Spa Executive - December 2021

Thermal bathing
People have been taking the spring and sea waters for healing purposes for millennia. The practice
is said to date back to at least the times of the ancient Greeks, who considered bathing a treatment
against diseases. The Romans, influenced by the Greeks, built thermal baths at mineral and thermal
springs where wounded soldiers – and everyone else – would go for rest and recuperation.
Taking the warm waters in a spring or spa bath may have a range of mental health benefits. These have
been shown to include decreases in self-reported levels of depression and anxiety, and improved sleep.
More findings:
• Balneotherapy (BT) (bathing in mineral springs) is beneficial for stress and
fatigue reduction in comparison with music therapy or no therapy. Study
authors concluded that geothermal water baths have a potential as an
efficient approach to diminish stress caused by working or living conditions.
• Spa bathing is associated with reduced levels of salivary stress markers,
cortisol and chromogranin, an effect that was more pronounced in people
with higher levels of stress.
• Immersion bathing was associated with better outcomes for fatigue, stress,
and pain, as well as significantly better general health, and mental health
scores compared with showering.
• Hot springs bathing has a positive impact on chronic pain and musculoskeletal
conditions, which will have a positive impact on mood and stress levels.
• Bathing in geothermal mineral water was associated with improvements
in anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and stress. Review authors stated that
this has implications for the use of BT as a valid complementary therapy for
people with mental health conditions.
• Hot baths may improve depression as much as physical exercise. Afternoon
baths just twice a week produced a moderate but persistent lift to mood,
the size of which was similar to that seen with physical exercise, which is a
recommended therapy for mild or moderate depression.
• As the conversation around mental health continues, knowing how we can
contribute will help us move it forward.
December 2021 Issue • p. 17