Lhe thermal baths of Saujon are at a turning point in their history. Firstly because a scientific study which will be released in the coming weeks confirms the positive impact of thermal treatment on brain activity, then because important work is planned and finally because prospects for partnerships could lead to development possibilities, takeover of other structures and cooperation. This would take the establishment created in 1860 by Doctor Louis Dubois to a new level. “For the moment, it is too early to talk about it but, yes, we are at a stage where we could have opportunities,” confides the director of the thermal baths Olivier Dubois.
In the meantime, the psychiatrist will be satisfied with the gift that Santa Claus has slipped into his bag with a growth in activity of 5% in 2024 but especially with the results of the Insula-Top scientific study which will soon be released and which demonstrate the positive impact of the three-week spa treatment on brain activity. “We see a reduction in the anxious activity of the insula, part of the cerebral cortex, at the end of the treatment, with a reinforced effect one month later. This effect is comparable to that of a reference drug. The study will certainly get a lot of attention. This is the first time in history that we have proof of the therapeutic action of thermal treatments on the brain. I am convinced that this will restore the nobility of balneotherapy,” says the man who has been fighting for years to prove the interest of thermal activity and its beneficial effects on anxiety.
Win-win
This good news in any case allows the person concerned to face the future with optimism. And that’s good because many projects are in the pipeline. Starting with the construction of a day hospital which will open in 2026 for 30 patients in place of the old Thermalia hotel. The demolition of the latter will take place in 2025. “The work will start immediately”, specifies Olivier Dubois who speaks of a new building of three or four floors which will house on the ground floor a restaurant open to all and above the workshop rooms, psychological interviews, etc. A budget of four million euros is planned to carry out this operation, which will be accompanied by road redevelopment.
“We worked on this day hospital project with the City of Saujon. Both have to gain”
“We worked on this project in partnership with the City of Saujon. Both have to gain. We know what the municipality can bring us and it is aware of the vitality that constitutes our 4,300 spa guests and our 1,200 hospitalized people who stay for an average of three weeks to a month here,” underlines the director of the thermal baths.
The initial idea, which was to transform Thermalia into studios, was therefore definitively abandoned. Too expensive to make and not profitable enough. On the other hand, spa guests are still in demand for apartments equipped for accommodation near the thermal establishment, 20 new studios will be built for an investment of three million euros in the thermal baths park on land still available located in the extension of the Termes (54 studios) and La Source (24 studios) residences. This will bring the total offer to around a hundred studios available for rental on the site by 2026 or 2027.
Seven million on the table
The Saujon thermal baths are therefore preparing to put seven million euros on the table to develop before thinking, perhaps, even bigger. The reputation of the establishment has already pushed Chinese and Japanese teams to organize study trips. The notoriety of programs focused on the prevention and management of burn-out, withdrawal from anxiolytics or other areas linked to mental health has long gone beyond the borders of Charente-Maritime. “We continue to expand our horizons. We work, for example, with the army on war trauma victims. I am also a member of the medical committee of the French Rugby Federation in order to monitor mental disorders that players could develop such as exhaustion, mental fatigue, depression,” reveals Olivier Dubois.
The year 2025 promises to be busy with the launch of a new clinical study devoted to the prevention of burn-out in hospitals or the project to develop a working group with local doctors to respond further mental health needs in companies. There is work to be done.
