Kristina Das
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Written By: Kristina Das | Updated : July 14, 2018 12:43 AM IST
An elaborate bath after a long and tiring day is the best way to relax. However, a bath ritual is not meant for recreational purpose only, it comes with several health benefits. According to studies, soaking in your bathtub helps to burn calories and improves your cardiovascular health, which is also instrumental in bringing down blood sugar levels. That is precisely the reason behind bathing being considered as a healing technique since ages.
Nowadays spas across the world include bath therapy in their menu as part of hydrotherapy. Here is a lowdown on various types of bath that are beneficial to your health in more ways than one.
Hip Bath
What To Expect: During a hip bath, you will be in an oval, round or square tub with the water level touching your thighs and belly button. The other parts of the body stay dry in a hip bath which continues for 10 to 20 minutes. As the session concludes, you can follow it up with a few light yoga exercises. You can opt for various kinds of hip bath: Neutral hip bath, warm hip bath, alternative hip bath, friction sitz bath, etc.
How It Helps: Conditions like acidity and constipation can be treated with this bath therapy. It also helps in increasing blood circulation in the abdominal cavity and relaxing the tight muscles of your abdomen.
Hot Foot And Arm Bath
What To Expect: In this therapy, both your feet and arms are immersed in water tubs. For an arm bath, your hydrotherapist will ask you to dip your arms (till the middle of the upper arm) in a tub filled with warm water for 5 minutes. This will be followed up by a cold water dip in another tub for 10 seconds. This process is repeated and continued for 10 minutes. You will be asked to retain the moisture of your arms. Herbal bath additives such as chamomile, lavender, rosemary or meadow flower can be included in the warm water tub. The same process is followed in the foot bath as well. You will need an hour's rest after the therapy. Instead of taking hot and cold baths together, you can also opt for them separately.
How It Helps: While arm bath relieves fatigue, severe headache, migraine, asthma, bronchitis, and high blood pressure, foot bath is good for those suffering from low blood pressure, varicose veins, chronic cold feet or insomnia.
Immersion Bath
What To Expect: In this therapy, you will need to immerse your whole body in a porcelain bathtub of warm or neutral water that is often treated with healing Epsom salt or Margosa leaves. You can expect the duration to be 20 to 30 minutes. You can choose from various versions of immersion bath therapies: Cold immersion bath, hot immersion bath, neutral immersion bath, etc.
How It Helps: This therapy will rejuvenate your whole body, reducing aches and pains, sleeplessness, fatigue, and asthma.
Jet Bath
What To Expect: In this therapy, your entire body will be 'massaged' with water sprayed with great force through jets or pumps. The temperature and pressure of the water will vary, depending on the type of jet bath you choose. The varieties include jet spray massage, neutral jet spay massage, hot jet spray massage, circular jet spray massage, etc.
How It Helps: A jet bath improves your blood circulation and regulates the circadian rhythm, alleviates chronic pain and fatigue and helps in fighting chest and abdominal congestion.
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