Balnéa Loudenvielle

Balnéa opened at the entrance to Loudenvielle, in the Louron valley beneath the Peyragudes and Val Louron ski slopes, describing itself as the first thermal-water relaxation complex built in the French Pyrenees. Rather than a single spring, the complex draws sulphurous, sodium-rich water from three boreholes — Les Coustats at 162 metres, Cazalis at 700 metres, and Saoussas at 652 metres — sunk near the old captage of the historic Bains de Saoussas spring that gave the valley its thermal tradition. Between them, Les Coustats and Saoussas alone supply around 432 cubic metres of naturally warm water a day, at 31-35°C, filling roughly 4,000 to 5,000 square metres of pools without any artificial heating. The site has also been recognised for its sustainable-development practices in a valley whose economy otherwise depends heavily on winter skiing.