If one goes back in time to Roman times it is interesting to note that of all the various leisure options available at that time that bathing in warm water sometimes using naturally heated water was one of the most revered.
The liquid we know as water is an amazing natural resource. A liquid that we can drink and consume but is a fluid capable of being solid when frozen and increases in density at 4 degrees centigrade.
Warm water is often used in physiotherapy to help recover from injuries and to soothe and relieve muscle stiffness and aches by assisting in the reduction of lactic acid. Warm soothing water helps to open the blood vessels to naturally assist and improve blood circulation round the body. An increase in blood circulation helps to bring nutrients and thereby assists the tissue and muscle groups around arthritic joints relax, and at the same time promotes the flow of endorphins in the body. With out water on the planet the Human race would not survive.
Massage treatment to the feet and hands is known as Reflexology and this is because there are reflexes in the feet and hands that correspond to various parts of the body. The massaging effect of the warm water helps to apply gentle pressure to the feet and hands thereby increasing circulation and providing treatment and much needed respite to specific joint and muscular functions.
Clearly the Romans and indeed the Greeks and Phoenicians before them new that the beneficial effect of the warm water was helpful to their general well-being. This was very much a routine daily activity for men of every class and indeed many women. Bathing today is considered a private activity carried out in the home but bathing in Rome was very much a communal activity carried out usually in public baths. One has only to look at the Roman Baths that survive to see that in many ways they resemble the modern health spas that we have today although one imagines and hopes that they were less expensive. The acceptance of bathing as the main event in daily life belongs to the Roman way of doing things and at the height of the Roman Empire, the thermal baths embodied the ideal Roman way of urban life. Examples of these Roman Hot Tubs can found today. In Britain, there is of course the aptly named City of Bath. In Spain on the Costa del Sol near Manilva and not far away from the famous Roman Oasis Restaurant are the Roman baths of Hedionda. In addition, at Campo Valdes, in Gijon Roman Baths in Antequera Spain and at many other locations in Spain. On of my favourites is at Bolonia just north of Tarifa on the Costa de Luz on the N340 road to Cadiz. This example of an Ancient Roman Hot Tub can still be seen today. Fees for both types of baths were quite reasonable, and within the budget of most free Roman males. Since the Roman workday began at sunrise, work was usually over at little after noon. About 2:00-3:00 pm, men would go to the baths and plan to stay for several hours of sport, bathing, and conversation, after which they would be ready for a relaxing dinner. Today whilst you cannot go and enjoy an old style roman bath, you can still get a very similar effect by Hydrotherapy from a Hot Tub or Jacuzzi Style Spa.
The combination of soothing warm water combined with massage and buoyancy delivers a sensation that not only relaxes the mind and body, but also helps to heal and soothe. With an increased number of jets strategically placed in the Hot Tub Jacuzzi Style Spa for maximum benefit, each & every Hot Tub offers supreme therapeutic support in a carefree setting. The Hot Tub Spa treatment Increases blood flow and aids circulation, reducing & relieving muscle strain, soreness, pressure and tension throughout your body. Clearly something that the Romans were extremely aware of. Calculated buoyancy (and a corresponding feeling of weightlessness) blends perfectly with swirling warm water to deliver a pleasant relaxing soak with healing properties. In fact, you will feel noticeably better in just a very short time using a modern Hot Tub Jacuzzi Style Spa & a Hot Tub Spain
Many Hot Tubs, particularly the cheap imports form the east, are constructed using the cheapest possible methods reducing the cost as opposed to constructing to a much higher standard of quality. Often made by unskilled workers who are unsupervised working in rather harsh conditions of a slave factory.
Like wise this penny pinching cost cutting or simply trying to make a Hot Tub from the cheapest way can also apply to those who are making the largest numbers of spas in the world.
Many Hot Tub Jacuzzis are made using a fully foamed approach some times known as the "fully foamed" or "foam filling" system this is, very much, an out of date production method but is still in use by many makers as it is one of the cheapest forms of construction.
In this cheaper system, the shell of the unit is made from thinner sheets of acrylic or ABS plastic the Tub is then plumbed and piped with all the required pipes etc.
Then the cabinet that surrounds the Hot Tub Shell is injected full of expanding foam to give the weaker shell much needed support.
This is a very much cheaper method of construction as it means that the manufacturer is able to use cheap foam, (instead of fibreglass), to support the shell, rather than building a shell with sufficient strength in the first place!
There are various disadvantages of this system of construction:-
1) Sprayed in polyurethane foam degrades over time, such that there is a decrease in the insulating value.
2) The settling and expansion/contraction of the foam can actually cause leaks in the plumbing.
3) Lastly and most importantly you cannot of course access any of the internal parts of the Hot Tub in the case service is required. Effectively then the most serious downside to this cheaper method of construction is that there is, more or less, total inability of serviceability during the lifetime of the spa. Not only is the plumbing but also the jet fittings are buried in to the expanded foam. This of course means that, leak detection is more or less impossible with out de-constructing the Hot Tub and removing substantial amounts of foam...
If a fully foamed spa should leak from the rear of a jet fitting then that water seepage may not become apparent until the foam has become extremely wet and soaked through.. The most modern productions methods would be to use some foam to support the pipe work but not to indiscriminately blast, the spa cabinet full of polyurethane as there is no proven benefit to this practice and it actually causes dealers and customers a severe service/access headache.
I have heard it said that some manufacturers fully foam their spas so as to keep the noise of the pipes down - must be a badly designed tub if its that bad.
This is a bit like perhaps building the electrics and heating systems in a car or in a house in to sold foam. Simply because you have been told by a sales person it will keep the noise down and in any event it will not need servicing . well its not something I would do or believe nut many hot tub manufacturers would have you believe ot to be true.
Is your heating ,plumbing and electrical systems at home, hidden in solid foam because you've been told it would never need servicing? That does not sound like a good idea to me ? Many Hot Tub Jacuzzi manufacturers would have you believe that it was! Or perhaps have the bonnet of the car stuck down with cement so you couldn't check the oil or water would that be a good idea?
John Lewis has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Family and Health. The author Jacuzzi John supplies premium quality American & European Hot Tubs from Estepona on the Costa Del Sol in Spain and his web site is at . John Lewis's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.