The spa is all activities relating to the operation and use of thermal waters. This relates both to the history, economics, actors, heritage means that all (medical, health, social, administrative ...) implemented in the spa during Spa.

The spa is very different from the historical spas today, became very medicalized in France.

Summary 1 History 1.1 The baths of antiquity 1.2 The baths in the Middle Ages 1.3 The waters of the Belle Epoque 2 The spas in France today 2.1 The thermal waters 2.2 The representation of spas 2.3 Key figures 2.4 CONDUCT a cure 2.5 Cures Fitness 3 Cures Japan 4 Notes 5 See also 5.1 Bibliography 5.2 Article Related 5.3 External Links

History

The thermal baths of antiquity

Bathing in the Middle Ages

The medical spa there since antiquity. We then placed the lepers in baths and then sent them to dry in the sun to improve their recovery. War casualties were found at the spa to recover. There was a particular belief in the benefits of water. Today we still respect the virtues of water and improves its use. In France there are over 1,200 water sources that are occupied by the Baths. Hydrotherapy is the use of mineral water for therapeutic purposes.

The medical method is not a recent invention, in fact, it dates from 3000 BC. We refer therefore BC in ancient times. The Romans devoted themselves to the water cult, they built fountains, water systems and Spa. Spa or the Greek gymnasium, hot baths were of immense use for medical purposes, but especially social hygiene. These public baths were places very representative, one could admire the sculptures, paintings, statues, they accounted for luxury. The Greeks were the precursors of beauty, even then, it had everything to be beautiful, tall and strong. The Baths were so huge monuments representing the richness of the city. It could accommodate up to 1000 people simultaneously. In the Spa, there are four sections, the entrance, a room with warm water, a hot water and one with cold water. Already, there exerted vasodilation and vasoconstriction of blood vessels.

Henry IV created the Charter of mineral waters. The army has greatly contributed to the development of some stations as Bourbonne les Bains (Haute-Marne), as Louis XV and then that this tiny town had a thermal history to Roman times. Thus, a military hospital has treated soldiers wounded in the wine town (350 ha) which has found a good market for its wines.

The waters of the Belle Epoque

The spa is going to experience an exceptionally popular in the nineteenth ^century, carried by the wave of Romanticism.

For reasons of ease of access, the stations will develop first in close proximity or inside cities. Very quickly, the rapid rail links make access to these remote stations for Parisians and foreigners. ^{The spas in France today}

The spa is defined as all medical facilities, social, health, administrative and hospitality, implemented for use, for therapeutic purposes, mineral water and thermal, gas thermal and sludge. The word spa is used implies that water with healing properties are recognized by the medical profession.

In 1950, the spa treatments are covered by Social Security. This organization addresses each spa and controls water so that there is no bacteria. This process is so respected that any pathogen present in the water, there is closure. Even hospitals do not have a code of hygiene also grown. Each health facility shall be approved for the treatment of one or more therapeutic orientations and all must be contracted by Social Security.

In France there are 115 institutions located in 102 sites. More than 500,000 patients annually conduct a course in France.

The thermal waters

There are over 1,200 hot springs in France. Their chemical composition makes them special therapeutic qualities recognized by the Academy of Medicine. This status gives them bonds, since they must be delivered pure, in the state where they are to emerge, and stable over time.

The patient will be referred to a spa using water adjusted to his condition by its mineral composition.

It classifies mineral water in five major categories (bicarbonate-sulphate, sulphide, chloride and trace-metal weakly mineralized) and used in twelve therapeutic orientations.

Representation of spas

Created in 2002, the National Farmers' Thermal, only trade association in the industry, brings together almost all the spas. Its objective is to work for modernization and improvement of medical spa.

For that he engaged in a process designed to prove the medical and economic interest of Cures, launching several studies to scientifically validate the medical benefit (SMR) of courses.

Key figures