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Hydro Havens

by Gretchen Kelly

Why the ancient art of water-infused wellness is still on trend.

“The word spa itself means salus per aqua, or health through water—a term coined by the ancient Romans.”

—Lina Waters, OSR LMT liaison and trainer, Ojo Spa Resorts

Spring-fed thermal pool at Ojo Santa Fe

At Ojo Santa Fe, spa-goers find themselves on the edge of the high desert. The climate is remarkably dry with a high elevation that naturally sends the body in search of water.

The water in Ojo Santa Fe Spa Resort’s Sages Pool bubbles up between 95- and 105-degrees Fahrenheit. It springs from natural spring aquifers in New Mexico's high desert, which have been supplying healing water for centuries. Unlike other water-based sources, Ojo Santa Fe’s water doesn’t smell like sulfur or iron, and its trace mineral content is not high, but it feels amazing on the skin and in the soul.

A soak in the property’s spring-fed pools, both hot and cool, leaves the body and mind remarkably calm and centered. The scent of pinon in the air and the silence that pervades the 77-acre La Cienega Valley property aid this process.

Lina Waters, OSR LMT liaison and trainer at Ojo Spa Resorts, notes that, “The word spa itself means salus per aqua, or health through water—a term coined by the ancient Romans.”

“At our Ojo Caliente location, the water is the only geothermal spring in the world that has five different water sources and four distinct mineral sources: sodium, lithia, iron, and arsenic,” she says, “Iron will fortify immunity and promote healthy blood; soda and sodium are good for indigestion and joint pain. Lithia is an anti-depressant and arsenic in microdoses is good for soothing skin. We encourage guests to try all the pools at Ojo Caliente and find the ones that are best for them.”

Waters says that the different pools all have varying temperatures. “Both locations are natural springs which are places of peace and nourishment for the soul,” she says.

At Ojo Santa Fe, on the outskirts of New Mexico’s “City Different,” the water is piped up from a cold artesian spring and heated at the surface where guests can soak in the outdoor pinon pine-shaded Sages Pool. “The water there doesn’t have a high mineral content of any specific type, but the properties of the water are felt,” says Waters. “I like the water here so much. It feels different. It smells different. It calms and revitalizes.”

At both locations, the spa menu includes treatments that complement free soaking time and the spa itself uses spring water in hot towels, which have been infused with comfrey, artemisia, and pinon to promote healing and purification.

Waters says that treatments like its hot stone massages, with rocks from a local volcanic zone are a good complement to soaking, as are scrubs with blue corn, prickly pear, and sea salt. The spas use regionally sourced botanicals when possible, such as lavender from an Indigenous-owned Arizona supplier.

Gurney’s Sanctuary Spa Jacuzzi

“Watsu works by combining the therapeutic properties of water with techniques that promote both physical and emotional relaxation, making it an ideal treatment for a wide range of health conditions.”

— Constance McCarty, spa director, Sanctuary Camelback Mountain, a Gurney’s Resort and Spa

In Scottsdale, Sanctuary Camelback Mountain, a Gurney’s Resort and Spa, offers an on-trend water- based therapy called watsu, a shiatsu massage in water that promotes relaxation and joint healing.

“Watsu works by combining the therapeutic properties of water with techniques that promote both physical and emotional relaxation, making it an ideal treatment for a wide range of health conditions,” says Sanctuary Spa’s Director Constance McCarty. “Its cutting-edge appeal lies in its integration with modern therapies, its focus on the nervous system, and its potential for trauma recovery, all of which are becoming increasingly significant in the wellness industry.”

Castle Hot Springs, also in Arizona, just outside of Phoenix, combines hot spring therapy with a new watsu treatment regime called Wellness in Water. The springs’ natural lithium-infused waters have been used for centuries by Indigenous peoples. These hot pools are surrounded by the Sonoran Desert and its iconic saguaro cacti, making it a unique blend of arid landscape and fluid healing.

Photo: © 7132 Hotel - Julien L. Balmer

Thalassotherapy: Sea and Spa

Along with its Camelback resort, Gurney’s Resorts is also famed for the water therapy, or thalassotherapy, available at Gurney’s Montauk Resort and Seawater Spa.

The spa is steps away from the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean (one of the prerequisites for the appellation) and uses a variety of traditional thalassotherapy elements and practices in its menu of offerings.

The Deep Sea OSEA Undaria Massage, for instance, includes OSEA Undaria Algae Body Oil or Body Butter for a 60- to 90-minute session of cranium therapy, serum face massage, and seaweed- gel scalp massage.

The practices are not limited to bodywork. Gurney’s Sea the Results Vegan Organic Facial combines organic algae to increase collagen production, plump lines, stimulate tissue, and reduce facial tension.

Photo: © 7132 Hotel - Julien L. Balmer

Origins in Europe

While the experience of spa and water is worldwide, the term thalassotherapy was coined by Dr. Joseph de la Bonnardière, a French doctor, in 1867, and dedicated treatment centers for the practice first began in marine-side locales such as Biarritz, France, which is still a pilgrimage point for thalassotherapy seekers.

At the Thalmar Centre, for instance, visitors (who quarter at nearby tony Hotel Le Biarritz) can immerse themselves in heated seawater pools, enjoy seaweed wraps, and breathe in the mineral-rich sea air, all designed to detoxify and revitalize the body. Meanwhile, the 7132 Thermal Baths (formerly known as Therme Vals) in Switzerland, designed by renowned architect Peter Zumthor, uses carefully placed skylights to create a mesmerizing interplay of light and water, enhancing the meditative quality of the bathing experience.

Made from 60,000 slabs of Vals quartzite, the Therme was granted protected heritage status shortly after completion. The highly mineralized water comes out of a local natural spring at a temperate 30 degrees Celsius.

Also in Switzerland, The Six Senses Spa at the Alpina Gstaad, reopening in December 2024, offers a comprehensive water-based wellness program that includes not only hydrotherapy treatments but also personalized nutrition plans and workshops on the importance of proper hydration.

The Alpina Gstaad Exterior

The Future of Water-Centric Wellness

As the demand for holistic wellness experiences grows, water-centric spas are likely to continue evolving. Industry experts predict several trends:

1. Eco-Friendly Practices: With increasing awareness of water conservation, spas are likely to implement more sustainable practices, such as water recycling systems and energy-efficient heating methods.

2. Personalized Experiences: Advanced diagnostic tools may allow spas to create even more personalized water-based treatments, tailored to an individual’s specific health needs and goals.

3. Virtual Reality Integration: Some futurists envision the integration of virtual reality technology with water experiences, allowing visitors to float in a pool while visually transported to a tropical lagoon or a serene mountain lake.

4. Medical Integration: As the line between wellness and healthcare blurs, we may see more integration between water-centric spas and medical facilities, with aquatic therapies prescribed alongside traditional treatments.

While water and health are a time-honored tradition that actually created the word “spa” and nourished the concept over time, new technologies and holistic approaches to the element are offering a unique path to relaxation, rejuvenation, and overall wellbeing—a chance to immerse ourselves in tranquility and emerge transformed.

As Waters says, “People have been using water to heal for thousands of years. Natural springs like ours are places where people traditionally put down their weapons, sought peace and nourishment and healing through water.”

While our battles may be different, the effect of water therapy is still powerful, still pervasive and just like water, always changing.

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