Most hot tubbing is done outdoors at night. Being in the dark in the natural world adds a deeper level of relaxation than ordinary bath tub soaking. Hopefully you’ll have a Hot Spring Spa, the ONLY hot tub with no noise operation. Only with a Hot Spring will you experience complete silence even while the tub is filtering and heating. If you don’t own a hot tub yet, this is a critical point. All other hot tubs have either a 2- speed pump that rumbles and vibrates 24/7 or a 1-speed pump that comes on periodically shattering the quiet.

After you’ve let the jets have their way with your stiff neck and shoulders, turn them off.  Turn off the lights. Close your eyes. Let the utter stillness and hot water rejuvenate you. A deep sense of gratitude will be your only thought: “It can’t get any better than this.” And, for those of you who suffer from pain, the relaxation will lessen your suffering. I guarantee it!

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

Thanks for reading Hot Tub Bliss. We hope you went from “Ahhhh” to “A-Ha”! Be sure to ‘Like’ our Facebook Page and follow  Olympic Hot Tub Company and Hot Tub Bliss on Twitter.

“Spending more time in nature might have some surprising health benefits. In a series of studies, scientists found that when people swap their concrete confines for a few hours in more natural surroundings — forests, parks and other places with plenty of trees — they experience increased immune function.

Stress reduction is one factor. But scientists also chalk it up to phytoncides, the airborne chemicals that plants emit to protect them from rotting and insects and which also seem to benefit humans.

One study published in January included data on 280 healthy people in Japan, where visiting nature parks for therapeutic effect has become a popular practice called “Shinrin-yoku,” or “forest bathing.” On one day, some people were instructed to walk through a forest or wooded area for a few hours, while others walked through a city area. On the second day, they traded places. The scientists found that being among plants produced “lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, and lower blood pressure,” among other things.

A recent survey of our Olympic Hot Tub Company Hot Spring Spa owners echoed these findings.  All of the Hot Spring Spa owners surveyed reported immense pleasure, increased mental relaxation and peace of mind from soaking in their hot tubs outside. They all said that being in the presence of nature was the “frosting on the cake”, the “cherry on the sundae” that capped the experience and took it from the mundane to the sublime.

Being in nature was the reason they rarely missed a night’s soaking. It made their own backyards take a bigger place in their lives. Outside soaking opened up a new appreciation of the previously unseen natural world. People mentioned owls, squirrels, raccoons, the wind, stars, the trees and far vistas. So in addition to the great physiological benefits, the mental/spiritual benefits were the most deeply moving.

From my own experience I, too, have been profoundly moved by soaking in my roof top Hot Spring while viewing the stars and satellites (!), feeling the wind and the rain on my face and just letting go of all daily cares and worries.

Think you don’t have time to soak? Whatever you’re doing is not as important as being out in nature and what better way to experience nature than soaking in your hot tub?

RES EST SEVERAS VOLUPTAS-Latin for Pleasure is serious business.

Thanks for reading Hot Tub Bliss. We hope you went from “Ahhhh” to “A-Ha”! Be sure to ‘Like’ our Facebook Page and follow  Olympic Hot Tub Company and Hot Tub Bliss on Twitter.

Many people buy hot tubs to relax but don’t realize that the added benefit of inspiration will be theirs, too.

One Olympic Hot Tub Company customer told me that she got many great ideas while soaking in her Hot Spring Spa, but hadn’t found a way to save them. “The paper gets wet!” she told me. I sent her a waterproof tablet with waterproof (but erasable marker) that deep sea divers use. She loved it. An even better idea would be a waterproof notebook-popular with contractors in our rainy Northwest:  Use the notebook and you’ll have a record of your best brain waves.

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

Thanks for reading Hot Tub Bliss. We hope you went from “Ahhhh” to “A-Ha”! Be sure to ‘Like’ our Facebook Page and follow  Olympic Hot Tub Company and Hot Tub Bliss on Twitter.

Here’s a summary of the research thus far adapted from the Athletic Business article:

“Bruce Becker, a physician and research professor at Washington State University, sums up his current — and groundbreaking — study of the health impacts of warm-water immersion with a practical analogy. “You know when you come home from a long day at work and you’re stressed out?” he asks. “You want to sink into a hot bathtub and go, ‘Ahhh.’ I’m trying to figure out what the hell that ‘Ahhh’ is all about.”

After more than 18 months of research, he’s getting closer to finding some answers.

Becker’s efforts focus on the benefits to the autonomic nervous system of soaking in water with a temperature of 102 degrees Fahrenheit. An individual’s autonomic nervous system helps him or her adapt to changes in environment and affects such vital functions as heart rate, digestion, respiration, salivation, circulation and even sexual arousal. While in a constant state of flux, its two subsystems — the sympathetic nervous system (which escalates under stress) and the parasympathetic nervous system (which promotes calm) — fall into balance when the body is immersed in warm water, according to Becker’s findings.

That balanced state has been associated with a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease, improved memory, enhanced cognitive processes and increased concentration. “The autonomic nervous system responds to warm water immersion the same way it responds to meditation or a number of other relaxed states,” Becker says.

While such claims seem logical on the surface, there has been little scientific evidence to support them until now.  Industry professionals know , empirically,  that spas make people feel better. They relax you, help you sleep better and provide benefits for sore muscles. But there has been no proof of that medically.

That’s why Becker’s research at WSU’s National Aquatic & Sports Medicine Institute is considered so important. Most of the current literature on immersion focuses on subjects in a  floating position, rather than in the seated position that is more common in a spa.

“The technology to look at this easily, non-invasively and in an aquatic environment has not been around all that long,” says Becker, NASMI’s director.  “I’m a rehab doc by training, so I’ve used the water as a rehab and recovery environment through much of my professional career and have been frustrated by the lack of supporting research to really document what’s happening. Do I know that it works? Yeah. Do I know why it works? No.”

Three donated Hot Springs Spas filled with water — each large enough to hold as many as four adults — are housed a research laboratory at NASMI headquarters. One by one, 16 college-age students and 16 adults between the ages of 45 and 64 took turns sitting for 24 minutes in each of the tubs during evaluation sessions conducted by Becker and his team of researchers in 2008 and 2009. Resting measurements of heart rate and blood pressure were taken to establish a baseline, and participants’ core body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, pulse, circulatory functions and respiratory status were monitored during their immersion time in each tub. In between his or her immersions, the test subject would sit for 12 minutes outside of the water in order to re-establish the baseline.

The first tub was filled with 87-degree water. Any cooler than that, and people would start shivering, Becker says, “so we settled on a temperature that most people certainly wouldn’t define as cold. When you get into it, it doesn’t feel cold, but you’re sitting immobile. I participated in the study, and my teeth were chattering in about six minutes.”

The second tub contained what researchers referred to as a “neutral” temperature of 94 degrees, and the third “hot” tub registered at 102 degrees, “which isn’t hot by the way some people set their hot tubs,” Becker says. “If you set the hot tub at 104 degrees, which is what most commercial facilities do, people are not able to stay in long enough to get the therapeutic benefits out of it that they could if you set it to a cooler temperature. In our study, most people really were pretty anxious to get out after 24 minutes. We tried going warmer than 102, and they just couldn’t stay in, or they got really lightheaded when they got out — if they managed to stay in for the entire time.”

The two age groups analyzed were chosen because of their healthy youthfulness, in the case of college students, and because middle-age adults have sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems that typically remain in a greater state of flux.

At his research’s most basic level, Becker and his colleagues found that immersion in warm water tends to reduce stress levels for all participants. The degree of stress reduced varied from subject to subject, but all of them responded in the same way.

Stay tuned for more scientific news about the health benefits of hot tub soaking. More results of Dr. Becker’s research will be published in the fall.

SANUM PER AQUA

. Latin for Health through Water.

Thanks for reading Hot Tub Bliss. We hope you went from “Ahhhh” to “A-Ha”! Be sure to ‘Like’ our Facebook Page and follow  Olympic Hot Tub Company and Hot Tub Bliss on Twitter.

As Kim and Jim Hartley say, putting your clients into a hot tub before the massage will make the massage easier for you and better for the client! Here’s a YELP review from two massage therapists and  Olympic Hot Tub owners in Olympia:

Hello!  My husband and I are Hawaiian massage therapists working out of our home in SW Olympia, WA.  We have had several hot tubs over the last 20 years – all purchased from the Olympic Hot Tub Company. We recently purchased a new larger model. (A new Tiger River Sumatran made by the makers of  Hot Spring Spas). We have been very happy with their tubs, products and the way they honor their warrantees!  We encourage our massage clients to relax in the tub for 10 minutes before their massage and that does half our work for us.

We especially like the systems of powerful jets that are more than just “Champagne Bubbles”.  Kim & Jim Hartley – Heartspire Hawaiian Massage. .

I asked Kim & Jim if they’d like to offer a special to Hot Tub Bliss readers. They said yes!  “We would be glad to offer $5 off our one hour lomilomi massages (reg. $70) and $10 off a one and 1/2 hour version (reg. $120).  We studied Swedish massage as well but our specialty is lomilomi.  We will offer a $25 discount to Hot Tub Bliss readers for any of our three day lomilomi classes as well (reg. $425).  We are nationally certified teachers offering the continuing education credits that WA state requires yearly.”

If you haven’t tried a lomilomi massage, you must try it.  The relaxation experience of lomilomi coupled with a soak in their hot tub with its powerful jets beforehand is heaven.  Give Heartspire Hawaiian Massage a try.

If you go for regular massages and your massage therapist does not have a hot tub, send them to Olympic. You’ll both benefit enormously.

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

Thanks for reading Hot Tub Bliss. We hope you went from “Ahhhh” to “A-Ha”! Be sure to

‘Like’ our Facebook Page and follow  Olympic Hot Tub Company and Hot Tub Bliss on Twitter.

. Hot water bathing has been a tradition in many cultures since roman times. But many people don’t know that today’s hot tubs provide significant health benefits. Take a look at the latest studies that will show you how a hot tub at home can lead the way to wellness from head to toe:

1. Better sleep. According to the National Institute of Health, more than 70 million Americans suffer from mild to chronic insomnia and other sleep disorders. A recent study in the scientific journal Sleep showed that soaking in a hot tub prior to bedtime can help insomniacs achieve a deeper, more relaxing sleep. Taking a soak in 102 degree water 2-3 hours before bedtime will relax you and re-set your body thermostat making it easier to both fall asleep and stay asleep through the night.

2. Stress Relief. There’s no better way to stimulate the body’s natural endorphin release than soaking in a hot tub. The heat increases blood flow and the therapeutic massage works out muscle soreness. Stress is a silent killer in our overworked culture. The resulting muscle tension, headaches, soreness and fatigue which can continue over time can lead to serious health problems. Not only does a spa’s buoyancy ease pressure on joints and muscles, the mood elevation and the natural relaxation response is a priceless way to improve health.
3. Improve your game.

According to Tennis Magazine, improving your game is a cinch when you soak after playing. You’ll avoid muscle soreness the next day and your joints will thank you for the increased blood circulation which takes away lactic acid (which is what causes soreness and fatigue) built up through a rigorous game.
4. Knee pain relief. A recent study of patients who had undergone knee replacement surgery found that not only did they experience less pain, but their recovery time was faster than for non-soakers. Their range of motion improved significantly faster and they used less pain medication than did the non-soakers.
5. Banish Back Pain. Lower back pain is the number two reason in the U.S. (after colds and flu) for a visit to the doctor. The British Journal of Rheumatology published a study which demonstrated that hot tub therapy has both sort and long-term benefits for people with lower back pain. A later study in the same journal further documented the those findings. After three weeks of consistent spa therapy, examinations showed more improvement in the health status (as measured in pain duration and intensity and back flexibility) of the spa treatment group than of the medication-only group. After six months, significant improvement continued in the spa therapy group. In addition, their use of analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs had decreased.
6. Soothing Relief for Arthritis Pain.

Approximately 43 million people in the United States suffer from some form of arthritis pain. The good news for those who suffer from it is that there are safe and effective ways to both minimize the discomfort and prevent further damage. According to a publication from The Arthritis Foundation entitled Spas, Pools, and Arthritis, “Regular sessions in your hot tub help keep joints moving. It restores and preserves strength and flexibility, and also protects your joints from further damage. Exercise can also improve a person’s coordination, endurance, and the ability to perform daily tasks, and can lead to an enhanced sense of self-esteem and accomplishment.” “A hot tub fulfills the need perfectly . . . providing the warmth, massage, and buoyancy that is so necessary to the well-being of arthritis sufferers. The buoyancy of the water supports and lessens stress on the joints and encourages freer movement. Water exercises may even act as a resistance to help build muscle strength.”

In addition to the above benefits, check out more ways a hot tub at home can help your overall health.  more. Take advantage of the exercise guide we’ve posted on the Olympic Hot Tub Company site for a gentle way to get fit while enjoying the hot, soothing waters of a hot tub.

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

Thanks for reading Hot Tub Bliss. We hope you went from “Ahhhh” to “A-Ha”! Be sure to ‘Like’ our Facebook Page and follow  Olympic Hot Tub Company and Hot Tub Bliss on Twitter.

Dr. Jules Pretty, at the Center for Environment and Society in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Essex, in England makes a strong case for “being in nature”. “Irrespective of where we come from in the world, it seems that the presence of living things makes us feel good. There are three levels of engagement with nature.

*The first is viewing nature, as through a window, or in a book, on television or in a painting.

*The second is being in the presence of nearby nature, which is incidental to some other activity, such as walking or cycling to work, or reading on a garden seat, and (we’ve added this one) soaking in a hot tub outdoors.

*The third level is active participation and involvement with nature, such as gardening, hiking or running.

There is now strong evidence that all these levels deliver mental health benefits. The levels with the most involvement deliver the most benefits.

A recent survey of our Olympic Hot Tub Company Hot Spring Spa owners echoed Dr. Pretty’s research most strongly in regards to his second point of engagement with nature. All of the Hot Spring Spa owners surveyed reported immense pleasure, increased mental relaxation and peace of mind from soaking in their hot tubs outside. They all said that being in the presence of nature was the “frosting on the cake”, the “cherry on the sundae” that capped the experience and took it from the mundane to the sublime. It was the reason they rarely missed a night’s soaking. It was the reason why their own yards gained a bigger place in their lives.

Outside soaking opened up a new appreciation of the previously unseen natural world. People mentioned owls, squirrels, raccoons, the wind, stars, the trees and far vistas. So in addition to the great physiological benefits, the mental/spiritual benefits were the most deeply moving.

From my own experience I, too, have been profoundly moved by soaking in my roof top Hot Spring while viewing the stars and satellites (!), feeling the wind and the rain on my face and just letting go of all daily cares and worries. Plus I get my best ideas in the hot tub!

RES EST SEVERA VOLUPTAS-Latin for Pleasure is serious business.

Thanks for reading Hot Tub Bliss. We hope you went from “Ahhhh” to “A-Ha”! Be sure to ‘Like’ our Facebook Page and follow  Olympic Hot Tub Company and Hot Tub Bliss on Twitter.

’tis the season when many people suffer severe migranes and there’s no better place to go to alleviate a migrane than your Hot Spring Spa.

Physiologically, the migraine headache is a neurological condition more common to women than to men. The word migraine was based on Greek hemikrania, from Greek roots for “half” and “skull” or figuratively meaning hitting one’s head with a pick axe!

The typical migraine headache is on both sides of the brain with pulsating pain, lasting from 4 to 72 hours. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, photophobia (increased sensitivity to light), and phonophobia (increased sensitivity to sound). Approximately one-third of people who suffer migraine headache perceive an aura-unusual visual, olfactory, or other sensory experience that are a sign that a migraine will soon strike.

Initial treatment is with analgesics (from aspirin to Percocet) for the headache, an anti-emetic for the nausea, and the avoidance of triggering conditions. Although the cause of migraine headache is unknown, the most common theory is a disorder of the serotonergic control system, i.e. the part of the brain that secretes serotonin-a chemical in the brain related to depression.

Migranes are debilitating, can wreck havoc on plans and prevent many from living a productive, happy life.  Try a natural approach when a migrane strikes. You might be surprised at how effective it is.

Get thee to the hot tub when a migraine hits. By immersing yourself in water with a steady temperature (between 102-104 degrees), you can release stress and tension that may be triggering the onset of a  migrane. Close your eyes and try to let your mind clear. This is the first step towards migrane relief.

Make sure to keep your fulid intake up

which helps combat migraines for people. Most people that have migraines tend to avoid eating or drinking when they have a flare up.  Experts say that keeping the amount of water that in your system at a steady level is essential to avoiding migranes.  So, drink water on a steady level throughout the day.

Try a massage therapist, too. It is very common for stress to be the trigger of the headache that a person has, and when this happens the muscles in the body tense up. Having a massage can help eliminate the tense muscles thus providing the relief from the migraine that you want.

So, take a hot tub, drink plenty of water and visit your favorite masseuse before reaching for heavy pain killers and resigning from life for the duration. If you can’t make a trip to a masseuse, check out the book “Self-Massage for Athletes” by Rich Poley.  You may find quicker, more long lasting relief-the natural way.

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health Through Water.

Many of our Olympic Hot Tub Company owners ask me what’s the best way to “take a hot tub”? The big question seems to be: “How can I get the maximum benefit from my time in the hot tub?”-as if the hot water and jets weren’t enough! But in our multi-tasking society, it’s hard for people to think of sitting still and “being” rather than “doing” nothing.  One of my favorite ways to get the best, deep down relaxation feeling from my hot tub soak is to use the “I Am Relaxed”…deep breathing and relaxation exercise. This will give you a sense that you are “doing” something to contribute to your relaxation and may even lead to a “letting go” of the notion that you have to do anything! Hot Spring Spas are designed to help you feel the utmost in relaxation.  But if you have

to do something, do try this simple exercise.

Enter the hot tub slowly.  Find your seat.  Sit comfortably and quietly.

Tell yourself that you are going to use the next 5, 10, or 20 minutes to re-balance, to heal, to relax yourself.

Surrender the weight of your body, allowing the water to support you.

Close your eyes, gently cutting out visual stimulation and distraction.

As you inhale, repeat to yourself: “I AM”.  As you exhale, say… “RELAXED.”

Continue to breath normally not trying to change it in any way. Just watch it happening and continue to repeat: “I AM” with inhalation; … “RELAXED” with exhalation.

As your mind begins to wander, gently bring it back to the awareness of your breath and your statement “I AM RELAXED.” Be compassionate and loving with your “monkey” mind which wants to be anywhere but in the here and now in your hot tub.

Continue doing this for as long as you have set.

Finish by stopping the phrase. Slowly stretch your hands and feet, your arms and legs, then your whole body.

Open your eyes a sliver at a time – like the sun coming up in the morning.

Take a deep breath and say: “Ahhhh”.

You can download this exercise, laminate it and take it out to the tub with you as a reminder to “be” not “do” for a few minutes a day.

What’s your favorite way to relax more deeply in the hot tub? Please share your suggestions for all readers.

This relaxation exercise has been adapted from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Mental Health, Division of Communications and Education-Plain Talk series, Ruth Kay, Editor.

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

According to Dr. Raglin, taking time to relax in warm water may also separate us from the sources of stress which can lead to a decrease in anxiety.  And, in his latest research reported at the fifth World Aquatic Health Conference (WAHC), October 2008, Dr. Becker stated “We found that, with 25 minutes of soaking in a 102F degree hot tub, the autonomic nervous system alters during warm water immersion, producing changes that are parallel to those seen during relaxation and accompanying a reduction in anxiety.” Dr. Becker suggests that with the relaxation, warm water immersion may well have a positive effect on working memory and performance of cognitive tasks, including problem solving.

There’s even more good news. The National Swimming Pool Foundation recently announced the awarding of a $200,000 grant to Dr. Becker of the Washington State University, National Aquatic and Sports Medicine Institute (NASMI), based on a 5-year commitment to help establish a world-renowned health benefit research center. This grant supports efforts to continue to understand hot water immersion, and also study the aquatic exercise effects on subjects with asthma.

Stay tuned for more scientific results on the benefit of hot tub soaking. We won’t be relying on common sense, but science to tell us that hot tub soaking not only feels good, it IS good for you!

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.