Hot Spring Spas has long been a Kiwi favourite
There’s a reason a spa pool feels so relaxing and rejuvenating: thanks to the warmth, massage, buoyancy and general relaxation offered by a spa, a regular soak brings a wealth of proven benefits, from promoting circulation to reducing chronic pain.
Kiwis have always enjoyed the relaxing, healing experience of soaking in New Zealand’s natural hot springs and thermal mud pools. Dale Paretovich, founder of Hot Spring Spas New Zealand claims it is why high quality portable spas have become such a desirable backyard item for so many Kiwis today.
An engineer by trade, Dale manufactured the first portable and fully insulated hot tub in Australia and New Zealand from his Hillcrest home in 1980. Since then, Dale has become a widely respected veteran within the spa industry witnessing many spa brands come and go. However, there is one thing that has remained the same for Hot Spring Spas New Zealand and it is our obsession with quality and delivering the absolute best spa pool ownership experience.
Benefits of a Spa
Soaking in the warm and bubbling water of a spa pool brings health benefits that have long been recognised. Used regularly, spa pool health and wellness benefits include a reduction in stress and anxiety and chronic pain, and an increase in circulation, recovery and general physical wellbeing.
The combination of heat, buoyancy and powerful jet massage work to increase circulation by dilating blood vessels, relieve joint stress by reducing your weight when float in hot water as well as soothing tension from tired and sore muscles. All these elements come together to leave you feeling revived and relaxed following a soak in your spa pool.
The health benefits of a spa pool are many and varied. A soak in warm water opens up blood vessels, promoting circulation. This can help with everything from reducing inflammation to helping tired and sore muscles recover. There are also a wealth of psychological benefits associated with a regular spa pool soak.
Stress relief
Spa pools are incredibly relaxing. In fact, the simple act of thinking about immersing yourself in the warm, bubbling and healing waters might be enough to put you in a more tranquil mood. In fact, there’s real evidence that this is more than just a feeling.
Soaking in warm water relaxes and de-stresses the body and mind in a number of proven ways, and has been shown to be an effective treatment for a number of stress-related pathologies. Why? Well, warm baths can improve the amount of oxygen that is transported to your brain, resulting in clearer thinking, while the temperature and pressure acts like a liquid weighted blanket, generating feelings of foetal comfort.
Reduced anxiety
As with stress, sufferers of anxiety may find comfort in the sensory experience offered by a spa pool. This is particularly the case in a Hot Spring, because our machines allow you to create a perfectly tranquil atmosphere and are particularly good for those with anxiety.
Depending on the model and options you choose, your soaking experience could be filled with the soothing sights and sounds of underwater and exterior lighting, calming waterfalls and water features and relaxing audio or video coming from built-in entertainment systems. It all adds up to a recipe for relaxation!
Removal of toxins
Can a spa pool help your body rid itself of nasties? The term ‘detoxing’ has been somewhat hijacked in recent years – it’s fair to say that lemon water and other ‘treatments’ don’t actually do any so-called detoxing. The good news is you already have all the equipment you need, as detoxing is what organs like your liver, kidneys and bowel are for. And it turns out that a spa pool could potentially help these vital organs with their important detoxification work.
Warm water immersion has a two-fold effect on blood flow: the warmth gets your heart pumping more blood and widens your blood vessels. The result is that more blood, which is rich in oxygen and nutrients, will get to the organs that need it. This helps them to do their job better, and get rid of the things that your body doesn’t need.
Muscle relaxation
Soaking in hot water has an analgesic (pain relieving) effect on the body. Thanks to the increased blood flow mentioned above, this extends to the pain from lactic acid waste build-up can be relieved. This all leads to more relaxed, and therefore more mobile, muscles and joints.
This grants access to low impact exercise to those who couldn’t otherwise take part, such as the elderly and people with limited mobility. This type of hydrotherapy has also been shown to help with injury recovery and rehabilitation.
Weight loss/calorie burn
Perhaps surprisingly, enjoying a soak in a hot tub can see you burn calories. This study found that an extended soak in water kept at a steady 40°C led to the production of the same heat shock proteins that are produced during physical activity. In terms of a purely physiological response, parallels can be drawn between soaking in a hot tub and doing exercise.
But only to a point. It needs to be stressed that an hour-long soak burns the same number of calories as a 30 minute walk, and will deliver none of the fitness benefits. If you’re motivated to invest in a spa pool by the prospect of losing weight, consider an Endless Pools® swim spa instead!
Help falling asleep
Ever considered that the key to a solid night’s sleep might be an evening soak in a spa pool? It might sound surprising, but it’s true! Soaking an hour and a half before bed turns up your body’s internal thermostat. This is followed by a greater reduction in body temperature as you get closer to bedtime, which induces drowsiness. The result is that you can get to sleep faster, and enjoy a deeper sleep through the night.
Pain relief
The analgesic effect of warm spa pool water means that a soak can form an effective way to manage the pain of any number of chronic conditions. Science has proven warm water immersion to be helpful for people with arthritis, migraines, fibromyalgia, nerve pain, back pain and a variety of injuries.
Better cardiovascular health
Immersing yourself in warm water produces four key physiological responses from the body:
- Increased heart function by elevating cardiac output – in other words, your heart pumps more blood.
- Improved blood flow due to the dilation or widening of the blood vessels.
- Less impeded blood flow thanks to the more horizontal posture you take in a spa, which means blood doesn’t have to fight as hard with gravity to travel around the body.
The result of this trio of effects? Improved circulation, metabolism and blood pressure.
Improved insulin sensitivity
If you live with Type II Diabetes, a key factor in your diagnosis is your sensitivity to insulin. Improve that sensitivity and your body will find it easier to maintain your blood sugar at a healthy level.
We’re sorry to say, but like almost all health advice you’ve ever read, the key to improving insulin sensitivity is a healthier diet and more exercise. While a spa pool or swim spa won’t help with the former, they may help with the latter, as the warm waters allow people with limited mobility to move more freely and do more exercises. Sleep is another key factor in insulin sensitivity, and as we mentioned above, a spa pool can help you improve that too!
Improved Sleep
Soaking before bed is known to prepare your body for a restful night's sleep. Poor sleep can lead to a range of physical and mental health problems. By simply soaking for as little as 15 minutes before bed, you are giving your body and mind the best chance of a restful sleep each and every night.
At One with Family & Nature
Enjoying a spa pool with family and friends in the outdoors is the perfect way to bring people together. The combination of fresh air and water is the ultimate way to relax and rejuvenate your family members and enjoy time with friends.
Taking Time for Oneself
A soak in your spa pool is the ideal way to set time aside for your own well-being. Disconnect, sit back and relax from the stress and demands of the world and take the time to be at peace with your surroundings. When in your spa pool, you are your number one priority.
Learn why more Kiwis are investing in their self-care with Hot Spring® hot tubs and quality jacuzzis, watch now...
