BRTTTANY SPAS
SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT Words Frances Barnes Confidently, arms outstretched, I thrust myself away from the poolside into the water, expecting the rest of me to follow. Seconds later legs and feet were flailing in the air at ear level and I was bobbing about near certain to collide with fellow bathers. Yes, you guessed it. I was in a thalasso pool – and no ordinary one at that. I was in Brittany, birthplace of Thalassotherapy, where heated seawater and marine minerals are combined to produce wonderfully relaxing and beneficial health programmes in state-of-the art Spas. So mainstream are thalassos in France that they are frequently prescribed by doctors as relaxation or detox “cures”. Before forgetting the super buoyancy of thalasso pools, I’d been gazing through the wide-paned windows of the Miramar Crouesty’s Oceanic pool while underwater jets pummelled neck, back and thighs. Ahead of me was the resort’s Le Fogeo beach at the heart of the beautiful Gulf de Morbihan, described as the loveliest bay in the world and located in the Brittany’s temperate south. Occasionally I lounged like a Caesar on the “bubble bench” an underwater banquette, and let the magic 37 degree waters and massage jets do their work. Ever since the first Thalassotherapy centre opened in Roscoff over a hundred years ago, Bretons have exported their beloved brainchild to coastal resorts all over France and beyond. “Coastal” because strict rules govern the provenance of thalassos; they must be no further than half a mile from the sea;
20 Wellbeing
seawater used in treatments must be pure and fresh (not stored) and be heated to specified temperatures. More rules apply to seaweeds and marine wraps used in programmes. The Miramar Crouesty, a floating palace among thalassos, more than ticked all boxes. Set in a seawater lake and shaped like a graceful ocean liner it has a panoramic rooftop swimming pool, ground level thalasso centre with luxurious treatment rooms, and, sumptuous balconied suites as “cabins.” Two restaurants are the domain of Chef Yves Toublanc, where buffets,a la carte and delicious “Dietique”menus (not more than 300 calories) are served. The resort fashionably at the cutting edge of thalasso, is constantly developing advanced facilities, such as its new Hammam, complete with changing lights and cold fountain, and “airbed” treatment baths, where guests float while enjoying detox seaweed wraps. Equally state-of-the-art and newly opened is the inland Domaine de Cice-Blossac, just 10 miles from Rennes in the village of Bruz. Part of a glamorous 280 acre onwater golf and Spa complex, it is beautifully developed amid slow moving waterways and magnificent woodlands that recall a New England
Mirimar Crouesty Resort landscape. Luxurious suites are housed in wood-clad buildings set on stilts, and even have smart kitchens to add a self-catering option to the resort’s excellent restaurant. The Cice Blossac’s Spa’s elegant minimalism has an oriental flavour. Treatments include massages, wraps and detox programmes, with revitalising Ayurvedic “modelage” and “après-golf” relaxing combinations of Hammam and aromatherapy. Special day and weekend packages are available, including use of the golf course, with “Beginners Golf” proving popular. Versatile function rooms are also on offer at the resort. Rennes, ancient capital of Brittany, was almost entirely rebuilt on Paris lines after a drunken carpenter set fire to almost the whole city in 1720 – only the Palais de Justice an original survivor. Today, this university city offers a chic mix of shopping, restaurants and sightseeing. Not