There's something deeply pleasurable, deeply relaxing and deeply healing about lowering yourself into the warm, bubbling waters of a hot tub. Perhaps you’ve spent time in a friend’s machine and are now considering investing in a spa of your own. But is this investment worthwhile?
When you consider the incredible therapeutic benefits that a hot tub can deliver, the answer will likely be yes. While hot tubs aren’t a cure for mental and physical illness, they can help to relieve a perhaps surprising amount of symptoms, from stress and anxiety to chronic pain. And by using your hot tub regularly, these benefits only grow.
But what exactly is hot tub therapy? How does it work? And what conditions might it help to treat? The answers to all these questions and more can be found below.
What is spa pool therapy and how does it work?
Hot tub therapy is the tried-and-true method of using warm water immersion to relieve stress, relax muscles and enjoy that feeling of ultimate relaxation.
This is a practice that stretches back through human history. The Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Maori all recognised the healing qualities of natural hot springs, building baths and palaces wherever these geothermal pools were found.
As science caught up to human intuition the benefits of warm water immersion became better understood and more recognised. It turns out that soaking in warm water triggers a number of physiological responses in the body, increasing blood flow, relaxing muscles and acting as a natural analgesic. With buoyancy taking weight off joints, you also enjoy freer movement.
Soon engineers began creating artificial versions of geothermal springs for personal use: hot tubs. But they made them even better with the invention of jets.
Since jets were first introduced to hot tubs in the 1950s they have continually evolved. Modern hot tub jets are capable of delivering powerful, carefully targeted and ultra-soothing streams to key muscle groups, delivering a level of therapy that natural hot springs can no longer match.
The result is full body therapy: the warm water delivers oxygen and nutrient-filled blood around your body, the buoyancy reduce pain and tension, and the jets massage away muscles knots and aches like a professional masseuse – one that is always on hand in your backyard and can be adjusted at the touch of a button!
Benefits of spa pool therapy
The therapeutic benefits of hot tub therapy are incredible. A hot tub can help relieve chronic pain and improve range of motion, elevate mood, reduce mental and physical tension, improve social and personal connections and increase overall quality of life.
More specifically, hot tubs offer:
Stress relief
A hot tub offers a reprieve from the stresses of modern life; a tranquil sanctuary, free of distractions and devices, where you can fully turn off and relax. There are no calls to take, deadlines to hit or physical work to be done – it’s just you and the spa.
It’s little wonder that warm water immersion has been proven as an effective treatment for stress-related pathologies. It facilitates clearer thinking by increasing the amount of oxygen transported to your brain, while the temperature and pressure of the water generates feelings of foetal comfort, like a liquid weighted blanket.
In a Hot Spring the relaxation can be turned up to eleven. Lighting systems and water features deliver soothing sights and sounds, built-in entertainment systems allow you to set the mood, and market-leading massage melts any remaining stress and anxiety away.
Pain relief and management
Injury rehabilitation, post-workout recovery, chronic and perhaps debilitating pain; no matter why you might be sore, the analgesic effects of warm water immersion are on full display in a Hot Spring hot tub.
Warm water immersion has been proven as an effective treatment for any number of chronic conditions, including arthritis, migraines, nerve pain, back pain and fibromyalgia. By taking weight off muscles, bones and joints it also promotes the movement that is critical in reducing the symptoms of chronic pain and aiding injury recovery and rehabilitation.
Add in a Hot Spring hot tub’s powerful, purpose-built and strategically-placed jets, that knead knots from muscles, and you’ve got a multifaceted and highly effective pain management solution.
Personal and social connections
In an age of constant connectedness it can be really hard to switch off. When we hear a ping, feel a buzz or see the screen of our smartphones light up, we get a mental itch that can only be scratched by checking it. But there is one effective remedy: a Hot Spring hot tub.
Your hot tub is a device free zone – a place where you’re forced to leave the phone behind, and where you can spend quality time developing more meaningful relationships with your partner, family and friends. It’s a place where you not only find tranquillity and massage, but also the intimacy and connection that are so often lost in our busy modern lives.
The most effective therapy comes from a regular soak
The more time you spend in your hot tub, the greater the benefits you’ll enjoy. A 15-minute daily soak, whether first thing in the morning, when you get home from work, or an hour before bed, can deliver health and wellness benefits that you may never have even considered.
There's a reason people have enjoyed hot springs for centuries and why modern hot tubs are popular across the world today. Soaking in warm water, massaged by soothing jets, feels good for you because it is good for you.
If you’d like a taste of exactly how relaxing and therapeutic a backyard hot tub can be, get in touch with your local dealer to book a test soak today.
