When will our Beloved Thermes in Divonne-les-Bains Reopen?
19 December 2023
It was not that I specifically sought out Divonne-les-Bains (a popular French village on the border of Switzerland), as a place to live when I was transferred from Thailand to Geneva on an international assignment. Having arrived with two young kids, two Italian greyhounds and a container full of goods, my priority was to find a house that would accommodate my beautiful Thai belongings! Not proximity to schools, shopping or kennels… A friend knew a friend who was just vacating a house that perfectly fit my (furniture) requirements. In Divonne-les-Bains.
Once the kids were safely ensconced in school, I explored my French village. Looking up the hill, a
graceful Chateau. The attentive staff greeted me on a red carpet, escorted me to the terrace overlooking lake Geneva and jet d’eau for coffee and cake. Ah, France! So elegant…
Later, I discovered another gem - an intimate, exquisite concert hall, with a summer series of
classical music concerts. Converting to a cinema for the rest of the year. Ah, France! So supportive of culture…
And then, the cherry on the cake - the Thermes de Divonne-les-Bains. In my usual quest to stay fit in every new duty station I had found the perfect place! It was not just a gym, sauna, steam bath, jacuzzi, the usual. But also peaceful spaces for light therapy, music therapy, under water massages, or simply silence. Ah France! They invest in wellness…
But let’s pause the violins for now.
This French dream slowly unravelled… I thought it was just me, disappointed as the years went by as each cultural icon in Divonne fell - blow by blow - the Chateau burned down, the music festivals no longer on the agenda, the cinema closed. And now, the Thermes.
The final blow - at a meeting on 8 November 2022 the mayor of Divonne announced the closure of the Thermes as of January 2023! In the standing room only crowd I discovered I was not alone in my passion for and dependance on the Thermes, Divonne and its icons. Animated voices spoke of the loss of the chateau, the recital hall/movie hall - and now, the last straw, the Thermes. People had come out in droves to express their concerns, their disappointment and to suggest solutions. The reasons for closure of the thermal baths were dutifully explained by the authorities and technicians, armed with with slick graphs and photos.
Those of us who used the Thermes regularly had indeed witnessed the gradual deterioration of the
infrastructure. Attracting a clientele, not only from Divonne or the Pays de Gex, but from neighbouring Switzerland, the classes were packed to capacity, the atmosphere always upbeat. While we chose to ignore the tired paint job, the frequent closure of the saunas, we stayed committed and showed up regularly. Because we knew, all said and done, that being in this facility contributed to our health and well-being. Which is why there was shock and despair expressed at the meeting.
An excellent statement at the end of the session outlined practical options to keep the Thermes functioning, albeit at a reduced level, and offering financial solutions. Later I learned this was Matthieu Eymery, a member of the Conseil Municipal who had been making these suggestions for months in the meetings of the Council, but they fell on deaf ears, every suggestion ignored. The meeting ended with assurances by the Mayor, Mr Vincent Scattolin, that there would be a new establishment ready before the end of 2023.
It is now December 2023. Every month, since last November, I have carefully scoured the pages of the glossy magazine published by the municipality, Je vis à Divonne-les-Bains, to find information on the progress of the Thermes. With fleeting mentions at the start of the year, there has been less and less information and as of now - no mention at all. In preparing to write this story, I wrote to Mr Scattolin requesting an update on the status of the Thermes so it could be accurately reported. No reply. I sent a reminder. No reply.
At a dead end, I searched my sources and decided to contact Bertrand Augustin who I knew was a member of Divonne’s Conseil Municipal. Bertrand informed me that at every meeting of the Council he or his colleagues raised the issue of the Thermes. They were simply informed that no offers had come in to take over the establishment. Bertrand strongly felt that if the Thermes had been allowed to stay open, even with limited functions, it would have been easier to find a group to take it over. But with the deterioration of a closed facility, it could take years to have a thermal establishment in Divonne once more.
Another useful source was Stéphanie Rapoport from Stop Embouteillage, who has successfully advocated for protecting Divonne’s mineral and thermal waters and has regular meetings in this regard with Mayor Scattolin. Recently, in response to her query regarding the Thermes, he indicated that it could take a few years to reopen!
Which raises the question, already raised by participants in the November 2022 meeting: Does the village need to be renamed Divonne, dropping les-Bains?
Going back in history, the Thermes de Divonne were founded by the French doctor Paul Vidart in 1848 who discovered that the waters had significant health benefits, especially for mental health, attracting clientele from all over France. In 2018, it was declared that the waters also had beneficial effects on rheumatic diseases, reducing inflammation and arthritic pain and improving mobility. So, even a bigger draw for people.
In the article “Soaking It In” by Lauren Collins for The New Yorker magazine (May 30, 2022), she reports that “social thermalism” was introduced by the French government for the masses in 1947, proclaiming that “every man, whatever his social condition, has a right to a thermal cure if the state of his health demands it.” She also notes that President Macron of France, close to his maternal grandmother who lived in a thermal station in the Pyrenees, was very supportive of “thermalism”. On 10 February 2023, Le Monde published a story by Jessica Gourdon on French thermal spas. The article raises the importance of involving citizens and concerned elected officials in decision making which results in good solutions. Maybe it’s time to consider public-private partnerships.
What next?
Now that the Christmas lights are up, after speeches and fireworks, maybe we can distract our well-intentioned Mayor, Vincent Scattolin, from his vision of a shopping mall and other elaborate plans for Divonne to focus on the Thermes: to hear his citizens, to actively promote the many benefits of these waters. How to light a fire behind him, to mobilise him? Perhaps it’s time for a Petition? Perhaps a March outside the Mayor’s offices? Or eventually, letters to the French Minister of Culture and to the President himself? To alert them to the slowly disappearing icons of Divonne and seek their support in reverting this village to its French cultural roots.
Then, we could reactivate the violins…
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