As some of you may know, John and I have taken a few weeks off from Munjoyous and are traveling around the country. We decided to incorporate some business research into our travels and our first project started today at Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Hot Springs got it’s name from the many deep springs of mineral rich hot water beneath the earth there. In Hot Springs there are a row of turn-of-the-century bath houses. We toured one which was part of the Hot Springs National Park and we actually “took in the waters” at the Buckstaff Bath House.
It was a really interesting experience. They have kept the same routine with the same tubs, sitz baths and steam cabinets for all these years. I felt like a character in Downton Abbey. We were separated by gender and then ushered into the undressing rooms. After undressing, I was wrapped in a sheet (yes, Roman style) and delivered to a huge bathtub room where I sat and luxuriated in the hot, mineral rich, spring water for about a half hour. After that I lay on a table and received hot packs on my shoulders and hips and a cool pack on my forehead. Then I climbed into the steam cabinet for a few minutes. Lastly, I sat in a sitz bath for another few minutes. It all ended with a “needle shower”. Although it seems like a lot of hoops to jump through, it was definitely worth it. I felt great at the end and my aches and pains were greatly reduced.
It got me thinking about similar spa treatments that we could do at Munjoyous. I tend to forget how valuable heat is for softening the muscles and easing the joints out of their frozen stiffness. And the mineral rich water had a greater effect by relieving pain. According to “Live Strong.com”, the calcium and sodium bicarbonate absorbed in hot spring waters increases your hydrostatic pressure and ultimately adds oxygen to your circulatory system. Hot spring waters reduce stress and promote sleep naturally. Being submerged in hot water reduces pain not only through the mineral absorption, but also through the support our joints get through the buoyancy of the water. Finally, the mineral rich waters soften the skin.
Although the research was exhausting and I don’t know how I managed to do it, I’m excited to bring a little bit of this part of my vacation back to Munjoyous…Your Neighborhood Oasis.