What Is Hydrotherapy Massage? | Techniques and Health Benefits

Hydrotherapy is an ancient relaxation and therapeutic practice, utilized already by the Romans, Greek, and Egyptians, but also, for instance, by the Chinese and Japanese.

Although we need to make a distinction between “pure” Hydrotherapy (only using the pressure of water or the repose in hot, cold or herbal water) and Massage Therapy, an actual Hydrotherapy session is usually a combination of both water therapy and manual massage (the latter done in water, under water, or outside the water) making it a blended treatment experience.

For instance, the Roman bathhouses, the Russian Banyas, and the Arabic Hammams are all examples of treatments that involve a mixture of hot and cold (mineral) baths, steam baths, herbal baths, and massage therapy.

Thus, the name Hydrotherapy Massage — also labeled Hydro Massage, Water Massage or Aquatic Massage — can be used either for those massage therapies that use water only (using water pressure to massage) or for those that use a combination of water therapy (hot, cold, steam, and herbal baths) and massage.

In general, Hydro Massage therapies support stress and anxiety relief, but specific other benefits are attributed to this type of massage also, like alleviation of muscle and soft tissue pains and injuries, such as back pains, arthritis, tendinitis, and neck injuries, the stimulation of blood and lymph circulation, and alleviation of pregnancy discomforts, insomnia, spondylosis, and multiple sclerosis, to just name a few examples.

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