Ashley Andrews
It’s easy to write off spa treatments as a luxury or a treat in which you only indulge on special occasions. For many, however, spa treatments are more of a therapeutical tool. It’s true! Many of the treatments and “indulgences” you enjoy while at the spa have therapeutic benefits that can help improve both your mental and physical health.
A company that specializes in designing and crafting spa equipment, Living Earth Crafts, points out throughout their blog that spa treatments provide some much-needed stress relief. Some of that comes from the comforting environment most spas work to cultivate. Some of it is the relief of being the person receiving care and attention instead of always being the person who provides it.
And most of it is actual provable science. Check it out!
Hydrotherapy
There are plenty of benefits associated with a hot bath. At many spas, the practitioners focus on the aesthetic and relaxation effects the heated water can have–especially if it is treated with essential oils, etc. There are medicinal benefits as well.
For people who suffer from cardiac issues, hydrotherapy can help improve cardiac function and increase endurance. In fact, repeated hydrotherapy can even help prevent cardiac issues and help reduce cholesterol levels. In addition, people who suffer from cerebral palsy see an improvement in their circulation.
Massage Therapy
“The healing power of touch” is not just new-age hooey designed to sell more books and book more clients. It is provable science. Touch is a basic human need, right up there with food and water. When we don’t get touched often enough, our health–mental and physical–begins to suffer. Scientific research has proven that those who don’t get touched enough have higher levels of stress-related hormones and decreased levels of growth hormones. Scientists have also proven that massage can help treat digestive disorders, sports injuries, and arthritis.
Massage can also help patients deal with anxiety, depression, tension, and all levels of stress. It has also helped people who suffer from eating disorders like anorexia.
Why Do Spa Treatments Work?
We talked about some of the simple reasons that people have found benefit from spa therapy. Let’s look at some that are more complex:
Physically speaking, hydrotherapy and massage therapy are designed to elicit specific physical responses within the body. For example, the different types of massage are designed to cause your muscles and nerves to react in specific ways. Light massage is meant to invigorate. Deep tissue is meant to literally physically loosen up a muscle that has spasmed or become knotted.
Mentally and emotionally speaking, the responses are varied. As previously stated, physical touch can provide comfort to the person who is receiving it. This is because physical touch activates our vagus nerve, which is responsible for the release of hormones associated with feelings of comfort, safety, and compassion.
It’s also worth noting that people who suffer from mental or emotional health issues tend to be isolated, which means that their ability to receive physical touch in their daily lives is limited or perhaps even non-existent. Massage therapy helps give them that much-needed connection to other human beings on a regular basis. It also provides some much-needed intimacy and interpersonal bonding.
This is why some people who suffer from mental and emotional health problems are referred to spa therapists by their counselors and doctors. It could also be why the “cuddle industry” has been booming. That’s right: you can literally pay someone to cuddle you (non-sexually of course) for an hour!
What This Means For You
As a provider of spa services and therapies, you have likely studied the physical effects of spa therapy extensively. Knowing about the mental and emotional health benefits, however, can help you increase your client base and offer services to those who need them the most.
If you’ve been marketing your services to high-end spas and clientele, consider working with physical therapy clinics, partnering up with therapists and psychology specialists. Offer to provide a few services pro-bono for those who can’t afford it. Your reputation will grow and your client base will expand. It’s a win-win for everybody!
Spa therapies are important for everyone’s health. They are much more than simple treats or luxuries in which we indulge when we feel like we need rewards. Knowing this and knowing how to market this knowledge is good for your clients and for your business!
Sponsor: Natural Path was compensated for this post.