paths and everyday walking routes make it simple to explore safely without feeling conspicuous. And if you’re in town, you’ll quickly learn to leave your car parked somewhere and explore on foot.

The wisdom of doing nothing

Resting is a bit of a radical art: no phone, no social media, no watching television. Each day is peppered with micro-moments of what the Italians so aptly call farniente.

But there’s far more to rest. In fact, the respect for time off is national, and some countries consider our generous leave policy almost subversive. Not only do we dawdle over lunch, but we have weeks of paid holidays each year, many long weekends and shops that close on Sundays so we can, you guessed it, rest.

The permission to do nothing is woven deep into our culture, yet it begets us a reputation for laziness we don’t deserve. In fact, our output per hour worked is estimated to be 10% higher than that of the United Kingdom, a counterpoint to the lazy cliché.

In France, resting is not failure. Doing nothing is not seen as a waste of time. On the contrary, this is essential maintenance, a re-energizing of the body and soul, and of the imagination. Just look around a café terrace to see dozens of people doing exactly that: nothing.

When I first moved back to France after years living abroad, I found this attitude disorienting. No one talked about self-care – it just happened, cracks of peace in an ordinary day, allowing for a refuelling of sorts.

Visiting a spa in France

For me, the spa is just one expression of this wider French approach to wellbeing — a structured pause that exemplifies how we treat rest in everyday life. If you try this yourself, you’ll be hosed, pummelled, kneaded and sprayed, with water straight from the mountains (or the sea, depending on where you go).

Be forewarned, though: visiting a French spa isn’t all flowers and soft towels. The ambiance is more that of a private clinic, with white fluffy bathrobes and bright lights. You’ll have plenty of rest in between treatments, sitting on lounge chairs with a book, watching the other customers, men and women, granddaughters and grandmothers.

If there’s a lesson in all this, it’s that French wellbeing isn’t about chasing transformation but about staying grounded. Rest isn’t rebellion here; it’s maintenance of both the body and the spirit.

Rest isn’t something I have to earn. It’s something owed to me.

What French spas are like

France has two main types of spas: inland thermal spas that use hot mineral spring water, and thalasso centers along the coast that rely on seawater and marine treatments.

French spas feel more clinical than luxurious. You receive a printed schedule at the start of the week, and each treatment — from jet showers to mud packs — starts at a precise minute. Most guests wear swimsuits and a robe, spas are co-ed unless otherwise indicated, and staff guide you from one room to the next. Expect structure, water, rest periods, and plenty of quiet time rather than candles and background music.

How to bring a little French wellness into your own life

1. Make lunch a ritual
Don’t eat in front of a screen or rush through a sandwich. Sit down properly, even if it’s just for yourself. A real meal, at a real table, sets the tone for the remainder of the day.

2. Walk with purpose – and pleasure
You don’t need a gym to stay active. Walk to the shops, take the stairs, explore your neighborhood. Daily movement keeps your body strong and clears the mind.

3. Leave some room for doing nothing
Set aside a few minutes each day with no phone, no to-do list, no conversation. Sit quietly, breathe, and let your thoughts settle. Stillness helps you recharge.

4. Guard your time off
Treat rest as essential, not optional. Set your time to stop working, say no to things that wear you out, and keep one day a week for yourself – not for chores.

5. Let water slow you down
Take a long bath or shower, go for a swim, or if you can, visit a spa. Warm water relaxes tense muscles and helps your body slow down.

6. Share a table
Make time for a meal with someone else, even occasionally. Eating together builds connection and brings simple pleasure back into daily life.

7. Redefine self-care and “doing enough”
Wellness isn’t about reinventing yourself. It’s about pace and rhythm, and about balance. It’s about giving your body and mind the care they need to stay steady.

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