With its icy winters, snowy peaks and heavy snowfall, Brides-les-Bains can be unforgiving in winter. What better antidote to the cold than a day or two spent relaxing in waters heated deep within the earth itself, having your every need catered to while winter rages outside? Here are a few suggestions for making the most of your trip to the baths of Bride-les-Bains.
Après-Ski Treatments at the Bride-les-Bains Thermal Spa
Scything through thick snow, having to carefully control your speed and push your muscles to the limit to make that perfect slalom, skiing can often leave you aching and exhausted, with your face cold and tingling from the freezing wind. There’s a special sort of joy in dragging your battered self from a day on the slopes straight to a hedonistic spa, and the Bride-les-Bains thermal spa not only offers excellent facilities but also a set of dedicated après-ski treatments, including one focussing on aquatic stimulation of the tissues in the legs, aiming to promote recovery and eliminate soreness after a hard day on the powder.
As well as helping to soothe those aching muscles, the warmth and decadence of a spa is a perfect contrast to the biting cold and frenetic pace of a day’s skiing, making the restrictive layering of ski clothing and the wind whipping your face a distant memory. That is, even if you don’t believe in the health benefits of a spa trip, it’s still a lovely way to end the day.
Pampering
You don’t need a particular reason to make use of Brides-les-Bains’ world renowned thermal baths: they’re a wonderful thing to experience in their own right. The baths include the usual facilities such as a steam room, sauna and Jacuzzi, but perhaps less expected will be the steam baths impregnated with specially selected aromas, the ice fountain for a delicious contrast, and the various forms of specialised aquatic massage, including jets of pressurised air released underwater and various forms of showers at various pressures and temperatures.
On top of this are the spa’s various herbal and botanical treatments, including body wraps featuring chocolate, green tea, ginger and more, as well as a plethora of specialised soaps and dermatological treatments. There are few better ways to spoil yourself than a trip to Brides-les-Bains’ gorgeous spa.
Alternative Medicine
Many spa devotees cite the apparent health benefits and changes to the body of spa treatments as one of their primary reasons for undergoing them. Brides-les-Bains’ thermally heated waters are said to have various positive effects on body and health.
The spa also offers dietary advice (including a special in-house developed diet of light foods) and exercise classes for those seeking to alter their body shape. In addition to this, alternative medicine enthusiasts may be interested in the range of sculpting and circulation-stimulating therapies, which aim to target cellulite, improve skin elasticity and sculpt the body.
How to Get to Brides-les-Bains
Brides-les-Bains is not served by any public transport connections, meaning that visitors will have to consider either Geneva Airport ski transfers or drive themselves. It’s around a two-hour drive along the A41, and don’t forget that you’ll be crossing the Franco-Swiss border and paying a toll.
Where to Stay
Le Grand Chalet – Le Studio – perfectly located for spending time in Brides-les-Bains, Le Studio offers simple, elegant and low cost accommodation for the budget traveller.
Résidence La Rochetaillée – nestled within beautiful garden surroundings, Résidence La Rochetaillée has charming, rustic rooms and professional, friendly service. An excellent example of an Alpine hotel.
Chalet Fontaine – set in stunning, wooded surroundings, the Fontaine is full of character. Warmed by logs burned in an iron stove and decorated with traditional furniture and other authentic decorations, you couldn’t ask for more atmospheric surroundings.
