15
HYDRO-MASSAGE
INTRODUCTION
The sensation one feels when having ocean waves lap at one’s feet is a sensation that has
been felt and influenced the lives and well being of countless generations before ours. The
warm light of the sun, a soft breeze tickling the skin, the sound of water rushing, the sweet
scent of spring and the instant relief from the massaging of aching muscles are all sensa-
tions that stimulate the mind, body and soul.
T
he earliest records of deliberate stimulation through hydrotherapy, date back to the
earliest Pharonic dynasties in ancient Eg
ypt. Egyptian women took successive ritualistic
daily baths using different essential oils that would stimulate their senses in different ways.
The ancient Greeks had similar practices using seawater, they believed that the aromatic
salts in sea water could cleanse the system of malignant tumors and revitalize the nerves.
These traditions were later adopted by the Romans, the Emperor Augustus is rumored to
have taken seawater baths as preventative therapy against “heat disease.” Aromatherapy,
the use of essential oils, gained royal approval during the eighteenth century. Louis XVI was
a known lover of baths and essential oils. From this era on, the scents that we use in our
baths have consistently gained in potency and popularity. Men have been able to recognize
hydrotherapy as a source of stimulation and vigor and many women are convinced that aro-
matic baths help them preserve their youth, their beauty and their smooth skin.
MODERN HYDRO-MASSAGE
Modern Hydro-massage has six main components: massage, temperature, scent, nutrient
and lighting. The optional systems available for your Neptune bath were designed with
these in mind.
MASSAGE
Massage is accomplished with the direct application of hydrostatic water pressure on the
body. This is the forte of the Neptune Whirlpool system. Water is forced under pressure
through adjustable jets situated around the bathtub. This high-pressure water acts upon the
body, massaging the muscles and joints. Pressure helps to stimulate blood flow through the
muscles, increasing flow by as much as three times. Because of this increased blood flow
tired and aching muscles are relieved much faster than if they were simply left to rest.
TEMPERATURE
Water transfers heat (energy) much more rapidly than air. Most people are aware of this fact,
an example of this phenomenon is that your champagne chills much more quickly in a buck-
et of ice water than in the freezer. The Neptune Mass-air and Activ-air systems were devel-
oped with this in mind. T
he blower/heater sends thousands of tiny air-bubbles streaming
through the bath and onto the skin. Although the heated air is very close in temperature to
the water
, the air cannot transfer its heat to the skin as quickly as the water can causing the
body to have the same physiological reaction as if it has been splashed with alternating warm
and cold droplets. This temperature differential has many beneficial and therapeutic effects
on the human body including the following: Cold at the surface of the body causes the
blood to be forced into the deeper regions, particularly the skeletal muscles. The heart rate
increases with the application of heat and decreases with the sense of cold.
Although there is an immediate increase in blood pressure with change in temperature
there is a later reaction that causes it to drop to a reduced level. T
emperature stimulation
will also cause the respiratory rate to increase, thus increasing the flow of oxygen to the
blood and organs.
Temperature differentiation also has a toning effect on the skin and muscles as they con-
tract in response to an increase or decrease in temperature, helping to tone and smooth.
Relaxation
Pleasure
HYDRO-MASSAGE
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