What is a Watsu pool and what are the benefits of Watsu?

When you think about going to a spa there are lots of experiences you might think of - thermal suites, thalasso pools, hydrotherapy, rasuls, and a host of spa treatments, but what about a Watsu pool? Perhaps one of the lesser known facilities amongst spa goers, it's a holistic experience to support rest, relaxation, wellbeing and more, with London’s first Watsu pool for tailored hydro-treatments and guided meditation at the beautiful Akasha at Hotel Café Royal. So here's what you need to know.

What is a Watsu pool?

A Watsu pool is a warm swimming pool that's generally not too deep, allowing you to stand in it up to around chest height. Rather than simply for swimming in, it's intended specifically for a gentle and meditative type of water-based body therapy, often referred to as Watsu water treatment.

What is the Watsu water treatment?

A sister to hydrotherapy and thalassotherapy, watsu is a gentle form of body therapy performed in a dedicated Watsu pool, with warm water, (generally around 35°C), which combines elements of massage, joint mobilisation, shiatsu, muscle stretching and dance. You are continuously supported while being floated, cradled, rocked and stretched. It necessitates warm, clear water at a depth at which someone can, with feet spread and knees bent, settle down into as if sitting in a chair.

During Watsu water treatment you are supported and gently moved through warm water in graceful, fluid movements. Unlike other hydrotherapy experiences which tend to be self-administered, with Watsu water treatment you will be joined in the private pool by an experienced Watsu practitioner.

What are the benefits of Watsu?

Watsu is designed to promote a deep state of relaxation, quieting the sympathetic and enhancing the parasympathetic nervous systems. No treatment is ever the same as sessions are tailored to your specific needs and requirements, with the aim of achieving a sense of relaxation and renewal. Some of the reported and intended benefits of Watsu include:

Reported short-term benefits of Watsu:

• Increased range of motion
• Increased relaxation
• Decreased muscle spasms
• Decreased spasticity
• Decreased pain

Meanwhile, longer-term benefits of Watsu have included:

• Decreased heart rate
• Decreased rate of respiration
• Increased depth of respiration
• Decreased spasticity
• Decreased muscle spasms