Spa Business

Soaking Up Success With Hydrotherapy

By Nicole Altavilla Jul 19, 2024 8:00am

Industry insiders share their hydrotherapy options and how they ensure a safe, hygienic, and enjoyable experience for their guests.

Stephanie Cardwell, Director of Spa, Springs Eternal Spa at Omni Bedford Springs Resort (PA)

I firmly believe that wellness is a personal journey, unique to each individual. For some, it is rooted in physical health, while for others, it is an intangible balance of mind and spirit. Water’s therapeutic benefits encompass both realms, making hydrotherapy a powerful tool. In a spa setting, hydrotherapy not only eases physical stress, but also fosters deep relaxation, addressing the full spectrum of wellbeing.

Offerings: At Springs Eternal Spa, we enhance every service with our signature Bedford Bath Ritual, which elevates our spa experience and is an included amenity when guests reserve a treatment with us. The full experience includes a deluge shower, an aromatic steam room, a hot tub, and a cool plunge. We invite our guests to indulge in this ritual before their treatments to maximize the benefits. Whether the goal is deep relaxation or therapeutic treatments, beginning with the Bedford Bath Ritual allows our guests to unwind and start their journey to wellbeing even before meeting their service provider.

Sanitation Practices: We adhere to stringent sanitation protocols to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our guests. Maintaining the integrity of our services and the comfort of our guests is our utmost priority. To achieve this, we collaborate with VivoAquatics. Its state-of-the-art, Wi-Fi-enabled equipment provides real-time updates on our water chemistry, allowing us to achieve national standards.

Daniel Spencer, Director of Spa, The Spa at Séc-he (Palm Springs, CA)

Balneology, or healing with water, has been practiced for thousands of years. This form of therapy fell out of popularity in the 40s through the 50s, as artificial replacements came into the picture, especially in the U.S. The quick rise in popularity that we are seeing now is fed by the increased awareness and interest in natural healing, thanks to scientific research and social media. The interest in and application of whole body, mind, and spirit as an alternative approach to methods that support physical and emotional needs has highlighted hydrotherapy as one of the key tools. Water is known to positively impact blood pressure, mood, physical stress, joints, and skin, as well as mental stress.

Offerings: The Spa at Séc-he offers a suite of options, including flotation salt suites, mineral baths, mineral pool and whirlpools, aromatherapy showers and aromatherapy steam rooms, cold plunges, and a cold experience shower for personal guided hot and cold contrasting water therapy. Water yoga is another form of hydrotherapy that Séc-he offers, which takes place in our mineral water pool.

Sanitation Practices: The Spa at Séc-he meets all sanitization state requirements, plus we add our own practices into the operations of the overall facility to ensure a clean and safe environment. Based on the type of water feature it is, we use a blend of varying filtration, UV, ozone, and chlorination. Based on your state or type of equipment, the requirements will vary, so it is best to check with your local code controller. For additional safety, we keep all areas wiped down and sanitized between uses for the private mineral flotation salt suites.

Gina Bolton, Director of Spa, Retail, and Branding, The Spa at Bernardus Lodge & Spa (Carmel Valley, CA)

While hydrotherapy is certainly not new, benefits, including joint relief, inflammation reduction, muscle soreness, and overall relaxation have gained popularity in recent years as people explore new wellness and self-care experiences.

Offerings: At Bernardus Lodge & Spa, we recently introduced a Baths By Bernardus menu that helps guests take advantage of the spacious tubs in our guest rooms in a way that supports their wellness goals. It is unique in that it offers both hot and cold options with a curated selection of amenities that pair with each bath to enhance the experience and practice self-care while traveling. The Baths By Bernardus menu features three hydrotherapy bathing experiences. The Awakening the Aura cold plunge is designed to energize the body and mind with clarity crystals, cooling eye gels, and locally roasted coffee, while the Bernardus Bedtime Bliss experience promotes relaxation with a sleepy time bath bomb, magnesium- and ginseng-infused beverages, and a lavender body balm to soothe the skin. The Sweet Like Honey bath is geared toward couples and includes handcrafted sea salt caramels, a whipped honey body product, and a rose bath bomb. Our guests can also reserve the warming pool at The Spa at Bernardus for a private hydrotherapy experience under the starry skies of Carmel Valley.

Sanitation Practices: Bath experiences are available upon request and the ingredients for each are compiled and delivered for guests to enjoy individually in the comfort of their rooms. At the spa, warming pool experiences are completely private, which avoids any potential communal contamination, and all tubs are deep cleaned with an effective yet eco-friendly sanitizer after each guest.

Nikki Miller, Director, Kohler Waters Spa (multiple locations)

At Kohler, we aim to create a world inspired by the bold endeavor to live your best life as we contribute to a higher level of gracious living for those who are touched by our products and services. We are consistently looking for ways to promote rejuvenation and relaxation through the healing powers of water. Since ancient times, people have used hydrotherapy to alleviate pain from joint issues, arthritis, and injury. As both a leader in the hospitality and plumbing industry, it seemed like a natural progression for us to offer hydrotherapy.

Offerings: Our thermal suite features a large hot tub with jets specifically positioned to provide a massage from the legs to the scalp, as well as a cool plunge that is the perfect temperature to stimulate endorphins and boost circulation without triggering a stress response. In addition, we have a eucalyptus steam room to help hydrate dry nasal passages and promote relaxation. We offer Vichy services that involve several shower heads positioned over a table to specifically target the entire body. Our locker room showers utilize the Sprig device to infuse aromatherapy into the water for a therapeutic relaxing experience.

Sanitation Practices: Our pools are monitored throughout the day by trained professionals ensuring appropriate chemical levels. Non-porous materials are used in the Vichy rooms and are disinfected after every service.