the spa market | France

1.1 Presentation and definition of the market

A thermal establishment is defined as an establishment using water from mineral springs, as well as the sludge and gases derived from them, to treat the ailments or pathologies of patients. [ Ministry of Health ]

Resulting from a long French tradition, the thermal establishments have known how to go through the decades, until becoming a normal component of the French health system. Supporting several thousands of people, a whole ecosystem has been built around the thermal establishments (accommodation, entertainment...). The whole represents a market of several hundreds of thousands of euros.

Aimed above all at retired people suffering from rheumatological problems, stays in cures also represent a moment of relaxation for the hundreds of thousands of curists who come every year to the establishments of large chains such as the Chaîne Thermale du Soleil.

Since the beginning of the 2000s, controls have been reinforced on the quality of the waters used by the thermal spas, encouraged by a willingness of the public authorities to better regulate this Health Insurance expenditure.

The spas have not stopped there, they also try to attract a younger clientele via thermoludism, the rise in range and the emphasis on proximity to the territory.