Hot Tub Bliss

Ready for a short lesson in human physiology?

As you immerse yourself in a hot tub, your body’s first reaction is to try and stabilize your temperature by pumping the heart faster to bring additional blood to the surface where it would normally disperse heat into the air. This increased blood flow means an increased supply of oxygen, antibodies and white blood cells pumping through your body; all important to promoting revitalization of the cells. This initial reaction causes an increase in blood pressure, but because the warmth quickly causes the blood vessels to dilate or expand, the resistance on the heart is lessened. This means a soak in hot water will actually lower blood pressure!

The blood warmed in the vessels at your skin’s surface is pumped from there back into your body where it begins to heat your organs and deep muscle tissue where the same healthy vessel dilation occurs leaving the muscles more relaxed. The longer your spend immersed in hot water, the more times the warm, healing blood can cycle through your body. Studies have shown that in a spa maintained at 104 degrees the core body temperature can rise to 102 degrees Fahrenheit in less than 20 minutes. This means a healthy increase in heart rate with a decrease in blood pressure that reduces strain on other vital organs. It’s no wonder that at the reputable Mayo Clinic, hot water hydrotherapy is used to improve cardio-health. Be sure to include your doctor in the decision to undergo any hot water treatments. And, be sure to monitor how you’re feeling and get out of the tub if you feel light headed, overheated or dizzy. A 20 minute soak is enough to induce real therapeutic benefits in a 104 degree spa.

Res est severa voluptas-Pleasure is a serious business!

Dr. Jules Pretty, at the Center for Environment and Society in the Department of Biological Sciences at the Universitty of Essex, in England makes a strong case for “being in nature”. “Irrespective of where we come from in the world, it seems that the presence of living things makes us feel good. There are three levels of engagement with nature.

*The first is viewing nature, as through a window, or in a book, on television or in a painting.

*The second is being in the presence of nearby nature, which is incidential to some other activity, such as walking or cycling to work, or reading on a garden seat, and (we’ve added this one) soaking in a hot tub outdoors.

*The third level is active participation and involvement with nature, such as gardening, hiking or running.

There is now strong evidence that all these levels deliver mental health benefits. The levels with the most involvement deliver the most benefits.

A recent survey of our Hot Spring Spa owners echoed Dr. Pretty’s research most strongly in regards to his second point of engagement with nature. All of the Hot Spring Spa owners surveyed reported immense pleasue, increased mental relaxation and peace of mind from soaking in their hot tubs outside. They all said that being in the presence of nature was the “frosting on the cake”, the “cherry on the sundae” that capped the experience and took it from the mundane to the sublime. It was the reason they rarely mised a night’s soaking. It was the reason why their own yards gained a bigger place in their lives. Outside soaking opened up a new appreciation of the previously unseen natural world. People mentioned owls, squirrels, racoons, the wind, stars, the trees and far vistas. So in addition to the great physiological benefits, the mental/spiritual benefits were the most deeply moving.

From my own experience, I, too, have been profoundly moved by soaking in my roof top Hot Spring while viewing the stars and satellites (!), feeling the wind and the rain on my face and just letting go of all daily cares and worries. Plus I get my best ideas in the hot tub!

Res est severa voluptas-Pleasure is a serious business.

Dealing with stress-or not dealing with it as the case may be is a serious issue right now. The media reports devastating news on the hour and many of us are in a state of constant mental turmoil.

Dr. Jeromone E. Garanato, Medical Director of the Coranary Care Unit of Allegheny General Hospital and author of “Living with Heart Coronary Heart Disease” has a wonderful suggestion: take a bath in the dark! I know he meant bath as in bath tub, but think of the benefits of hot tubbing in the dark. He says that hot water plus silence and no visual stimulation equals relaxation. He recommends breathing deeply and letting your mind wander to pleasant thoughts.

Most hot tubbing is at done at night. Being in the dark in the natural world adds a deeper level of relaxation than ordinary bath tub soaking. Hopefully you’ll have a Hot Spring Spa, the ONLY hot tub with no noise operation. Only with a Hot Spring will you experience complete silence even while the tub is filtering and heating. After you’ve let the jets have their way with your stiff neck and shoulders, turn them off. Close your eyes. Let the utter stillness and hot water rejuvenate you. A deep sense of gratitude will be your only thought. “It can’t get any better than this.”

Res est severa voluptas.- Pleasure is a serious business.