Sources Libres de Luchon - Bassin des Étrangers

In the heart of Bagnères-de-Luchon, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, this pool sits within a spa tradition dating back to Gallo-Roman times: votive altars, pipes and bath remains have been uncovered during successive renovations of the site. The local waters, hyperthermal and sulfur-sodium in composition, filtered for millennia through the granite rock of the massif before resurfacing. The town's spa fortunes truly took off in the 18th century, when Baron d'Étigny had the road linking Montréjeau to Luchon built and laid out the famous Allée d'Étigny leading to the springs.

The grand thermal establishment still standing today, whose first stone was laid in 1848 ahead of its 1857 inauguration, long drew a substantial international clientele — foreign visitors made up as much as a third of all guests by the late 19th century. The open-air pool carries on this welcoming tradition, offering a relaxed outdoor moment in a Pyrenean setting ringed by mountains, a direct heir to this long local spa history.