Traditional and infra-red saunas, spa and cold plunge combine with therapeutic massage are all features of our award-winning Obsidian Spa at Aro Ha.
Outside of massage, the spa experience is based on Contrast Therapy, which brings proven health benefits as well as divine human comfort. ‘Taking the waters’ combined with massage has been used to cure illness throughout human history. Hippocrates proposed the hypothesis that the cause of all diseases lay in an imbalance of the bodily fluids. He believed a change of habits and environment including bathing, perspiration, walking, and massages would rebalance the fluids. Interestingly, the bathing remedies were often combined with sports and education for health benefits.
The mental and physical benefits of the sauna are well known. The warm and quiet environment stimulates circulation and the release of endorphins, creating a sense of peaceful relaxation and well-being while relaxing muscles and aiding recovery. The sweating process helps to detoxify the body. Sweat contains many salts and metals such as mercury that are difficult for the body to dispose of. Sauna is also good for your cardiovascular health, often increasing the heart rate from 60-70/min. to 110-140/min. This heart work builds heart strength.
The benefits of a Sauna are even more pronounced combined with the contrast of a plunge pool to quickly alter the body’s temperature. Exposing your body to a heated environment and then immediately plunging into cold water, even for only thirty seconds or so, benefits the body mainly by stimulating blood circulation. This contrast provides proven pain relief as it reduces build up of lactic acid. It also assists recovery as this study shows.
At Aro Ha we combine contrast therapy with daily therapeutic massage to repair muscles and further induce the relaxed state of calm and tranquility that facilitates a deep and rejuvenating sleep.
Deep tissue massage is a type of massage therapy that focuses on realigning deeper layers of muscles and connective tissue. It is especially helpful for chronically tense and contracted areas such as stiff necks, low back tightness, and sore shoulders.A study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that people’s blood pressure fell after a single 45 to 60 minute deep tissue massage. Additionally, a 2010 meta-analysis in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that massage modalities like deep tissue reduce stress hormone levels and heart rate while boosting mood and relaxation by triggering the release of oxytocin and serotonin.