If you make it a point to have a long soak in a bath at least once a week, then your mind and body already benefits from it. But what would really make you feel – and even look – better is spending time in not just any ordinary bath, but a whirlpool bath. A whirlpool bath, or spa bath, as we sometimes refer to it, is indeed a great way for you to relax and rejuvenate yourself. As a matter of fact, the term ‘spa’ comes from the phrase ‘salus per aquam’ in Latin, which means ‘health (salus) from (per) water (aquam)’.
We already know some of the benefits of whirlpool baths or spas – from cleansing our skin to relieving us from stress. But not many of us may be aware of the other, lesser-known benefits of whirlpool baths.
We all love the feeling of warm water, especially when combined with the jets in a whirlpool bath that give us that soothing massage effect. But the heat in a whirlpool bath plays a big role as well. Also, when your body is exposed to and absorbs the heat from the hot water, you can experience various subtle changes in the physiological system and processes of your body. First of all, your blood flow increases. This results in the dilation of your blood vessels, and, as a secondary effect, your blood pressure is reduced as well.
Secondly, the hot water in a whirlpool bath can also contribute to enhanced relaxation of the muscles, as the heat travels deep inside your body. Generally, the body attempts to cool down by transferring heat to its surface through the blood. But unlike a regular bath, a whirlpool bath has constant, continuous hot water, so whilst you are still soaking in the whirlpool bath, your blood will not re-circulate at a lower temperature. It continues to travel through your body at a warm temperature and is then able to deliver a better therapeutic treatment using heat.
When you spend a lot of time in a bath, you will know how it feels to be super buoyant, as the water in the bath will support a good portion of your body weight. But in whirlpool baths, you will feel even more physically buoyant, as the whirlpool bath’s water can carry about 90% of your own weight. So, you may ask, what is the importance of this? Well, it is important for the simple reason that this buoyancy helps relieve the stress, strain, and weight on your muscles and joints. Your body’s other joints will benefit from less weight as well – your elbows, knees, and even wrists.
Having your own whirlpool bath allows you to maximise the benefits of hydrotherapy. Because a whirlpool bath has focused water jets, you can benefit from a full body massage and can also control the jets to focus on one particular area, as well as control how intense or gentle the jet’s pressure will be.