Make Your Own Hydrotherapy/Thalassotherapy Bath With Just Two Ingredients

Preparing your own hydrotherapy bath is as easy as putting together two ingredients - seaweed powder and aloe gel. This particular type of hydrotherapy treatment is also known as thalassotherapy, or sea water therapy treatment, because it uses seaweed - a product from the ocean. The seaweed used is in a powdered form and the treatment helps put minerals back into the body.

The hydrotherapy bath also offers other healthy benefits. Listed below is the recipe, the benefits and bathing tips.

But first, what is hydrotherapy?

Once known as hydropathy, hydrotherapy uses water to help relieve pain, treat illnesses and to maintain good health. It is often used in combination with herbs, diet and/or exercise to treat a wide range of ailments. The benefits have been known and used for thousands of years

Recipe For a Hydrotherapy Bath:

1/2 cup freeze dried seaweed powder - Digitata laminaria (kelp)

1/4 cup aloe gel

Separately, add the two ingredients to your warm bathwater. Soak for about 20 minutes. After, pat dry and this is the best time to moisturize your skin - while it is still damp. Because this type of bath treatment has detoxifying properties it can leave you feeling a bit drained. So allow yourself time to relax after bathing. Additionally, the temperature should not be too hot for this type of bath. See bath temperatures in Bathing Tips below.

Note: Be sure it is powdered seaweed, as it is available in a dried form that is not powdered.

What are the benefits?

Seaweed is very high in iodine and protein and these two nutrients are directly absorbed through your pores. As a result it affects your body on a cellular level. This hydrotherapy bath will detoxify, replenish minerals, revive and overall stimulate your body. The aloe is complementary to the seaweed and will help regenerate and soothe irritated and dry skin.

Bathing tips:

Replenish fluids - after bathing remember to replenish your fluids by drinking lots of water or enjoying an herbal tea. See link below for a variety of herbal teas.

Apply moisturizer - after a bath is the best time to apply moisturizer. I always use Shea butter because of its many healthy benefits. See link below.

The morning bath temperature - a morning bath should be considered a tonic bath - the type of bath that will stimulate your body, eliminate toxins and wake you up. The temperature should be about 96.8°F (36 degrees C).

The evening bath temperature - an evening bath on the other hand is meant to be relaxing, to help relieve stress and get you ready for a good night's sleep. The temperature should be about between 98.6°F (37 degrees C) and 102°F (39 degrees C).

Bath temperature after a workout or stressful day - Bath temperature after an intense physical workout or a truly stressful day is the hottest temperature of all and usually ranges between 104°F (40 degrees C) and 107°F (42 degrees C).

Note: A too hot bath can leave you exhausted - yet I love my hot baths in the evening. A tip I came across is to add sea salt to the bath water and that will help reduce some of the light headedness that I often feel. it takes about a 1/2 cup of sea salt to make a difference.

Another method I tried to prevent exhaustion is to bathe in warm water for about 15 minutes and then for the next 5 minutes, I run very hot water and enjoy. It seems a 5 minute very hot soak keeps me from feeling exhausted as opposed to a full 20 minute super hot soak.

See links below for more pampering ideas with 2 ingredients, about herbal teas, about shea butter, and a list of mineral springs/spas in the US.