Many people have discovered the power of natural healing in bubbling pools of hot water. A hot tub’s gentle heat and massaging effect is relaxing and beneficial to both body and mind. It’s why so many people look forward to having a holiday with a hot tub…and why they make such good use of it during their stay. Naturally, it’s a personal choice – not everyone enjoys being up to their neck in hot water! Yet there’s no denying that many studies show numerous benefits are gained by using a hot tub – to general health, sleep patterns, blood pressure, stress relief, pain management, even weight loss. Now, no one expects that a few days on a hot tub holiday will provide instant relief from long term health issues, but the opportunity to gain just a few hours’ added rest and relaxation should surely be welcomed.

Go off grid

Emotional health is often overlooked in our busy lives, but time away from work on a hot tub holiday with someone supportive could be just the boost you’re after. Plus, if you’re on a family holiday, it’s a real joy to leave all those smart phones, tablets and laptops in the lounge and head to a warm place where you can sit together, talk, laugh, reminisce and generally relax. It’s also a great opportunity to appreciate the beauty of nature, whether it’s a stunning sunset, night sky or the snow of winter. Northumberland has some of the darkest skies in Europe. What better place to enjoy the Milky Way and a billion stars than from the comfort of a hot tub, glass of wine in hand and friends by your side?

A natural remedy

What exactly can you expect, then, as you lower yourself into that bubbling tub? Well, a lot of research has been carried out by reputable organisations and the benefits are many and various. The National Sleep Foundation reckons some 30 million of us suffer from mild to chronic insomnia and other sleep disorders. According to one study in the scientific journal ‘Sleep’, soaking in a hot tub before bedtime not only helps you get to sleep, but also provides a deeper, more relaxing one. This kind of hydro-massage is a natural remedy, far better than prescription drugs. You’ve already come on holiday to relax, so why not help that process along with a nightly soak in a whirlpool of warm water?

Physical benefits

But there’s more! A medical study by the Mayo Clinic proposed that a 15-minute soak is less stressful on the heart than, say, a workout on an exercise bike. They suggest it actually lowers stress by releasing endorphins, the body’s natural ‘feel good’ pain killers, giving you a sense of well being. The hot tub’s warm water and hydro-therapy action raises body temperature, causing blood vessels to dilate, increasing blood flow, relaxing tense muscles and relieving anxieties. Not surprisingly, the Arthritis Foundation also recognises these benefits as a means of relieving arthritic joints. Chronic sufferers may find a hot tub a great way to soothe away aches and pains. The foundation suggests a hot tub increases circulation and helps move inflammatory substances away from joints, allowing muscles to relax more.  It may also decrease swelling and stiffness and restore flexibility, all of which increases mobility and protects joints from further damage.

It’s good for you

Even when it comes to general fitness and weight management, there are interesting findings that will strike a chord with regular hot tub users. In clinical studies, some patients were found to lose weight through regular hot tub use and, according to the New England Journal of Medicine, Type 2 diabetes patients who soaked in a hot tub for 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week for 3 weeks, experienced a reduction in blood sugar levels of, on average, 13%. Sadly, your holiday may not last quite that long, but it suggests that even one week’s enjoyment might still be rather good for you!

Here’s to your holiday health

So what can we conclude from all this? Well, it doesn’t matter whether it’s just you and your significant other, group of friends, or the whole family, it seems hot tub holidays are really great for your health and well being and that a long soak could be having a positive, beneficial effect on your entire mind body and spirit. I can’t think of a better reason to book a hot tub holiday right now, can you?

by Terri Harper, 10/10/18