Arteixo approves the regulation of the Bathhouse of the Spa

The Plenary of the Arteixo City Council initially approved, at the ordinary session of 30 July 2026, the establishment of the “Arteixo City Council Bathhouse” service and its regulations, as a prior step to the tendering of the management of the thermal installation. The agreement was published in the Official Gazette of the Province of A Coruña of 13 August 2026, notice 2026/5286, corresponding to file 2026/G013/000002.

The council owns the Balneario de Arteixo and its bathhouse, rehabilitated under the agreement signed on 27 February 2025 between the Tourism Agency of Galicia and the Arteixo City Council, financed by the European Union–NextGenerationEU within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. The works have already been completed and the action aims to recover the thermal use, placing at the disposal of the residents an installation intended for the leisure use of thermal waters, well-being, healthy use of free time, sustainable tourism promotion, protection of historical heritage and social and economic revitalisation of the municipality.

A prior step to tendering

The proposal came from the Mayor’s Office of José Carlos Calvelo Martínez and was reported on by the Plenary’s General Affairs Information Commission on 27 July 2026. The plenary declared the municipal public initiative in the operation of the bathhouse under Article 86.1 of Law 7/1985, of 2 April, Regulating the Bases of Local Government, and assumed the activity as its own, under Article 312 of Law 9/2017, of 8 November, on Public Sector Contracts.

Direct provision by the municipal administration was ruled out due to the lack of specialised personnel, the regulatory and organisational difficulties in covering and replacing staff and the technical complexity inherent to this type of installation. Therefore, the service will be provided indirectly through a service contract with direct provision to citizens, with the council retaining ownership of the facilities and the power of planning, inspection, control and direction.

What the service regulates

The regulations define the “Arteixo Bathhouse” as a thermal installation for leisure use and include the services provided to citizens:

Access to leisure thermal pools.
Hygiene and changing room services.
Guided activities.

The access regime provides for a prior reservation system to guarantee the maximum capacity and the payment of a public price, the amount of which will be set by the Local Government Board and must cover, at least, the cost of the service, although lower prices may be established for social reasons or public interest. The text also regulates the status of user, rights and duties, the obligations of the manager —including information on the temperature and thermal declaration of the waters and their contraindications— and the sanctioning regime:

Very serious infractions: fine of €1,500 to €3,000 and loss of user status for 12 to 24 months.
Serious infractions: fine of €750 to €1,500 and loss of user status for 3 to 12 months.
Minor infractions: fine of up to €750.

Public information and entry into force

The file, including the draft regulation, is subject to public information and a hearing for interested parties for a period of 30 business days, by means of a notice in the BOP, on the municipal notice board and on the town council’s electronic office. If no claims or suggestions are submitted, the initial approval agreement shall be deemed definitively adopted and the full publication of the regulation in the BOP shall proceed, at which time it will enter into force. The notice was signed by the acting mayor, José María Sánchez Novo, in Arteixo on 7 August 2026.

A commitment to local thermalism

The recovery of the Casa de Baños returns thermalism to a building of heritage and historical significance, diversifies the municipal tourist offer and generates economic activity linked to thermalism and healthy leisure, with a consequent impact on local employment. The residents will have a public welfare service at their disposal, while the town council retains control of the facility through indirect management.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of A Coruña, No. 153, 13 August 2026, Local Administration section (official reference: notice 2026/5286).