Contrexéville ( French pronunciation: [kɔ̃tʁɛksevil] ) is a commune of north-eastern France , in the Vosges département .
6-637: The mineral springs of Contrexéville have been known locally for many years, but became generally known only towards the end of the 18th century. The particular reputation of Contrexéville as a mineral spa and health resort dates from 1864, when development began by a company, the Société des Eaux de Contrexéville . Mineral water is bottled here by Nestlé Waters France , under the Contrex brand. Inhabitants are called Contrexévillois in French. Contrexéville
12-504: Is twinned with: This Vosges geographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mineral spa Mineral spas are spa resorts developed around naturally occurring mineral springs . Like seaside resorts , they are mainly used recreationally although they also figured prominently in prescientific medicine . Spas were used for millennia for their purported healing or healthful benefits to those wealthy or close enough to partake of their waters. This
18-558: The Belgian town Spa . As the Victoria era ended, the influences of the industrial revolution created more and more varied members of the upper middle class . The concepts of vacationing, tourism, and travel became less the property of the old monied classes and more shared by an increasing population base of those who could afford holiday trips, like the rich. Such adventures had much allure before any audio-visual entertainment outside
24-464: The drudgery of a hot house in warm weather during summer's onset and were seasonally populated by the well-to-do. They eventually became early vacation spots with the counter-Victorian work ethic 'rationale' of health as an excuse to have fun and mix with one's peers in recreation. Subsequently, many became the seed stock for today's modern vacation resorts. Locations such as Steamboat Springs , Vail , St Moritz , Mineral Wells first became popular for
30-707: The questionable health benefits of mineral or soda-water soaks, ingestion, and clean outs during the hey-day of patent medicines and backward medical knowledge. United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt suffered a paralytic illness , and regularly visited Warm Springs and other hot springs for restorative soaks. While his cousin Theodore Roosevelt was known as a physically active and healthy person, he had asthma and used physical activity as well as occasional visits to mineral spas as attempts to address his asthma. The name "spa" comes from
36-491: Was called a mineral cure and gave let to phrases such as taking a cure and taking the waters . There has always been a mixture of recreational and medicinal connotations involved, from rest and relaxation, stress relief , and convalescence to more specific notions such as humorism . These phrases are sometimes used as a euphemism for one trying to kick a drug dependency. In many cases, mineral spas were located in mountainous locales that gave an additional excuse to leave
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