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Top Health Spas in AUS |
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Spas can be an important part of your health and beauty routine and are the ultimate in pure indulgence- Learn more about the spa environment and how they can benefit you in the quest for ultimate wellbeing.
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Hydrotherapy BathsView a selection of home recipes for your DIY home spa Skin Care Treatments | Facial Skin Care | Foot Care At Home | Body Scrub Homemade Recipe Native Australian Healing Ingredients
Water has long been recognised as possessing therapeutic, even miraculous, properties. From the seawater treatments used in ancient Greece to the healing mineral waters of spas in central Europe, ritual bathing for cleansing body and mind has always been a part of African, Indian and Christian culture. Even the word "hydro" (water) has long been applied to methods and places of healing. Hydrotherapy refers to treatments using water in general. Varieties include balneo therapy or treatments using tap water; thalasso therapy, which uses seawater, or thermal therapy, using hot spring water. Many of the treatments available in today's spas have evolved from those developed by a nineteenth-century Bavarian priest, Sebastian Kniepp. He developed more than 100 treatment methods after recovering from tuberculosis by using water therapy. As all life depends on its presence, it is appropriate that water should be such a valuable therapeutic medium. While we can live without food for weeks, our body tissues are composed of two-thirds water and dehydrate quickly. From a hydrotherapy point of view, water also provides the transport for waste products to be expelled from the body. Everyday our sweat glands pump out about 3 1/2 cups (900ml) of water. About one-twentieth of this weight is nitrogenous waste matter. One of the benefits of hydrotherapy is that it increases the efficiency of the sweat glands. Both stimulating and relaxing, hydrotherapy beauty treatments can protect against illness, relieve stress, stimulate sluggish circulation and improve body metabolism. Water temperature is an important element in hydrotherapy. The greater the difference in alternating water temperatures used during a treatment, the better the effects will be. Heat applied to the skin draws blood to the surface temporarily, while cold water has the initial effect of driving it away. The lasting effect is of warmth, since, by the laws of action and reaction, blood must circulate back to the vessels and tissues it came from. Most spas these days have wonderfully sophisticated equipment and technology to provide the simultaneous benefits of different water pressures and temperatures. At home, however, we can recreate basic hydrotherapy baths and showers using cold water, hot water and alternate hot and cold water. Consult your doctor before taking any strenuous treatments and remember a couple of Kniepp's golden rules. Cold water should never be applied to a chilled body. Have a warm shower or exercise gently first. Remove excess water with your hands after treatments. Towel-dry only areas of the body that won't be covered by clothing. Wrap up warmly in natural fibres, allowing the skin to breathe. Go for a short brisk walk after cold treatments to generate body warmth. After warm baths, tuck yourself in bed for at least half an hour and rest. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cold WaterA short application of cold water has a toning and invigorating effect on the body part treated. Due to the contraction of the small blood vessels, a tingling sensation is accompanied by the skin going slightly paler. Shortly after, the skin glows pink. This is caused by the dilation of small arteries in the skin. Fill a bath to a depth of about 25cm (10 inches) with water no colder than 16°C (60°F). Lower your hips into the bath and splash water over your chest. Stand and run on the spot (carefully) for a few seconds. The whole process should take between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. Cold baths should be avoided by people suffering from heart conditions, general weakness, nervous tension or anaemic conditions. The use of a non-slip bath mat is recommended. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hot WaterHot baths are generally enervating and increase the efficiency of the sweat glands. They should be at least 38°C (100°F). When heat is applied to the skin, nearby arteries dilate and the blood slows, while at the same time more blood is pushed into the charged arteries, causing redness and congestion. If the heat is not removed the blood becomes locked and perspiration occurs. The skin's opened pores effectively absorb the active constituents of any herbal and medicinal preparations. Seaweed, peat, sea salt, essential oils, Epsom salts, soda and sulphur can be added to hot baths to treat problems ranging from arthritis and poor circulation to muscle fatigue. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alternate Hot and Cold WaterAlternate hot and cold baths act like an artificial pump to stimulate blood flow and venous and lymphatic drainage. They can bring about a rapid reduction of inflammation when applied to congested areas of the body. They are also useful when there is a need to increase local circulation. The general rule is 2-3 minutes in hot water followed by 30 seconds in cold water. Repeat three times and finish with the cold water. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Neutral or Warm BathsFrom uplifting your spirit to providing deep relaxation, a purely soothing soak can work wonders. With a water temperature of about 36.7°- 37.2°C (90°-95°F), bath treatments, or balneo therapy, can and should last longer than hot baths. Adding relaxing herbs and essential oils enhances the effect of a regular bath. Make yours more blissful with these simple suggestions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Herbal Bath for Sound SleepIdeal for the stressed out, this relaxer works on mind and body simultaneously with the minimum of effort. You will need chamomile, meadowsweet and valerian tea bags from a health-food store and half a lime, sliced. Make a pot of tea in 2 cups (500ml) water using all of the above. When sufficiently brewed (about 5 minutes) pour into a container. Using fresh tea bags, refill teapot with boiling water. Fill the bath at your favourite temperature and add your "tea." Pour yourself a mug from the teapot and slip into the bath. Add 5 drops of lavender essential oil for extra relief if desired. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oily Skin Treatment Bath
Method ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Normal Skin Treatment Bath
Method ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dry Skin Treatment Bath
Method ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coolum Spa Herbal Bath BallA fragrant bath ball of herbs that makes enough for two baths. The oats soften the water, draw impurities from the skin and leave it soft and smooth. Geranium emits a perfume that is calming, balancing and uplifting. Mint relaxes the muscles and citronella eases muscular tension and is beneficial during times of stress. The herbs can be fresh or dried. A few drops of essential oil can also be added to the bath water.
Place the herbs on a square of porous cloth, like muslin. Pull the corners together and tie with an elastic band or ribbon. Place the herbal bath ball into a hot bath to infuse for about 10 minutes before you hop in. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ThalassotherapyFrom the Greek word "thalassa," meaning "sea," thalassotherapy incorporates a variety of therapeutic treatments using seawater, such as baths, body wraps, underwater massage and pressurised water jets. Seawater is full of essential minerals and an abundance of trace elements and organic substances that medical research tells us can restore and preserve good health. Salt (sodium chloride) is the dominant mineral in seawater; others include magnesium, calcium, iron, copper, aluminium and zinc. The sea is also rich in biological elements and is a plentiful reservoir of seaweed, plankton and marine bacteria. A potent healer in its own right, seaweed is believed to reinforce the immune system, contain antibiotic elements, stimulate the thyroid gland and encourage the body to burn fat. The first thalassotherapy centre was founded at Roscoff in Brittany, France by Dr Rene Bagot. He discovered that the trace elements and minerals in seawater were similar to those in blood plasma and could be absorbed through osmosis into our bodies, especially when the water was heated to body temperature. Thalassotherapy is so effective that a bank of information and research into the effects of seawater and seaweed on a variety of illnesses- called the Federation of Sea and Health- has been set up in France by orthodox medical doctors. Seawater and seaweed treatments are used extensively in Australian spas to cleanse the body of toxins, stimulate circulation and revitalise, firm, tone and refresh the body and skin. |
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