Aquensis

Rue du Pont d’Arras
Les Grands Thermes Bagnères de Bigorre
France

Tel: 0(033) 562 95 86 95

Aquensis, a luxury thermal spa in the French town of Bagnères de Bigorre, takes its name from ‘Vicus Aquensis’, the latin for the town. This name shows what the Romans valued the settlement for- they were attracted by its natural warm springs, and Aquensis has cashed in on the town’s history to create an expensive luxury health resort.

Architecturally bizarre, Aquensis combines an ornate 19th Century building with a modern glass and wood porch surrounded with palm trees. I found myself automatically and involuntarily mildly offended by this seemingly misjudged disparity, before worrying I might be being a bit too conservative and deciding to make an effort to give this odd combination a chance.

I entered and found myself in a grand marble entrance hall with a strange strip of wiggly blue down the centre of the room, leading to a screen of glass and wood at the end.

Inexplicably drawn to the strange blue wiggle, I followed it along to the glass screen and peered between the beams of wood into what was obviously the main chamber of the spa.

Looking in at this room, I found myself close to laughter: it was as though someone, in a gesture of the greatest blasphemy, had taken the floor out of a small but pleasantly formed church (for some reason made of wood), inserted various random shaped pools and irrevently dropped in a few swimsuit clad heretics to complete the peculiar picture.

Aquensis itself describes its pools as `splendidly highlighted by an original architecture which sets up the site as a real Cathedral of the Well-being.’

At 16 euros for a two hour pass, I decided to give the spa a miss… I didn’t have any particular urge to mooch about in warm water for 2 hours at any rate.

I would advise anyone going to Bagnères de Bigorre to pay a visit to Aquensis to see its bizarre architecture at least. Whether you then decide to pay 16 euros (or more) to sample its waters as well is up to you… and your budget.