Hydrotherapy: Baths that Heal

By: Melissa Milrad Goldstein

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Just Add Water

Hydrotherapy -- the use of water for soothing pain and treating disease -- is one of the oldest forms of medical treatment. "There is a lost appreciation for 'taking to the waters,' a ritual that's so much a part of ancient cultures because it brought health to the body and mind," says Yael Alkaley, founder of the Red Flower body care line. "All bath house traditions -- from the Finnish sauna to the Japanese onsen and Moroccan hammam -- have three things in common: A form of exfoliation to remove dead skin and increase circulation; heating and cooling of the body to stimulate the lymphatic system; and deep, intense perspiration to detoxify and rebuilt the immune system."