If you’re someone who suffers from back pain, joint pain, or find yourself with knots in your muscles, whether it be from work, poor posture, or stress you may find yourself in need of a way to relax those muscles. Hot tubs and spas are known for their hydro-therapeutic uses and ability to help soothe sore muscles.
Sometimes, however, you may need the help of a masseuse to get out those particularly tough knots. This doesn’t mean you should pack up your backyard hot tubs and only get a massage. In fact, you can enhance the benefits of a massage by soaking in your hot tub and relaxing the muscles before you even make it to your appointment.
Relaxing The Muscles
The best way to relax these muscles before a massage is to spend approximately 10-15 minutes in your hot tub spa. The best temperature to achieve this is to have your hot tub spa set at 100-104 degrees Fahrenheit (it is best to first check with your doctor about preferred temperatures for your own personal use). This works best if you don’t use the hot tub jets and instead just take the time to soak in your hot tub before your appointment.
Pre-Massage Hot Tub Spa Benefits
Soaking your muscles for a short period of time helps to soothe the surface muscles and relax the superficial kinks and tension in your shoulders or back. This process also helps to draw out the lactic acid in your muscles, which helps loosen the tightness in the connective tissue and muscle itself.
This allows for your masseuse to spend less time working on the surface kinks and issues, and instead easily work deeper on your muscles to relieve stress and tension knots. If you’ve ever had a massage that initially hurt, this will lessen that pain, as your muscles will already be loose and relaxed enough to ease any discomfort.
Post-Massage Hut Tub Spa Benefits
Getting back in your backyard hot tub after a massage isn’t as important as before your massage, however, there are still benefits. You may find that after you may experience a more rapid recovery as the hydrotherapy can help to keep your muscles relaxed and prevent any soreness from a particularly intense massage. You can even add calming scents to the hot tub to help keep you relaxed. It’s important if you’re using your hot tub spa after a massage, however, that you remain hydrated, as both the massage and the hot tub can cause your muscles to dehydrate.
It’s also important to note that if you do choose to use your spa after getting a massage that you shower before getting into the tub. Massage oils that worked wonders on your skin can wreak havoc on your hot tub and cause foaming problems which can damage the hot tub spa.
