Contrast Bath Therapy

 This past Wednesday 10-16-19 my totally Awesome sister/partner/bestfriend took me to a place called Glen Ivy Hot Springs!  Now, I have been invited by friends or enticed by ads and brochures for a spa day before, which usually included a massage or manny peddy. Don’t Get me wrong those  ”spa days” are nice but that was my only perception of a spa day, Until Now!! I had no idea what to expect when my sis told me she was taking me for a spa day as an early birthday gift. Even though I’m always up for a good massage I could’ve thought of a good many things I would have preferred.  Glen Ivy Hot Springs blew my mind out of the water! It is a high quality facility of so many different options of pools and spas, just to name a few, the mud bath pool, saline pool, mineral baths, And hot and Cold hydrotherapy pools.  

    Quick Tip: Glen Ivy Hot Springs | A GOCO Retreat

HOT AND COLD HYDROTHERAPY POOLS

This is the quick-fire, health-boost corner of Glen Ivy. Switch between these hot and cold plunge pools to charge your immune system, flush out your toxins, reboot your circulation, wake up and calm down. This form of hydrotherapy is a fabulous, all-round wellbeing experience.© Copyright 2019 Glen Ivy Hot Springs. All Rights Reserved.

     Glen Ivy had a very convenient sign with instructions posted for this form of contrast bath therapy.  The instructions guided us to spend 5 minutes in the hot pool and 1 minute in the cold and to do this rotation 5 times.  For the first round after the hot pool and stepping into the ice cold pool it was hilarious! Why hilarious you ask, because it is so cold you either jump out very quickly yelling ”Oh hell no!” Or you squeal like a little girl jumping up and down in ice water for the next 60 seconds.   Mindy and I followed the instructions and of course loved it! After torturing ourselves for a full minute we entered the hot pool where it felt like tiny little prickles going off at once from head to toe and the water took a minute to even get hot again. It was a very invigorating sensation. I was very grateful for the easy to follow posted instructions.  

     Quick Tip: 2 YEARS AGO • LIFESYLE

One of the main benefits associated with contrast bath therapy is improved circulation. Hot water causes vasodilation (relaxation of blood vessels), while cold water causes vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels), which increases local blood circulation.

In addition to improving circulation, contrast bath therapy can act much like a pump for the lymph system. Similar to blood vessels, lymph vessels relax in response to heat and contract in response to cold. Alternating between hot and cold can act as a makeshift pump for your lymph system, having a positive impact on the inflammation process, and helping your body heal damaged tissue.

Contrast therapy can also reduce muscle tightness and soreness, helping to prevent strained or pulled muscles. It is important to note that this process should always end with you in the colder water, as heat can induce the body’s inflammatory response.

     I got to experience what a real spa day is all about at Glen Ivy Hot Springs, there were so many different amenities to enjoy I didn’t get a chance to dive into all of them or discuss them here!  I strongly recommend going if the opportunity ever arises and I am already planning a trip back! 

     Thanks For Reading

      Heidi Parker