ABSTRACT
We report here on the current situation, regulations by law, and education of spa therapy and massage in France, as determined through a survey study on massage conducted by our university in France between March 19 and 28, 2012. Spa therapy is one of France natural therapies and means‘health through water’in Latin. It includes balneotherapy (le thermalisme) using thermal spring water, thalassotherapy (la thalassothérapie) using sea water, and hydrotherapy (la balnéothérapie) using water. At present in France, there are 105 balneotherapy centers (Thermés) at 89 sites with thermal spring water, located mainly in mountainous regions. National medical insurance can be used for 18-day balneotherapy treatment of 12 symptoms, provided as a 3-week stay (excluding Sundays) in sites with thermal spring water. Thalassotherapy, on the other hand, is currently regarded as a form of relaxation. Balneotherapy and thalassotherapy both include bathing with jets, showers (douche), exercise in the pool, mud therapy (mud pack and wrapping), and massage among other treatments, but there are differences between the two: balneotherapy uses thermal spring water while thalassotherapy uses sea water; the aim of balneotherapy is to treat or prevent disease while that of thalassotherapy is to promote well-being (relaxation); subjects for balneotherapy are patients, whereas those for thalassotherapy are generally healthy people. The term‘massage’in France refers only to massage provided in medical practice, by massage therapists (masseur-kinesithérapeute) who hold a national massage therapy license. The treatment they provide is covered by national medical insurance. They work in hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, and balneotherapy centers and can run their own massage clinics. In contrast, the term‘relaxation massage’(praticien bien-être), which refers to massage for well-being and is never called “massage” in order to distinguish it from medical massage, is not regulated by law. There is a self-regulatory body, that issues licenses for aestheticians, Certificat d’Aptitude Professionnelle (CAP). Their practice is known as modelage. The balneotherapy centers we visited employed licensed masseur-kinesithérapeutes, hydrotherapists who received 600 hours of training, and assistants with no licenses. The thalassotherapy centers mainly employed estheticians with CAP.
ABSTRACT
We report here on the current situation, regulations by law, and education of spa therapy and massage in France, as determined through a survey study on massage conducted by our university in France between March 19 and 28, 2012. Spa therapy is one of France natural therapies and means‘health through water’in Latin. It includes balneotherapy (<I>le thermalisme</I>) using thermal spring water, thalassotherapy (<I>la thalassothérapie</I>) using sea water, and hydrotherapy (<I>la balnéothérapie</I>) using water. At present in France, there are 105 balneotherapy centers (<I>Thermés</I>) at 89 sites with thermal spring water, located mainly in mountainous regions. National medical insurance can be used for 18-day balneotherapy treatment of 12 symptoms, provided as a 3-week stay (excluding Sundays) in sites with thermal spring water. Thalassotherapy, on the other hand, is currently regarded as a form of relaxation. Balneotherapy and thalassotherapy both include bathing with jets, showers (<I>douche</I>), exercise in the pool, mud therapy (mud pack and wrapping), and massage among other treatments, but there are differences between the two: balneotherapy uses thermal spring water while thalassotherapy uses sea water; the aim of balneotherapy is to treat or prevent disease while that of thalassotherapy is to promote well-being (relaxation); subjects for balneotherapy are patients, whereas those for thalassotherapy are generally healthy people.<BR> The term‘<I>massage</I>’in France refers only to massage provided in medical practice, by massage therapists (<I>masseur-kinesithérapeute</I>) who hold a national massage therapy license. The treatment they provide is covered by national medical insurance. They work in hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, and balneotherapy centers and can run their own massage clinics. In contrast, the term‘relaxation massage’(<I>praticien bien-être</I>), which refers to massage for well-being and is never called “<I>massage</I>” in order to distinguish it from medical massage, is not regulated by law. There is a self-regulatory body, that issues licenses for aestheticians, <I>Certificat d’</I><I>Aptitude Professionnelle </I>(CAP). Their practice is known as <I>modelage</I>. The balneotherapy centers we visited employed licensed <I>masseur-kinesithérapeutes</I>, hydrotherapists who received 600 hours of training, and assistants with no licenses. The thalassotherapy centers mainly employed estheticians with CAP.
ABSTRACT
A survey through general questionnaires was performed on those who visited the Hijiori, Yutagawa and Akakura hot springs in Yamagata Prefecture for thermalisme.<br>A total of 548 replies were obtained and they were analyzed in comparison with the survey results reported by Sugiyama et al. about 30 years ago.<br>Most of visitors were regular customers living in Yamagata Prefecture. Further, most of them, both men and women, were of age 60 or over. This fact was remarkably different from the investigation results of 30 years ago.<br>The degree of satisfaction among visitors as to the effectiveness of thermalisme was high among most of those who visited there to relieve pain but not so high among those who visited there for their health or for resting.