Hydro is a prefix meaning that it is produced or generated from water or the flow and movement of water and one example that springs to mind is "Hydro-electricity" electricity that is derived from Water.

So the point of all this is to try and define the word Hydrotherapy and my own thinking is that it is a healing therapy effect derived from the movement or flow of water. Water is of course an outstanding resource. With out which we would not survive on the planet Earth. Water is both a liquid that we can drink and therby sustain our lives but is also a fluid capable of being solid when frozen and is often used in physiotherapy to help recovery from injuries and to relieve muscle stiffness and aches by assisting in the reduction of lactic acid. Warm soothing water helps to open the blood vessels in the body so as to naturally assist and improve blood circulation round the body. This increased circulation helps to bring nutrients and thereby assists the tissue and muscle groups around arthritic joints relax, and promotes the flow of endorphins in the body.

When you use a Hot Tub not only do you benefit from Hydrotherapy but you also can benefit from Reflexology.

Modern day reflexology goes back in time many thousands of years and is based on a very ancient form of therapy. Treatment by massage to the hands and feet is known as Reflexology and this is based on the fact that there are reflexes in the feet and hands that correspond to various parts of the body a bit like a mirror system. The massaging effect of the warm water helps to apply gentle pressure to the feet and hands increasing circulation and providing respite to specific joint and muscular functions.

There is evidence that some kind of foot and hand therapy was being practised in China some four to five thousand years B.C. Around the same time the same kind of foot and hand thereapy was in use in ancient Egypt, and this is depicted in one of the ancient tombs of that era namely the tomb of Ankmahor.

Inside the tomb of Ankmahor there is a wall painting which dates from about 2300 BC so that's more than four thousand years ago that shows an Egyptian physician to the Pharaoh. I am told that the hieroglyphics, inscribed on the wall translates into something like " Please do not cause me any pain " to which the reply is " I will perform so that you will praise me" Well you might say what is the point of this history lesson ? Quite simply to show that reflexology is a treatment that has been around for thousands of years and one that you can enjoy using your own Hot Tub.

The Jets in a Hot Tub will massage your feet providing similar if not perhaps better treatment than the Pharaohs used to enjoy more than four thousand years ago.