Why seawater-based thalassotherapy is the hottest new spa treatment and where to get it
On a brisk autumn afternoon, immersed in a 100-degree pool at Italy’s Verdura Resort, I admired the lush Sicilian landscape as seawater-filled jets eased my muscles, tightened from long days of travel.I felt I could easily get used to it, and experts on thalassotherapy, a broad category of treatments using seawater, say we all should.“Seawater is incredibly effective for muscle-skeletal issues.
It’s anti-inflammatory and also really helpful for skin conditions like eczema.Inhaling aerosols of mineral-rich water in ionized form helps with respiratory issues,” says Dr.
Marie Perez Siscar, president of France’s national thalassotherapy association, and owner and medical director of the Côté Thalasso spa hotel in Banyuls Sur Mer, France.Dr.Perez Siscar, a former emergency room physician, says that while lake bathing can be pleasant and beneficial, seawater’s particular combination of living plankton and trace minerals provides superior results.Rich in calcium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, the water in Verdura’s four outdoor thalassotherapy pools comes from the surrounding sea.
It’s combined with a slightly oily, mineral-rich water containing mud and salt from the salt marshes in Trapani, on Sicily’s northwest coast.“The therapy works by osmosis, meaning that the skin absorbs all the elements,” explains Luciano Porcu, spa director at Rocco Forte’s Sicilian properties, which include Verdura, the Villa Igiea in Palermo and Palazzo Castelluccio in Noto, set to open next year.“Osmosis of marine salts into the skin and warm water dilates blood stream, helping to detox and reduce water retention.”Verdura’s 43,000-square-foot Irene Forte Spa features a large gym, saunas and steam rooms, but its thalassotherapy pools are the main draw.
Visitors follow a 90-minute sequence, spending about 15 minutes in each of four pools before repeating the circuit.The first stop is the 100-degree pool, where the salt density is 24%, encouragi...