I Tried Hydrotherapy For Healthier Skin — and it Worked

At six years old, I had my first serious eczema flare-up. I don't remember what triggered it, but I'll never forget the impulsive urge to scratch, scratch, scratch until it felt like my skin was on fire, oozing from the inside out. Night after night, I'd scream out in pain as my mum gently slipped silk pyjamas over my head, careful to stretch the fabric away from the crusty pus that buzzed from itching.

Eventually, a doctor prescribed a topical steroid cream to treat my atopic dermatitis, which helped, but I was told to only use it sparingly and never for longer than a week at a time so as to not build a tolerance to the treatment, leaving me hesitant over the years. Then I recently discovered an alternative solution to those hydrocortisone ointments I relied on so heavily back then: hydrotherapy centres.

Also known as water therapy, these treatment facilities — of which there are thousands around the world, with offerings in varying form — use H2O as the sole ingredient to healing the skin. I was invited to try it out for myself at the Avéne Hydrotherapy Centre in the South of France, which is how I wound up submerged in a soaking bath, surrounded by water bubbles that flickered with promise of soothing my eczema-laden skin.

Here's how my visit went.

First, What is Hydrotherapy and How Does it Work?

Hydrotherapy is the centuries-old practice of using water to treat a number of ailments. This can look like many different things — aquatic physical therapy to ease arthritis, cold plunges to boost circulation — but with hydrotherapy spas, it is typically used for the treatment of skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, scars or burns, and even post-cancer effects like radiodermatitis.

While some dermatologists are on the fence about its efficacy as a standalone treatment plan, countless studies have shown that spring water rich in mineral content can calm inflammation and soften the skin's appearance. Still, this is not your thermal pool in Turkey, onsen bath in Japan, or hot spring in Iceland: hydrotherapy is a targeted, naturopathic alternative to traditional Western skin-care medications, although its specific method of application differs from clinic to clinic.

At Avéne's treatment centre, for example, patients are prescribed daily water treatments over the course of three weeks, which can include anything from localised sprays, steam and air showers, and bath soaks. Its water is sourced from the thermal springs in (you guessed it) Avéne, France, where its natural rock filtration system means it's loaded with calcium, zinc, copper, magnesium, and Aquaphilus Dolomiae (a microflora only found there). Similar to other hydrotherapy spas, there are experts on-site ranging from hydrotherapists to dermatologists to nurses to ensure proper administration of said techniques.

My Avéne Hydrotherapy Experience

These days, I'd liken my tendency for eczema flare-ups to a villain in any superhero movie: it's always there lurking in the background, ready to pounce, but is carefully managed by reducing the exposure to outside threats (in other words: avoiding fragranced products, harsh skin treatments, and hot showers). Still, rashes happen to me at the start of every new season, so I had been battling patches of eczema on my neck and left elbow by the time I got to the Avéne Hydrotherapy Centre.

I was ready to (metaphorically and literally) dive in to the treatments, but because there is no amount of pleading that would allow me three weeks of PTO, I forged ahead with a smaller, abbreviated sampling of hydrotherapy sessions over the course of two days.

First up was a bath, the idea being that a heated oxygen hydrotherapy soak helps promote circulation. The time totalled 20 minutes (which is approximately 19 minutes longer than I typically like to sit in a bath), divided into 10-minute increments: the first half with bubbles to soften the skin, followed by the high-powered jets that directly target inflamed areas. Luckily for my attention span, the water was the perfect lukewarm temperature, and the time went by quick.

Next up came a domino of quick-spurt treatments. There was the facial spritz station, where you lean your head into a sink, forehead against a tap of sorts, and the liquid mists your face at varying pressures for five minutes. (If you've ever been sick and stuck your head over a pot of boiling water to clear up your sinuses, it was kind of like that.)

Then came the shower, which looked like a life-sized, standing sprinkler system that sprayed out five minutes-worth of a combination of hot water and air. I awkwardly bounced from the stepping stool to the floor, then back again, trying to find the right height that wouldn't spray me directly in the face; been there, done that five minutes ago. It never got hot, but it was humid, and I was glad it was over fast.

Finally, it was time for the scalp shower — an exclusive offering you can only get at the Avéne Hydrotherapy Centre, and one that filled me with five minutes of unadulterated bliss. I laid down on the padded table and stuck my head into a chamber, where thermal spring water soared at my scalp in every which way like it was the Vegas Bellagio Water Show. I could have sworn I heard a choir of angels singing. This particular treatment is meant to alleviate scalp psoriasis or severe dandruff, so as a supplement to the session, a hydrotherapist then applied globs of the Avéne XeraCalm (£16) to every inch of my scalp, where I was told to leave it on as a deep treatment overnight before rinsing it out.

Despite the minor discomforts I felt during some of my treatments, when all was said and done, I have to admit: my skin felt softer than it had in months. I wasn't expecting to notice an immediate reduction of the eczema on my neck, either, but after two days, that's exactly what happened.

True, this is not your ticket to a day spa. At times — OK, most of the time — the sessions felt clinical, and that's because they are: in France, water therapy qualifies as a basic medical necessity for chronic skin conditions and is therefore covered by insurance. Hundreds of people of all ages fly to the Avéne Hydrotherapy Centre each year with the hopes of treating their painful eczema, burns, psoriasis, or other ailments.

When I left the centre, a publicist for the brand mentioned they were helping a family get the treatment they needed. The mum, after seeing my Instagram Story tagging Avéne, sent me a DM: "We're here with a toddler and a baby. Glad to be here."

I remembered six-year-old me and smiled.