What is thalassotherapy?
Thalasso — from the Greek “thálassa”, the sea — is the therapeutic application of sea water, sea air, algae, silt and sand. The method was developed into a cure form on the French Atlantic coasts and lives from a simple thought: the sea itself is the remedy. Genuine thalassotherapy is therefore tied to place — freshly pumped, heated sea water and the bracing climate of the coast belong to the definition.
The classic treatments
The spectrum reaches from the sea-water exercise bath (pleasantly carried by the salt buoyancy) via algae packs and silt wraps to sea-water showers, inhalations and the simplest form of all: the extended walk in the surf air, whose iodine-rich aerosols reach the airways. Algae supply concentrated minerals and trace elements that work through the warmed skin in packs.
Effect and fields of use
Classic thalasso indications are skin and airway concerns, states of exhaustion and rheumatic complaints — carried by the combination of bracing climate, mineral uptake and movement in warm sea water. On the German coasts thalasso combines with the seaside-resort tradition: North Sea bracing climate for the vigorous variant, the Baltic for the milder one.
Thalasso in a spa hotel
Coastal houses with their own sea-water supply offer the full form; inland thalasso is met as an algae and sea-salt treatment — effective for skin and relaxation, but without the climate component. Whoever seeks the real cure plans a coastal stay of one to two weeks; whoever wants to get to know the format begins with an algae pack in the spa.
