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BENEFITS OF SPA - HOT TUB OWNERSHIP
&
HYDROTHERAPY

 

From the moment your body becomes immersed in a warm spa,

it begins to experience mild changes that make you feel better…

 

Dipping your body into water of any temperature makes you feel weightless and, because of a change in hydrostatic pressure, can help dull any pain you may be feeling.

But what separates soaking in a hot spa from treading water in a pool—or even soaking in a warm bath—is the fact that the warm temperature is sustained. Medical experts say that, over time, this brings about changes in your circulatory system that affect other aspects of your body’s operations.

Your body’s first reaction to being immersed in hot water is to try to get back to its normal temperature by pumping the heart faster, so as to bring blood to the surface and, normally, disperse extra body heat into the air. This causes a temporary increase in blood pressure.

But because spa water is maintained at a high temperature—and because water is one of the most effective conductors of heat—the blood being carried to the body’s surface is warmed, rather than cooled. The longer the soaker remains in the spa, the more times the blood cycles through the body—and the deeper into the body the warm temperature is carried. Studies have shown that immersion in a spa maintained at 104 degrees can raise the core body temperature to 102 degrees Fahrenheit in less than 20 minutes.

After a few minutes, the warm blood causes the blood vessels to dilate, lessening the resistance to blood flow and dropping the blood pressure. As the body goes through this process, several benefits are enjoyed—most of which are enhanced further by the jet action:
bulletMuscle relaxation: This occurs when the warm blood reaches deeper and deeper into the muscles, causing the vessels to expand. The muscle-relaxation effects of hot water also help deaden muscle pain by easing any pinching of nerves or blood vessels, and by helping the muscle rid itself of lactic acid and other metabolic wastes.
bulletTemporary pain relief: As the body tries to register a temperature change, the central nervous system becomes depressed, contributing to muscle relaxation and temporarily relieving, or at least lessening, pain. This can happen with any drastic change in temperature—hot or cold—but most people are more comfortable sitting in warm water than holding an ice pack. (Remember, for recent injuries where there is swelling or broken skin, an ice pack is more suitable.)
bulletBodily cleansing: In trying to regain its normal temperature, the body will begin sweating so that moisture on the skin will evaporate and cool the body. But this process also helps rid the body of toxins.
bulletPriming the muscles: By relaxing muscles, hot water helps increase their range of motion to allow for gentle exercise and stretching in the spa.
bulletPromotion of healing: The jet action found in spas can promote healing by providing even more oxygen to the area than is provided by warm water alone. The heat and pressure from the jets can also raise the level of antibodies and white blood cells delivered to the area, promoting the destruction of bad cells and stimulating the formation of new tissue.
bulletHelp for insomnia: It has been found that sleep deepens as body temperature falls. As a result, some medical experts recommend that anyone wanting to induce sleep (especially those being kept up by pain) soak in water of approximately 103 degrees Fahrenheit about two hours before bedtime.

Please note: You can, of course, get too much of a good thing. Soaking in a spa raises your core temperature without discomfort. This is not healthy for more than a brief period—and for some people it’s not OK at all. The hot-water industry recommends that you soak no longer than 15 minutes at a time, refrain from performing rigorous exercise in hot water, and, if you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before taking a dip.

Reprinted with permission from Pool & Spa News.

 

Spas as a Sleep Aid

            Sure, spas help ease muscle and joint pain.  But did you know they can help you get a good night?s sleep as well?  

            This may be a much bigger deal than it at first appears.  If you believe the consumer press and recent research, American adults are starved for sleep, with up to 50 percent suffering recurring bouts of insomnia or other sleep difficulties.

            Not only has the topic of insufficient sleep flooded the media, but the consumers polled and interviewed in these articles seem to also know that hydrotherapy could help them attain the holy grail of a sound night?s sleep.

            Want proof?  

?        Consumer Reports asked readers with mild sleep disorders to list their

most popular remedies.  They ranked a warm bath before bed right up there with sex and sleep medications.

?        Spa magazine confirmed the efficacy of this approach in its Spring 1998

issue by quoting the scientific journal Sleep as suggesting that insomniacs take a hot bath 90 minutes before bedtime.

?         A Chinese study found that lying in warm water can lull almost anyone to

sleep. Dr. Hu Peicheng told the Xinhua News Agency in March that he had conducted the ?floating treatment? on some 300 patients, and determined that it releases endorphins that not only overcome insomnis, but help ease hypertension, anxiousness and arthritis pain as well.

?        The Gallup organization found bathing to induce sleep common among

The 1,000 adults they polled on their sleeping habits in 1995.  Home remedies ranked as more popular than medical interventions, with reading and doing relaxation techniques also among dominant choices.

            As spa dealers and manufacturers investigate new channels for marketing and promoting hot tubs to U.S. consumers, many find that trumpeting health benefits linked to the latest news and trends gives their messages a special resonance for consumers.

            And by staying alert to issues such as sleeplessness, they can do more than dream of sales growth.  They can learn how consumers already incorporate hydrotherapy into their lives, and use this to sell them spas.

 

The search for messages.  

            ?We always need to think of new groups to sell to,? said Alice Cunningham, co-owner of Olympic Hot Tubs in Seattle, Who has given much thought to the connection between spas and sleep.

            ?I have made it a point to search out health issues that would be helped by soaking in a hot tub,? she said, adding that the idea of promoting spas to people with sleep disorders came to her after benefiting from slumber-inducing soaks herself.

            ?Many times people don?t know that hot tubs can help them with [health] problems,? she said, pointing to arthritis and fibromyalgia, a related, chronic pain disorder, as also being big issues this year.  ?It hastens the buying cycle when they know that a hot tub helps them to satisfy a specific need.?

            When dealers take this approach, providing customers with up-to-date information  becomes a valuable marketing tool; consumers see retailers as educated allies and a resource for more than just product information.

            ?When I first learned about the effect of hot tubs on sleep problems, I bought every book they had on sleep,? Cunningham said.  She then began gathering articles for her company newsletter.

            ?We published a story by Rosalind Cartwright [the director of the Sleep Disorders Service and Research Center].? Cunningham said.  ?She said that soaking in a hot tub two hours before bed time at 104 degrees Fahrenheit could possibly reset the body thermostat?so people would wake up more rested, at the right time.?

            Sleep researchers quoted in Pool & Spa News? full analysis on the health effects of spas, ?A blessing of warmth and bubbles? (Feb. 8, 1993), and elsewhere confirm this assertion.  The body?s core temperature declines as sleep deepens.  Soaking in hot water raises the body?s core temperature by a few degrees, and as this drops, it produces a feeling of drowsiness and, typically, induces a restful sleep.  

Hot tubs, too

            While sleep-disorder professionals contacted for this article could not cite studies confirming a connection between spas and hot-water sleep therapy, they termed such a link only logical.

            ?While there is no conclusive research that hot tubs do or do not help insomnia, it would stand to reason that being in one could help,? said Jan Schluter, manager of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorder Center at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.  ?When we talk with patients who have insomnia, we do tell them that a warm bath could help.

            ?We try to focus on behavioral modes,? she added.  ?We suggest that they utilize whatever rituals they have for relaxation in the evening.?

            Those bedtime rituals can easily center around the use of a hot tub, a product renowned for its relaxation properties.  In addition, a spa offers features that a traditional bathtub lacks, retailers assert.

Soaks that last

            ?The problem with a bath is that you can?t regulate the temperature,? Cunningham said.  ?The water starts out hot and then gets too cool.?

            Not only does the lack of a heater mean a hot bath doesn?t last long, but it?s even shorter for bathers who can?t tolerate a high starting temperature.

Full immersion

            Today?s small bathtubs offer little in the way of comfort and relaxation, forcing bathers to sit with either their knees or shoulders above water.  A spa, on the other hand, invites bathers to stretch out on comfortable seats and soak up to their earlobes.

            Some larger, jetted bathtubs appear to offer a more expansive soak, but Cunningham said bathers do not always find this to be the case.  ?There?s only a limited amount of hot water the [home?s water] system,? she said.  It can run out long before the tub is full, leaving the bather using only a portion of the tub?or topping it off with cold water.

No waiting.

            Owners who keep their spa heated and clean can take an inviting dip at a moment?s notice, without the delay or noise of filling a bathtub.

A jet boost.

            Today?s spas offer customizable, hydrotherapeutic water massage for intensified relaxation of the tense muscles that lead to sleeplessness.

Wink, wink.

            And one more thing:  more than one person at a time can enjoy a spa.  Remember what else consumers say helps them sleep?

 

 

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Colorado Spas & Leisure
6208 South College Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80525
970-223-5197

Located 1.25 miles south of Harmony and College on the East Side of College Avenue

Just south of Poudre Valley Feed