Plan de Phazy – Risoul, France - Atlas Obscura

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Plan de Phazy

Risoul, France

Since ancient times these picturesque springs have been providing bathers with healing waters. 

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Tucked away in the French Alps, the Plan de Phazy springs and their supposedly healing waters have been catering to all those willing to make the trek since time immemorial. 

The earliest accounts of the springs date back to before the Roman Empire when the site was thought to be a holy place. The superstitions about the springs didn’t end there either. By medieval times, the waters from the spring were being used as medicinal components due to the belief that they had healing powers. In fact the site is named after the nickname of the first recorded person to peddle the waters. By the early 1800s actual stone baths were built over the springs so that people could just come and relax in the restorative pools. An iconic round building known as “The Rotunda” was built over the source of the waters at this time which acted as a sort of spa. This building has been restored down the years and still sits on the site today.

Currently the hot springs are mainly a winter vacation destination with the two main stone pools sitting overlooking the beautiful French Alps. Some still claim that the minerals in the naturally heated water do have healing properties, but this could also just be the aftereffect of relaxing in one of the most beautiful mountain landscapes in the world.     

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December 12, 2014

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