Water Therapy: Bath Treatments

Taking a soak in the tub can be about much more than getting clean. Of course, bathing is the perfect way to unwind and relax after a long day’s work, but adding a little art, science and ceremony to your regular immersion can elevate your bathing ritual into a therapeutic experience called balneotherapy.

Balneotherapy has been practiced since the age of the ancient Greeks and Romans as a means of preserving health and treating a wide array of internal and external injuries and ailments.

While it may be a centuries-old science, you don’t need a manual to experience how easily a warm bath can melt away stress and return to body to a more balanced state.

At-Home Bath Therapy

A few simple tips derived from the art of balneotherapy can greatly enhance your health and well-being.

According to Jonathan P. De Vierville, vice president of the International Society of Medical Hydrology and Climatology, submerging the body in warm water effectively calms the physiological component of our natural fight-or-flight instinct, the body’s hard-wired response to stress.

Specifically, as warm water circulates around your torso and limbs your blood vessels dilate, circulation increases, cell oxygenation and activity improves, muscles relax, and your nervous system gets a much-needed rest. All of these effects naturally activate the body’s self-healing potential.
Perform your treatment at a time when you can take a few minutes afterward to truly relish its effects.

5 Ways Bath Therapy Heals

1. Increasing the temperature of the body helps vanquish harmful germs and viruses.
2. Improved blood flow also helps dissolve and eliminate toxins from the body, and enhanced flow of oxygen-rich blood throughout the body brings greater nourishment to vital organs and tissues.
3. Bathing in warm water increases body metabolism, including stimulating the secretions of the intestinal tract and the liver, aiding digestion.
4. Repeated hot springs bathing can help normalize the functions of the endocrine glands as well as the functioning of the body’s autonomic nervous system.
5. The direct application of mineralized heated water (especially those infused with sulfur) can have a therapeutic effect on diseases of the skin, including psoriasis, dermatitis, and fungal infections.

To reap the benefits of this natural approach to health from the comfort of home, try incorporating these tips into your bath routine.

Bath Therapy Water Temperature

The water should linger between 98.6 degrees (body temperature) and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. We’re soaking, not boiling, so comfort is key. Listen to your body: overheating can be hazardous.

Dive In

The more skin surface in contact with warm water, the greater the physiological rewards. Submerge up to your neck, unless you have a respiratory or heart condition, in which case the water level should not rise above your heart.

How Long to Soak in the Bath

It’s okay to get a little wrinkly; soak for 15 to 20 minutes, but get out sooner if you feel light-headed, dizzy or overheated.

Keep the Bath Simple

Pure water with a low mineral content is advised. Some experts believe plain water is optimal, while others encourage the use of herbal formulations to enhance the treatment’s de-stressing influence. Recommended infusions include juniper, orange, linden blossom, and valerian. Adding essential oils is ineffective in terms of impacting the body since they float on the water’s surface, making minimal contact with the skin.

Follow-up with Rest

Perform your treatment at a time when you can take a few minutes afterward to truly relish its effects. Instead of immediately toweling off and resuming a frenzied state, slip a warm robe over wet skin and dive under the covers for at least 10 minutes. Experts agree that this post-bath rest period is likely when the actual healing takes place, and that it is as essential to the therapy as the soak.

Important: If you have any illnesses or diseases, or are pregnant, consult with your physician before using any home therapy.