From dry skin to relaxation, hydrotherapy is about so much more than bubbles. Here we look at the healing powers of this historic spa practice.
Dry skin is one of those things, that unless you’ve got it, you cannot possibly understand. For most people it is just a bit irritating, worst case scenario your fake tan looks like you applied it in the dark with a spatula. But for plenty of people it is a rather more painful experience, particularly if skin conditions escalate to eczema or psoriasis.
So while its properties have been heralded from the spas that pedal them for some time, it will come as a great relief to enraged epidermis sufferers, and for that matter anyone who is suffering the adverse effects of central heating at this time of year, that a new study reinforces the healing powers of hydrotherapy.
Happily, the health benefits don’t stop there, as it is also used in the treatment of osteoarthritis and lower back pain (your yoga instructor has been telling you for months to stop slouching at work and now you are paying the price), treating sports injuries, anxiety and stress.
There are multiple reasons for hydrotherapy’s wide reaching effects, and as the term rather sweepingly refers to ‘treatments with water’, much of it depends on the application of it. Predominantly however, the key factors are temperature, the massaging effects of water jets and bubbles, and the buoyancy effect of water which takes the stress of joints.
Of course, it is utterly pointless mentioning any of this if you have to travel to Timbuktu to experience hydrotherapy yourself. Fortunately the spa industry’s best known incorporation of hydrotherapy is in the form of hydrotherapy pools which are increasingly prevalent: our very own Harte & Garter Hotel and Spa, Rockliffe Hall and K West Hotel and Spa being just a few of the Spabreaks.com properties boasting the facility.
In a slightly more elaborate twist, thalassotherapy is a Greek variation on hydrotherapy that has the additional benefit of using natural elements, specifically marine resources including sea water, seaweed, mud and temperatures between 35 and 37º C which have a restorative effect on the skin and body.
So whether it’s a quick-fix day trip or a more decadent holiday, have a try!
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