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Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy is the name given to the treatment with water in some form or another to heal, facilitate movement or relieve pain, under the supervision of a trained therapist. Water is used in three different forms:
It may be applied in two ways:
Treatments may be in the form of: Hydrotherapy pools that are ideal for people with joint or muscle problems. The temperature is kept at 92˚f, just below blood temperature, ideal for gentle exercise in the warm water. It aids joint mobility, helps with rehabilitation after an injury or operation and it is an ideal method of exercising for people with a disability or condition such as osteoporosis. photo courtesy of Terri Heisele
Thermal mineral pools contain minerals such as sulphur, sodium chloride, calcium, carbonates, magnesium, potassium and others. They can range in temperature from 33˚- 42˚c. These waters provide relief to those suffering from arthritis and other similar ailments or just help to relax the body. Hammams are a form of Turkish bath that originally had religious significance in addition to their hygiene and purification benefits. In Arabic the word Hammam means 'spreader of warmth' and the hammams contain several rooms of varying temperatures. Whirlpool baths are heated baths of varying size that have high pressure jets situated all around the bath to provide a relaxing treatment whilst massaging the body. Laconium is similar to a sauna it is a treatment room that provides warmth through dry heat. It is cooler than a sauna, about 140˚f or 60˚c and allows the body to heat up much more gently, providing a less intense and more relaxing heat treatment. The humidity is very low, about 15-20%, so it will feel cooler than a steam room set at the same temperature. It helps to detoxify the body and gently stimulates the circulation Caldarium was a bath used in Roman times as part of a bathing sequence. It was a hot steam room and the bathers would then progress back through the varying temperatures of the other rooms, through the Tepidarium or warm room and into the Frigidarium, a cold plunge pool. Both the caldarium and tepidarium had underfloor heating and the bather would use these rooms to heat the body and open the pores, before finally plunging into a small cold plunge pool or in some cases a larger cold swimming pool. This would have the opposite effect of the hotter rooms and close the pores and revitalise the body. Showers are the most basic form of water therapy. They are functional, providing a cleansing shower for the client to take before entering the spa area, they may be used to remove clay and other products from the skin after a body wrap and they are used to cool the body during heat treatment. photo courtesy of Madarasz Krisztina
Some examples of the experience showers are:
In addition these showers also come with different light effects and added fragrance. Vichy Showers These showers are positioned above a waterproof massage table. They are situated at regular intervals along a horizontal bar which is either attached to a wall or is free standing. They normally have between 5 and 7 shower heads and the temperature and water pressure can be adjusted by the therapist. They are most often used as part of a body wrap or scrub treatment, to remove products without the client having to get up and use a standing shower. In addition a built in hand shower will provide more options for the therapist when removing products from the client’s body. These shower heads also provide a therapeutic and relaxing water massage.
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Thalasso pools
There are several different types of shower that are available to clients to make their spa experience more enjoyable and they are referred to as ‘