If you’ve recently been to a gym or spa, you may have seen a service called “hydromassage” offered.
But what is a hydromassage, and how does it work?
Turns out, this water-based form of massage is far from being a fad. Rather, it’s a legitimate form of physical therapy with a number of impressive benefits.
Keep reading to find out more about hydromassage, what it is, and how it can help you.
Hydromassage Explained
A hydromassage involves using water pressure to apply massage techniques. Thus, it can combine the benefits of both massage therapy and warm water immersion.
Hydromassage can take place underwater, such as in a hot tub or jetted bath. There, massaging jets can effectively target the user’s neck, shoulders, back, legs, and any other areas that need attention.
Alternatively, a hydromassage can also take place in a specialized bed. Usually located in spas, gyms, wellness centers, and the like, these massage beds allow users to enjoy the sensations of a heated hydromassage without needing to undress or get wet.
Should You Get a Hydromassage?
If you’ve never had a hydromassage before, we strongly recommend that you give it a shot. By blending the tension-relieving benefits of massage with the soothing warmth of hydrotherapy, a hydromassage can melt away stress and pain as few other treatments can.
What’s more, if you own your own hot tub or jetted bath, you’ll be able to enjoy a therapeutic hydromassage whenever you want, right from the comfort of your own home.
Curious about the proven benefits of hydromassage? Here are the top three:
1. Pain Relief
With its ability to reduce muscle tension, support the joints and provide full-body warmth, hydromassage is a fantastic way to alleviate all kinds of pain.
A 2015 study titled, “Spa therapy for generalized osteoarthritis: an open, observational, preliminary study,” published in the French journal, Thérapie, offered some insight.
In the study, researchers administered a variety of spa treatments, including hydromassage, aquatic exercise, and mineral water immersion, to a group of patients with generalized osteoarthritis.
After eight months, almost 70 percent of patients reported a reduction in pain, as well as an improvement in function and quality of life.
2. A Healthier Heart
Hydromassage does more than just feel good: it can also improve your circulation and heart health.
In 2008, an Italian study titled, “Experimental-clinical study on the effects of hydromassage with Thermae Oasis’s salsobromoiodine water in chronic venous stasis disease of the lower extremities,” was published in the journal Minerva Cardioangiologica.
There, researchers discovered that hydromassage improved symptoms in patients with insufficient leg circulation, especially when thermal (mineral) water was used.
Another study from 1994 titled, “Submerged hydromassage as a method for the rehabilitation of myocardial infarct patients at the polyclinic stage,” was published in the Russian journal Voprosy Kurortologii, Fizioterapii, i Lechebnoi Fizicheskoi Kultury.
In that study, heart attack patients were given submerged hydromassages. An impressive 70 percent of patients saw an improved clinical condition, including the reduction or elimination of chest pain, better exercise tolerance and more.
3. All the Benefits of Massages and Hot Tubs
With a hydromassage, you’re not just getting massage therapy or a relaxing soak in the hot tub: you’re getting both.
Indulge in a hydromassage to enjoy a vast array of benefits, including:
- Better circulation.
- Lower stress.
- Reduced pain and improved flexibility.
- Proper spinal alignment.
- Better sleep.
- Clearer skin.
Click here to learn more about the benefits of massage, or here to discover all the benefits of hot tubs.
Next time you’re considering getting a professional hydromassage or purchasing your own hot tub or jetted bath, keep those benefits in mind.
Once you try it, we promise you’ll be glad that you did.
