Aulus-les-Bains is a commune

Communes of France

The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...

 in the Ariège

Ariège

Ariège is a department in southwestern France named after the Ariège River.- History :Ariège is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the counties of Foix and Couserans....

 department in southwestern France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

Situated at the head of the Garbet valley and beneath Guzet Neige ski resort, the village is best known for the thermal springs and spa complex. There are several Belle Époque

Belle Époque

The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring during the era of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, it was a period characterised by optimism and new technological and medical...

buildings, some still offering hotel accommodation. The village is very popular in winter for skiing and in the summer for walking and cycling. The local beauty spot and waterfall, the cascade d'Ars is 1hr walk from the village. Cyclists can climb the Col de Latrappe or the Col d'Agnes directly from the village.

There are also two gite d'etapes: the Presbytere and la Goulue.

Local amenties include a bar/cafe, a pizzeria/health food restaurant, a tabac/presse, a mini supermarket, post office and butcher's shop.

Population

Inhabitants of Aulus-les-Bains are called Aulusiens.

History

From the early 19th century, Aulus expanded as a health spa

Spa

The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...

, frequented by "invalids of love" or "young people with shameful illnesses". This came about after a syphilitic

Syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...

 army lieutenant had found some relief in its waters, probably because they counteracted the effects of the mercury

Mercury (element)

Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...

 then used to treat syphilis patients. The lieutenant's regiment spread the word: by 1849 Aulus had three hotels, a new bridge and an avenue of acacia

Acacia

Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...

trees to attract visitors. With syphilis now curable, Aulus-les-Bains markets itself today as the "Cholesterol Spa".