Spa Baths, Genuine Health Benefits Or Expensive Gimmick?

Years ago spa baths were only found in gyms and high-end hotels. These days you can enjoy the luxury of a spa or whirlpool bath in the comfort of your own home. You may be wondering if there are any real benefits to having one of these bathing “gadgets,” or whether it’s just a costly gimmick?

When you’re in the market for a new tub you can pick and choose from dozens of different bathroom baths. The spa bath sits right at the top end of the market.

A spa is a tub fitted with special jets that turn your bath into a massage by means of millions of soothing warm bubbles rushing all over your body. You can choose the direction of the bubbles and the power of the stream as you relax.

So what are the potential health benefits of having one of these in your bathroom?

Stress And Anxiety Relief

Spa and whirlpool baths are to this day used in many hospitals and rehabilitation centres. In fact, in some mental institutions these tubs have been used to calm stressed and agitated patients.

They’re also common in maternity units where expectant mothers can relax and prepare themselves for labour.

Tests by various medical associations have also shown that when people with high blood pressure are placed in whirlpool or spa tubs their pressure returns to normal, and their respiratory function becomes more regulated.

Better Circulation

Proper blood circulation is vital for our well-being. Our blood carries vital oxygen, vitamins, and minerals around our system, without which our body struggles to function correctly.

It’s believed that a warm spa bath helps increase vasodilation, which aids the transfer of these important nutrients around the body.

Many doctors recommend patients suffering with skin problems take regular whirlpool baths as the improved circulation can help the long-term treatment of their condition.

Pain Relief

Spa and whirlpool tubs are now being used in sports medicine, with many physiotherapists using spa treatments to help sports people recover from certain muscular and skeletal injuries.

Adding salt to a spa bath can also compound the effects you enjoy, especially sea salt, which is heavily promoted in the health and beauty industry for its relaxation inducing properties.

But Do You Need One?

So they can help you relax and unwind, they can improve your circulation, and they can help your body repair itself from an injury faster than usual. But is a spa and whirlpool bathtub really an essential part of your bathroom?

You’re not going to suffer poor health by not having one, and a relaxing soak in any tub is going to give you some degree of physical and mental benefits, regardless of how big it is, or whether it has jets. With that said, spa baths give you a bathing experience which is unrivalled by any other tub.

They don’t have to be expensive either. Whilst you can happily spend thousands of dollars on a very advanced unit with acres of space and dozens of different settings, you can find very reasonable priced units which are little more basic.

You only need a tub with a few jets positioned at varying intervals around the bath, and one or two settings to enjoy a soothing and blissfully relaxing soak anytime you like.

We would suggest caution is exercised if you’re buying one of these and you have children. It’s not uncommon for little fingers to get stuck, or for household items to be shoved into the jets. This can be dangerous for your child, and fatal to your bath!

For more information on spa baths contact us.