This is a change from a few years ago. From 2020 the baths were closed and pilgrims were offered the water gesture instead; for a time immersion was possible only by special arrangement. Immersion returned in August 2024, and since 2026 the Sanctuary uses the baths for immersion only.
For a pilgrim in a wheelchair, on a stretcher, or too weak to stand, the usual way is to come with an organized pilgrimage, whose own volunteers bring the sick to the baths; groups are received in the afternoon and book through the Sanctuary's online platform. The Hospitalité describes its baths service as welcoming and accompanying pilgrims and sick people there. Neither it nor the Sanctuary publishes how someone who cannot walk is lowered into the water, or any list of medical conditions that rule it out, so ask before you count on it: the Hospitalité answers at +33 5 62 42 80 84, and the drop-in center for disabled pilgrims at St. Michael's Gate (+33 5 62 42 79 92) can advise on the day. Ask your own doctor too if you have a wound, a catheter, or a heart condition; pilgrims describe the water as cold.
Good to know before you go: in the 2026 season the baths are open to individuals from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Monday to Saturday and 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, and the Tourist Office advises arriving an hour early. The Sanctuary counted 37,270 baths in the first nine months of 2025 and called that still not enough. No age limit is published, though many parents of small children choose the water gesture. For anyone who cannot or would rather not be immersed, the water gesture at the fountains by the Grotto is open all day to all. Checked October 10, 2026.