Parole de Breizh invites you to discover the Pink Granite Coast through encounters with the people who live Brittany every day, shaping it, cultivating it and passing it on. Craftsmen, artists, producers… above all, local people who love Trégor, who talk about their region and explain why, here, we like to cultivate the essentials on the Pink Granite Coast.
Rencontre #26Parole de BreizhValentin Marzin
In Valentin Marzin’s career, the strength of his roots always catches up with him. He may have grown up in sunny Aix-en-Provence, but his DNA is 100% Breton. With a family originally from the Côtes d’Armor, and more specifically Paimpol, a return to his roots was an obvious choice. The need to rediscover the pink granite and raw energy of the English Channel prompted him to leave the gentleness of Provence and set up his business where his personal story began, facing the horizon and the ocean.
A lifeguard
for your well-being
Trestel-Loeil-De-Paco (1)
Longue Cote A TrestelA sports educator and state-qualified swimming instructor, Valentin launched his business in 2015. But it was in 2016 that he decided to develop aquagym at sea on the beach at Trestel.
What started out as a timid weekly session has developed over the years into a real local phenomenon. Today, Valentin meets up three times a week, in summer and winter, for enthusiasts of this discipline, which he defends with conviction.
While the discipline is similar to longe-côte, often practised in associations, Valentin offers here a more ‘aquatonic’ approach, a mix between physical preparation and aquatic fitness exercises. It’s more active, more physical, and above all, you won’t be cold!
“Water really is the future of sport. You can do a very dynamic session without any joint trauma. You’re in direct contact with nature, all year round, whatever the conditions.”
After eight years, Valentin wanted to take the well-being experience a step further. That’s how he came up with the ‘Sauna’ sessions: an exclusive format, once a month on Sundays, limited to small groups of 10 people. The concept is simple but effective: a shortened aquagym session, followed by free access to a sauna with a panoramic view of the horizon.
You get out of the water, warm up facing the Sept-Îles, return to the pool for a thermal shock, and finish the morning with a convivial brunch. For Valentin, this change was the next logical step: combining physical effort with the comfort of the heat, while maintaining the link with Brittany’s natural environment.
Cotes Armor Fabien Coisy13An activity for everyone, without exception
Longue Cote A Trestel 4The DNA of Saun’Activ Océan can be summed up in one word: openness. Valentin has designed his activity as a link between performance and relaxation.
It’s important to emphasise that even for those who don’t know how to swim or who dread the marine element, the support provided by this activity is total and reassuring. For Valentin, sport should never be a trauma, but a source of well-being accessible to all, with no technical constraints or material barriers, thanks to the hire of specially adapted wetsuits.
To preserve this freedom, Valentin has made a strong choice: flexibility. There are no restrictive subscriptions or long-term commitments. Sessions are ‘à la carte’, allowing everyone to come and go as they please.
But beyond the method, a real ‘family’ has formed. Newcomers are adopted in the blink of an eye, joining a community that now organises independent sessions to prolong the pleasure of the water. Between shared meals and impromptu outings, Saun’Active has become much more than a brand: it’s a big family that cultivates conviviality to the rhythm of the tides.
Trestel, the favourite spot
between sky and seaValentin may explore the seabed of the Côte de Granit Rose, but it’s in Trévou-Tréguignec that he’s based his business. Everything he offers at Saun’Active tells the same story: a direct link with the elements, whatever the weather.
Here, the beach at Trestel is much more than a backdrop: it’s a precious ally. Its configuration means you can practice all year round, offering protected areas where other spots become impassable as soon as the wind picks up.
And for those special moments? No problem: the panoramic sauna can be reserved for groups of friends, birthday parties or seminars looking to unwind.
Longue Cote A Trestel 2Trestel is a magnificent spot with a breathtaking view of the Sept-Îles. The beach is large and offers protected areas, which allows us to maintain activity all year round, even in winter when other spots become too dangerous.
Sunset at Beg Léguer - Lannion
Goas Lagorn 24 Avril 2013 (105) (1) (1)
Saun’Activ’s future is now being written on new shores. Valentin is not resting on his laurels in Trestel; he has identified a real need on the other side of the coast. So this year he is launching a new branch in Beg-Léguer, the maritime gateway to Lannion. It’s a strategic and mutually supportive choice, since he’s teaming up with a colleague to carry out this project and meet the needs of local people who previously had to go as far as Trestel.
This move to Beg-Léguer is far from accidental. This wild and authentic spot fits in perfectly with the company’s DNA: offering a demanding physical activity in an unspoilt setting. For Valentin, it’s a way of democratising natural sport and well-being even further by bringing it closer to the urban areas of Trégor, without ever betraying its original philosophy. Whether he’s on his favourite sand or on these new pebbles, the course remains the same: a deep breath of iodised air, an invigorating session and a direct link with raw nature.
Valentin’s Chinese portrait
If you were an element? “Water
If you were a colour? “Green
If you were a sound? “The sea
If you were a season: “Summer
Cultivating the essential
What does “Cultivating the essential” mean to you?
For Valentin, “Cultiver l’essentiel” is a philosophy of life that involves personal development and reconnecting with nature:
“It’s about becoming aware of the link we have with the elements. In seawater, you take a deep breath of iodised air, enjoy the present moment and get to know yourself.
Saun’Activ Océan is the promise of an affordable return to basics (€8 for an aquagym session), where well-being is not a luxury but a simple, authentic daily practice.
Longue Cote A Trestel 3So, are you ready to take the plunge?
Whether it’s for a toning session, a private outing with friends (birthday, EVJF) or a cocooning sauna-brunch Sunday, Valentin is waiting for you on the sand.
Written with the help of generative artificial intelligence, this article has been re-read, adjusted and enriched by our editors to remain true to the spirit and values of the Pink Granite Coast.
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