Thermal tourism: three destinations where you can dive with your eyes closed

In Tuscany

On the road between Massa Marittima and Monterotondo, the rock suddenly begins to smoke.

A winding path zigzags along the side of the hill, hot water streams, heather has replaced the vines and olive trees.

A few trees have miraculously managed to survive without being bleached white like the rest of the landscape, which evokes more Iceland than Tuscany.

Dante would have been inspired by it.

Further south in Maremma, the thermal baths of Saturnia offer a much more bucolic setting.

Immersed in verdant countryside, overlooked by an old mill, pools dug into the rock are fed by crystal clear thermal water rising at a constant temperature of 37.5°C.

Mythology has it that Saturn, having provoked the anger of Jupiter, is at the origin of this beneficial source,

which would have sprung under the lightning of the king of the gods.

The Terme di Saturnia Natural Spa & Golf Resort, a 5-star establishment, built more than a hundred years ago, surrounds a thermal pool whose mineral-rich water gushes out at a speed of 500 liters per second.

If its transparency gives the feeling of being in front of a splendid swimming pool, the smell of sulfur leaves no doubt.

Huge state-of-the-art spa.

Terme di Saturnia Natural Spa & Golf Resort.

From €390 per night, breakfast included and unlimited access to the thermal baths.

In Iceland

Sky Lagoon's architecture, inspired by traditional Icelandic turf houses, blends in with nature.

Eric Martin / Le Figaro Magazine

Just a few miles from Reyjavik, the new cliff-top Sky Lagoon thermal spa is a design gem.

Its 70 meter long overflowing warm water lagoon offers breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean on one side and Mount Keilir on the other.

Its architecture, inspired by traditional Icelandic turf houses, nestled in caves, blends in with nature.

The seven-step ritual is an invitation to total disconnection where you alternate baths in water at 38°C, icy baths, session in the sauna with large bay windows that allow you to enjoy this infinite wild nature.

Sky Lagoon.

€72 for the traditional 7-step ritual package.

In Japan

South of Sapporo, the milky sulphur-infused waters of Noboribetsu lead to the natural creation of nine different types of waters, which are said to soften the skin.

Press service

A landscape of mountains, bluish glaciers, waterfalls and magnificent onsen draws the island of Hokkaido.

South of Sapporo, the milky waters of Noboribetsu, infused with sulfur, flow from the Valley of Hell and lead to the natural creation of baths and nine different types of waters, which are said to soften the skin.

Not far from there, the bubbling waters of Jigokudani are, according to legend, the result of the wrath of demons.

Then we get lost in the Gorge of the Clouds, flanked by steep cliffs…

World Travelers.

From €5,400 for a two-week circuit, wellness road trip in northern Japan, flights included.