Uriage-les-Bains (or ''Uriage'') is a

spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath, Somerset, Ba ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, at above sea level. Uriage is attached to the communes of

Saint-Martin-d'Uriage Saint-Martin-d'Uriage () is a commune in the Isère department located in the French Alps, in southeastern France. The nearest major city is Grenoble. Population See also *Communes of the Isère department The following is a list of the ...

and

Vaulnaveys-le-Haut Vaulnaveys-le-Haut (; ) is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Isère department The following is a list of the 512 communes in the French department of Isère. The communes ...

and is located in the department of

Isère Isère ( , ; ; , ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the southeastern French Regions of France, region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère (river), Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.

, beneath the ski resort of

Chamrousse Chamrousse () is a ski resort in Southeastern France, in the Belledonne mountain range near Grenoble in the Isère department. It is located in a commune of the same name and is situated on the Recoin at and the Roche Béranger at . The ski ...

. The inhabitants are called the ''Uriageois (es)''. Uriage does not have the status of a municipality. Uriage is served by the departmental road 524, which is the old N524 from

Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...

Vizille Vizille (; ) is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population Sights Vizille is the home of the Musée de la Révolution française, a rich depository of archival and rare materials devoted to the French Revolution ...

, through

Gières Gières (; ) is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is part of the Grenoble urban unit (agglomeration). The archaeologist Joseph Chamonard (1866–1936) died in Gières. Grenoble-Universités-Gières station has ra ...

Origin

The town was established during the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

. The Romans built baths to enjoy the anti-

rheumatic Rheumatology () is a branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and management of disorders whose common feature is inflammation in the bones, muscles, joints, and internal organs. Rheumatology covers more than 100 different complex diseases, c ...

properties of the springwater. They ventured up to the

Croix de Chamrousse Croix (French for "cross") may refer to: Belgium * Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut France * Croix, Nord, in the Nord department * Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort depa ...

, at the foot of which, in 1856, eight Roman bronze medals were found.

Uriage thermal water

Uriage thermal water contains sulphide and

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

, and has a molecular concentration similar to that of human

blood serum Serum () is the fluid and solvent component of blood which does not play a role in clotting. It may be defined as blood plasma without the clotting factors, or as blood with all cells and clotting factors removed. Serum contains all proteins ex ...

, which is unique in the world and allowed to be administered directly in intra-muscular injections. There are various curing techniques including showers, baths, hydromassages, applications of mud, filiform shower and aerosols.

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Spa towns in France Geography of Isère