Almost 19,000 kilometres from Auckland city lies a tranquil, tiny village called Avène.
Here, you’ll find thermal spring water with extraordinary benefits for the skin. Editor Trudi Brewer shares her journey to a Hydrotherapy Center like no other.
Avène’s Hydrotherapy Center image BeautyEQ
Like stepping back in time, the tiny medieval village of Avène is surreal. Located in one of the most picturesque parts of southern France, it's an hour's drive from Montpellier airport, surrounded by untouched nature. It's a sleepy town that's home to only 80 people and sits in the heart of the Occitanie region, in the Haut Languedoc National Park. It's unspoiled, yet on the world map, not because of the views across the Cévennes hills to the eastern Pyrenees mountains, but for the rare spring water that runs through this region.
How the thermal spring water from Avène was discovered
The legendary Avène Thermal Spring water was discovered quite by chance. The story goes that, in 1736, the Marquis of Rocozels, who lived near a natural spring, had a prized horse that contracted a skin disease. Concerned it would infect his other livestock, he turned the horse loose to live in the valley by the spring. After a few months of drinking and rolling in the waters of that spring, the locals noticed the horse had recovered. Word quickly spread that the water had healing powers, and interest in the spring's health benefits grew; by 1743, the Marquis opened public baths to treat people with dermatitis and other skin complaints. The first global attention came when, in 1871, the spring water was bottled and exported to America, where it was used to treat the victims of the Great Chicago Fire. Fast forward a century to 1975, and a local French pharmacist, Pierre Fabre, purchased the spring and the land around it, building a state-of-the-art Hydrotherapy Center, dedicated to healing the sick. Inspired by the spring, Fabre opened a Water Research Center in 2007 to better understand its secrets, and it still operates today.
The village of Avène in France and Avène’s Hydrotherapy Center Images BeautyEQ
The benefits of this skin-softening water
Today, around 3000 people visit Avène’s Hydrotherapy Center to treat severe skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, burns, post-cancer, and scalp conditions, as well as rare skin disorders such as ichthyoses. Pumped directly from the ground, it's the basis for all the Avène treatments at the centre. It is used for daily thermal baths, underwater hydro massage, multi-jet showers and misting for the face, hands, mouth, and scalp, as well as cold compresses and drinking. So how does it soothe the skin? Avène thermal spring water is rainwater from both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic oceans. As it travels to Avène, it filters through 300 million-year-old dolomitic rocks 3000 meters underground. As it runs over the rocks, it is enriched with silicates, magnesium, calcium, and microorganisms known as ‘Aquaphilus dolomiae’. This natural action gives the water potent anti-inflammatory, antipruritic, and immunomodulatory properties, which is why it provides instant relief for so many irritating skin conditions.
Editor Trudi Brewer and style director Louise Hilsz at the Avène Hydrotherapy Center.
The Avène skincare range
Created by Pierre Fabre in 1990, the Avène skincare range infuses all products with thermal spring water. Made on-site at a plant near the Hydrotherapy Center, the products were born of need rather than marketing spin. You don't need sensitive skin to benefit from this hydrating, natural skincare line. If your skin is sensitive, Tolérance Extrême is ideal for allergy-prone skin. The XeraCalm range is designed for anyone with eczema, itchiness, or dehydrated skin. TriXera Nutrition Cleanser and Lotion are the perfect daily skin combination for the whole family, and for anyone with breakouts or acne, the Cleanance range reduces oil (sebum) production and gently exfoliates to keep blocked pores and redness at bay.
There are 55 products available here in New Zealand; these are free from parabens, artificial fragrance, and alcohol. The jewel in the crown is the natural Thermal Avène Spring Water. The water in each spray can come directly from the underground spring; it’s then packed, wrapped, and sent around the world. One can is sold somewhere in the world every second, 24 hours a day. It makes the ideal toner (always massage the water into the skin), helps skin creams and serums absorb faster, soothes sunburn and shaving rash, and a spritz on the skin anytime is the ideal way to instantly hydrate your complexion - brilliant for travel.
Editor Trudi Brewer at the Avène Hydrotherapy Center
My Avène experience
Unlike any other beauty pilgrimage I have made, my experience at Avène and the Thermal Spring Water left a lasting impression. It instantly softens your skin after just a 20-minute bath, and it's like drinking bottled liquid silk. I can only imagine the joy it would bring to someone whose skin is always itchy, scaly and red. Not to mention the boost to your self-esteem from seeing visible results after only a few weeks. While I don't suffer from a stressful skin condition, my skin was dry after my 36-hour journey to Avène, but after only 12 hours at the Hydrotherapy Center, my skin and body felt recharged. While this is a medical facility, it feels spa-like, and the atmosphere is warm and nurturing. The centre also prides itself on giving back. First to the locals (most of the people who live in Avène work at the center), and the National Park: once the water is used at the Hydrotherapy Center, it is recycled, cleaned, and returned to the spring that bubbles through the 3,000-hectare unspoiled countryside surrounding the facility. And to every person who visits. During my stay, I watched families travel from all over the world to bathe in this water. Tiny babies, kids, teens, and grandparents, looking to the symbol of purity, the healing spring water that can soothe skin ailments. That alone was proof that the precious water from Avène is, for so many, the elixir of a much happier life.
My daily Avène beauty routine
Avène Thermal Spring Water, from $15. Avène Trixera Nutrition Cleanser, $30.
Avène Physiolift Serum, $70. Avène BB Cream Day Protector Tinted SPF 30+, $49.
Backed by dozens (more than 150) clinical studies, anyone with a skin condition can apply, based on a dermatologist's prescription for the three-week stay at Avène. It costs from €330 for six days, including three treatments per day; accommodation is additional. French patients are funded by the Sécurité Sociale on a dermatologist's recommendation (for a three-week stay); however, the Hydrotherapy Center treats people from all over the globe, including Australians and New Zealanders. While a trip to France isn't for everyone, the same Thermal Spring water is available in Pharmacies across the country, packed in a portable spray. Bottled in sterile conditions and as pure as the thermal spring water in France, this spray is ideal for soothing all skin types and ages. Use as a cooling mist, to tone skin after cleansing, or as a comforting compress to soothe irritation; the water is the perfect addition to any daily beauty routine. The Avène Hydrotherapy Center is only open in spring and summer, from April to October.
