What good is a day spa across town when the drive home erases any and all positive effects of your session before you get back to your own driveway? Hydrotherapy using hot tubs, swimming pools, and other techniques has been a tradition for thousands of years. Imagine having all of the benefits of a hydrotherapy spa retreat in your own backyard.
The key is getting that powerful hydrotherapy treatment without dealing with the Chatty Cathy in the sauna, a long wait for a spot in the hot tub, and dealing with maniac drivers on the way home. Here’s how to set up a therapeutic hydrotherapy spa in your own backyard, so you can enjoy the benefits more often, without Cathy and her cohorts.
Cravin’ That Contrast Therapy
This technique is amazingly effective in injury rehab. Contrast Therapy is the use of alternating hot and cold water and results in relaxation and rejuvenation. You can achieve the same results of Contrast Therapy in your own backyard with a pool and spa combo. Begin with a warm soak in the hot tub, lowering your blood pressure and relaxing your body. The pounding massage of the jets sure doesn’t hurt! Then follow up with a cooling session or gentle swim in your pool. This increases blood flow and furthers the relaxation and healing experience. Well, that, and it just feels so darn good.
Flippin’ for Foot Soaks
Sometimes you don’t want to completely immerse yourself in water. You don’t have to. You can get some of the same effects of hydrotherapy with just soaking your feet! A Baja shelf with a Ledge Lounger is a great way to get an anytime hydrotherapy session for your footsies, right in your own backyard. If you feel like venturing in a little further, an in-pool table with bench seating is a relaxing choice to take a snack break or sip on a calming beverage. Obviously, there are about a gazillion other reasons to have a pool and spa, but don’t discount the rejuvenating and relaxing effects of a warm, cool, or contrasting foot soak.
All About That Aromatherapy
Of course, aromatherapy always goes hand-in-hand with hydrotherapy. You’d never go to a day spa that didn’t have scented candles, incense, potpourri, and wonderful smells galore! It’s easy to incorporate aromatherapy into your backyard spa retreat by adding some aromatic herbs. While there’s no scientific evidence that any particular herb helps any medical conditions, a number of people use them for their relaxing, revigorating properties, as well as for simply enjoying a luscious smell! Plus, many of these also serve as culinary herbs, so you can always snip off a stem to spice things up in the kitchen or on the grill!
Some of the easiest herbs used in aromatherapy are:
- Basil for an instant pick-me-up (and an outstanding pasta sauce).
- Dill for relaxing from those tense days (not to mention it’s outstanding in dips and spreads).
- Lavender, which some believe helps them sleep better (and no doubt makes an outstanding tea).
- Coriander, fennel, marjoram, sage, and rosemary—all excellent for both aromatherapy and cooking!
- For simple lovely scents, add geraniums, lemon verbena, and blooming nasturtium.
- If you enjoy making your own herbal teas, consider bee balm, chamomile, and peppermint!
Gettin’ It All With The Green Scene
The Green Scene team often recommends creating multiple zones in the backyard so that it’s easy to enjoy a variety of activities based on your needs, mood, family, lifestyle, and entertainment habits. We can design and build a special area of your backyard reserved for hydrotherapy, solitude, and wellness. Or, we can turn your entire outdoor living area into a hydrotherapy spa—no cross-town commute required.
Are you ready to design the hydrotherapy spa retreat of your dreams? Call The Green Scene today!
