Take a Gong Bath as Part of a Healing Wellness Break in France

The concept of using gongs or "singing bowls" to create soothing or healing vibrations is rooted in ancient Asian cultural practices and religious rituals. Western wellness therapists have only recently discovered what Tibetan monks and Chinese emperors knew long ago: that such instruments are not merely musical but medicinal, their immersive sound waves helping to calm, clear and concentrate the mind. There is solid modern science behind this too, so before you seek out one of the many gong baths now offered at specialist spas in cities and villages across France, here's a handy primer on how it all works.

Think of it as a massage that applies sound frequencies instead of fingers, and works more directly on your brain than your body. The word "bath" refers here to the feeling of immersion created by those sonic waves. Typically, the subject lies down fully clothed on a mat in a treatment room of the kind found at any spa or wellness centre.

The therapist, sometimes called a sound healer, strikes a gong or similar instrument with different mallets to produce different tones. They will vary the rhythm and volume of their playing to alter the energy in the room. The intended result is to induce a dream-like or trance-like state of deep relaxation, and a feeling of well-being that brings mental and physical health benefits.

The moulding and playing of gongs dates as far back as the Bronze Age. Some scholars believe they were an accidental by-product of early farming, when pans used to bake wheat became partially melted and found to make pleasant, resonant sounds when struck. That musical effect became vital to tribal culture, as heard in Indonesia's gamelan tradition, for example. Gongs were also integrated into rituals and ceremonies, the sound itself considered spiritual or even sacred.

Tibetan Buddhists developed singing bowls on the same principle, playing at particular frequencies to aid deep meditation. These practices slowly spread from Asia to Africa to Europe, but their emergence as a form of alternative therapy is a relatively recent development. As sound healers and their clients will attest, though, a gong bath is more than just the latest health trend.

The human body can be compared to a tuning fork. Its organs and circuits all vibrate at their own pitch, while also absorbing external sounds into the system. Certain frequencies can stimulate the vagus nerve in particular – that core regulator of heart rate, breathing and digestion, as well as stress levels and emotional responses.

When it comes to gong baths, the keyword is "entrainment", which basically means changing brainwaves in a positive way. Sound vibrations are managed so they move downward through a range of frequencies and shifting mental states.
 

• The so-called "Alpha" state usually comes first in a session, resonating at 8 to 12 hertz (Hz) to relax the mind and body.
  
  
• "Theta", between 4 and 8 Hz, is the optimal range for inducing dream states, meditation and creative thought.
  
  
• "Delta", reached below 4 Hz, is the deepest realm of sleep and physical healing.

Different vessels can "entrain the brain" at those different frequencies too, from the deep bass soundscapes of traditional metal gongs to the high, shimmering tones of crystal singing bowls.

First-timers and regular gong-bathers experience all sorts of positive effects, both during the session itself and in lasting improvements to mood, sleep and overall well-being. Studies have tended to confirm those health benefits, including:

1. Stress reduction: Cortisol levels tend to drop during treatment and remain lower long after the session.
2. Lower blood pressure: Test subjects have shown clear reductions during and following sound therapy.
3. Pain management: Arthritis sufferers and post-surgical patients report lower pain levels and improved mobility over multiple gong baths.
4. Enhanced healing: Some evidence suggests that sound waves may ease inflammation and support healing processes.

France is a huge and ever-growing market for alternative therapies, and many operators have adopted music or sound-based treatments. On a rejuvenating break almost anywhere in the country, you'll find board-certified practitioners ready to guide you through gong baths and sound healing sessions.

For all its fabled romance, France's biggest, busiest city can be exhausting to visit, and a gong bath can be a real relief. Near the Arc de Triomphe, in the 16th arrondissement, Sonam Studio has advanced its own unique variation, where clients are "cocooned" in a cosy hanging hammock to make their gong bath feel even more like floating on the sound waves. Also in the city centre, Zen and Sounds proudly claims to have been the first dedicated sound therapy centre in France, with gong baths a major part of their treatment programme since opening in 2018. Novotel Paris Centre Tour Eiffel puts you close to both sound healing spots, as well as all the iconic landmarks on both banks of the Seine.

Sonam Studio

• 79 Rue Boissière, 75116 Paris
• Open Mon-Tue 10:30 am-6 pm, Wed 10:30 am-8 pm, Thurs 10:30 am-6 pm, Fri 10:30 am-3 pm, Sun 6pm-7pm

Ringed by the green foothills of extinct volcanoes in the central province of Auvergne, the small town of Romagnat is ideal for a wellness break in peace and quiet. Its relaxing effect is only enhanced with a sound healing session at the renowned local therapy centre Gongbath Vibration. Less than 7km away is Novotel Clermont Ferrand, with its own pool and wellness area in easy reach of the volcanic park.

Gongbath Vibration

• 7 Rue des Pâles, 63540 Romagnat
• Open daily 9 am-8 pm

In the hills above the Cote d'Azur, the cathedral town of Grasse is best known for historic perfumeries. It's also home to Chamayane, a renowned studio for sound therapy and holistic treatments, where you can take a relaxing gong bath before or after floating in the nearby Med. Nestled in a technology park amid thick coastal pine forest, Novotel Antibes Sophia Antipolis is equally handy for the cultural highlights of Grasse and the beaches of the French Riviera.

Chamayane

• 67 Av. de la Libération 1er étage, 06130 Grasse
• Open Mon-Tue 9 am-7:30 pm, Wed 8:30-11:30 am, Thurs-Sat 9 am-7:30 pm, Sun 9 am-5 pm

The city is a medieval treasure of the French Basque Country, its Gothic cathedral packed with art and its narrow streets lined with craft workshops. Being so close to Biarritz, Bayonne is also handy for the surf schools of the Atlantic Coast. And if surfing is aligning your body with the rhythm of a breaking wave, then the sound healing sessions offered at Holistika Gong Academy might help you do the same with your mind. Maximise your reviving break at the pool and wellness centre in Novotel Resort & Spa Biarritz Anglet, which also puts you within quick, easy reach of Basque Coast beaches and the sheer richness of Bayonne culture and cuisine.

Holistika Gong Academy

• 11 All. de Glain, 64100 Bayonne
• Open Mon-Fri 9 am-6 pm

Whether you choose a longer wellness retreat in the countryside or mountains, or simply drop into a spa or health centre for an hour, you'll emerge fully revived from your sound therapy session. So why not try one today?