Bathing is child’s play – you just put on your swimming trunks and take a flying leap into the pool
with a splash! But bathing and saunas are also a science in themselves. Thermal baths provide a host of
physiological benefits from relaxation, immune system boost and restoring vitality to the body and organs.
Bathing in warm water doesn’t just cleanse the body; it also promotes physical and mental health
and wellbeing. Immersion in water exposes your body to a very different physical environment. If
you quiet your mind, you can hear your skin, the largest sensory organ, “speak” as the warm thermal
water wraps your body in a velvety embrace that is relaxing and comforting. Or put more prosaically:
water pressure, buoyancy, water density and thermal conditions are physical properties that induce
a myriad of reactions in the body. When you bathe in thermal water with a low mineral content, the
minerals work gently on your body; your heart, lungs, blood vessels, kidneys, motor system, blood
and hormones respond to the moisture enveloping your body.
Hot and cold, or just hot? Bathing is fun whether you’re 9 or 99. And when the weather gets cold
and frosty, nothing warms better than soaking in body-temperature thermal water. Of course, you
can always just climb into the pool and let your cares float away, and then visit the sauna when you
feel the need for more intense heat. That’s certainly a good way to relax. But if you want to bathe
“properly”, it helps to know a few scientific facts and set up your bathing and sauna programme
accordingly. Specialists from the 36.5° Wellbeing & Thermal Spa at the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz
joined forces with water expert and sports scientist Dr Matthias Fenzl to identify the “right” bathing
cycle – and discovered that bathing is a personal matter. The ideal cycle will vary based on whether
you want inner balance or more energy and a stronger immune system. However, it also depends on
your reaction profile: those who are sensitive to cold prefer hot treatments, often suffer from cold
fingers and toes and have minimal subcutaneous fat. In contrast, balanced individuals (i.e.
individuals not affected by changes in temperature) almost always have warm fingers and toes,
handle hot and cold treatments equally well and possess a thick insulating layer under their skin.
Customised bathing cycles Experts have developed two bathing cycles for the 36.5° Wellbeing &
Thermal Spa: “Body Adaption” for more energy and a stronger immune system, and “Body in
Balance” for an increase in inner balance. Body Adaption combines bathing in thermal water with
dry heat in a sauna and moist heat in a steam bath. Gradually increasing the stimuli teaches your
body to respond faster and more effectively to temperature and environmental influences. Those
who are sensitive to cold spend less time with hot treatments and only apply ice rubs and cold water
locally. Body Adaption ends with a 30-minute rest period. Body in Balance combines exercise in the
water (swimming, aqua jogging) with saunas, steam baths and floating. Alternating rest and
movement frees the body of inner tension and everyday stress. Once again, balanced individuals
undergo longer hot and cold treatments during the bathing cycle and start the programme with a
longer period of water-bound physical activity.
Regardless of whether you are sensitive or balanced and whether you are looking for energy or
inner peace, you should set aside at least two to two and a half hours for an effective bathing
cycle. Slow down, relax and take the time to nourish your body and relax those nerves.
Book your next healing holiday-here
