Thermes de La Léchère

The Thermes de La Léchère sit at 309 chemin des Marronniers in La Léchère, in the Tarentaise valley of Savoie. The operator claims 120 years of thermal practice on the site and works four approved indications: phlebology, rheumatology, gynaecology and lymphoedema. Its distinguishing offer is the double orientation cure, which treats two of those conditions in the same three-week course; treatments run six days out of seven. Lymphoedema, which few French spas are licensed for, gets its own dedicated protocol with a crossed-jet arch douche for draining the lymph vessels of the arm and adapted underwater drainage massage.

The water is drawn from 200 metres down, beneath the rock floor of the valley, and is classed as sulphated, calcic and magnesian. The operator publishes a full analysis taken on 20 October 2013 at the Natacha source, recorded at 60 °C and pH 7.3: sulphates at 1571 mg/l dominate, with calcium at 482, sodium at 235, chlorides at 115, bicarbonates at 87, dissolved silicates at 52.6, magnesium at 39.5 and potassium at 19.6 mg/l, plus trace strontium and lithium. The same water fills the treatment pools rather than being reserved for the taps. La Léchère was the first spa town in Savoie to obtain the Aquacert HACCP Thermalisme certification for the sanitary handling of its water.

Treatments are given in pools, showers, baths and local devices. Deep-water gymnastics take place in a pool at 33 °C under an instructor; a walking corridor runs through a pool at 28 °C, only 70 cm deep, with an air-bubble floor that massages the legs; a moderate-depth pool of 1.40 m is used for the mobile-jet immersion douche. Simple baths run at 32–36 °C, thermal mud made from pure clay and thermal water is applied at 42–48 °C, and a multi-station Kneipp unit alternates 40-second warm cycles at 35 °C with 20-second cold cycles at 15 °C. The drinking cure is prescribed at 15 to 25 cl a day. On the same site the operator also runs the Spa O des Lauzes, the three-star Radiana hotel and residences, and a restaurant.