European Natural Soaking Society: Nomadland

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Nomadland

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#renneslesbains #aude #audetourisme #france #europe #thermalisme #thermes

Entering the village from the south, it seems Rennes-les-Bains is a a scrappy but nonetheless typical village (200 inhabitants) of the Corbières where not much seems to be happening.

That's until you exit the village in the north where normally everybody enters: a larger car park adjacent to the partial namesaking Thermes de Rennes-les-Bains, is surrounded by forests and provides an attractive place to stop and discover the village.

Rennes-les-Bains known since Roman times (link) for it's thermal waters while the sources of other waters have also gained their own following.

The river cutting the village (the Sals) finds its origin from a saltwater source, while nearby is also the Madeleine source rumoured to have been visited by the holy Magdalena herself and a sulphurous source nearby.

Not far from the village of Rennes-les-Bains, in the Sals river lie the Fontaine des Amours,

a great place to enjoy the salty waters.

Piping

But moreover there are thermal sources and at least one which can be described as a little wild, but certainly free.

The Wikipedia entry in French mentions the existence of 5 thermal springs:

'Les Bains Doux, (37 °C), Les Bains Fort (47.5 °C), Les Bains de la Reine, (40 °C), Gieules, (38 °C) and Marie (39.5 °C)'.

There's also a map with each source indicated, just follow this link.

It's the Bains Doux (lead photo) which are the source of the free hot spring pool. The English Wikipedia:

'Bathers have enjoyed the natural hot spring waters for thousands of years - they are still used today as a cure for rheumatism and certain skin problems. Today, it is a modern thermal spa with the latest equipment. Due to a microbe found in the piping of the old baths they have been closed and a new hospital built which gets its water from another source.
Due to its enormous popularity the 'Bains Forts', an old 'lavoir' where young people have bathed for the last 40 years, have been cemented in and closed indefinitely'.

The Bains Forts were baths in the center of the village which attracted quite a few soakers and - this being pre-social media times - these soakers were less concerned about keeping up appearances.

The consequence was that local authorities decided to concrete things up.

Here's a video explaining this.

L'Independant (Jan. 10, 2013) also report on the struggle here where opponents of the local council "liberated" the springs themselves. But only temporarily. Or not:

helene.totole at Rennes-les-Bains. Could it be the Bains Forts?

Small hot spring (47 ° C) supervised by Naya!
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Cured

As said the village has a thermes building (Thermes de Rennes-les-Bains) where you could do a "cure".

It's source is the source de la Reine.

This website suggests 1400 curists per season, though it doesn't seem that at the time of my visit (mid-September) there were even close to this amount, even though this years opening season was from April until the end of October.

If staying here note that Booking.com rates it 8.3 with the pool facilities free for use in the pm, while google rated it with 3.8 stars.

So, if you are looking for the free springs, you'll find them under the Bains Doux, easy to reach in summer.

Entrepreneurs who are also avid soakers have over the years built a 50 cm deep pool under the cascade.

Beware in summer it will be quite busy. In winter this bath may be unreachable: you always have to ford the river to get a soak.