From pre-Celtic times (1st century BC) until the old spa closed in 1978, people have enjoyed the special properties of the hot mineral-rich water rising from three springs in the heart of Bath, UK, for healing, relaxation and leisure. A lottery-funded project combining the restoration of historic buildings with a state-of-the-art leisure spa has now brought this facility back to the public.
Thermae Bath Spa is the only spa in Great Britain currently offering bathing in natural hot spring waters. All the pools (four in total) are fed by the natural mineral rich thermal hot waters (around 45 degrees centigrade) from the springs that made the city of Bath famous. The temperature of the water in the pools is about 35-36 degrees centigrade and all are 1.35 metres deep, designed for soaking and floating rather than swimming.
In 1997, the Millennium Commission announced that the Bath Spa Project was successful in its application for grant funding, bringing to an end a 20-year period in which Bath existed as a spa in name only. The aim of the Project was to reconnect the city with its original reason for being - the naturally occurring thermal springs. In summer 2006, the new spa finally opened it's pools to the public.
When the Project began, I had just introduced Watsu at the Royal Crescent Hotel spa in Bath. Interestingly, the first promotional photographs for the new Bath Spa Project were of Watsu sessions at the Royal Crescent's Bath House. Later, I left Bath to live in the US and was delighted to find that the Bath Spa Project maintained it's interest in Watsu over the decade of development to it's long-awaited manifestation.
The new spa buildings incorporate some of the original Georgian (1830s) city spa structures within an otherwise modern design. Thermae Bath Spa is operated by a spa development company with a track record of working with thermal waters through its association with Thermae 2000 in Valkenburg, Holland. As a Day Spa facility, it aims to provide affordable spa bathing and spa treatments for Bath residents and tourists alike.
Included in a 2-hour, 4-hour or full-day spa session is access to the indoor pool, an open-air rooftop pool, four aroma steam rooms, and a restaurant. The beautiful outdoor Cross Bath can be booked separately. Those taking spa sessions can also choose from over 50 spa, health and beauty treatments including a specially designed set of packages. Treatments are popular and tend to be booked up weeks in advance.
Within the wet-treatment area of the spa is the Hot Bath, now used exclusively for Watsu. The spa website describes Watsu as 'a unique sensation of being gently guided and massaged in the warm, mineral-rich waters', sessions last 50 minutes and the charge is £65 (2007). For most clients this is their first experience of aquatic bodywork and many have no idea what to expect.
Although Watsu seemed to be on the whole well-received, I felt that much could be done to improve its presentation in this setting.
The Hot Bath pool provides a beautiful setting for aquatic bodywork with its Georgian structure, glass roof and viewing windows. At night the soft lighting creates an even more magical environment. For some practitioners the pool might be rather deep but it affords a lot of space (approx. 15 square feet) for free movements and would be good for underwater work (though few clients are experienced enough to receive this). The noise from the filters and the temperature/ ventilation are sometimes problematic but on the whole the environment is very suitable.
As this is a specialist treatment, with relatively low take-up compared to the more traditional treatments, the spa has so far (2007) only employed one qualified practitioner at a time. The first practitioner, Jan Bird, also did other spa treatments and found making the transitions from land to water challenging. Jan felt that the setting was not as 'holistic' as she'd hoped but she did a great job of sustaining and promoting Watsu in this more public environment.
As the second practitioner employed to do Watsu only, I requested to work Friday, Saturday and Sunday only doing 2 morning and 2 afternoon sessions each day. The majority of clients were people who had booked later than is advised and could only get this treatment (the more conventional offerings having been sold first). Many of these clients were in receipt of a 'surprise' gift and so had even less idea of what to expect. Few had previously had Watsu or chosen it specifically.
To avoid the situation (which sometimes arose) where a Watsu session was unsuitable, I compiled guidelines (see E-book) for the spa reservations staff. An inexperienced practitioner would find the 'novelty' client especially difficult as they must be able to convey the safety and confidence a nervous or uncertain receiver needs. It is important to note that there are contradictions for Watsu that differ from those for other spa treatments, and reservations staff need to be aware of this (again, see guidelines in E-book).
The range of clients coming for sessions was unusually wide - both men and women (20s to 60s) of all types. This requires an experienced practitioner since handling large, stiff, anxious or mildly disabled people in the water is challenging. The ability to move with ease and stability while supporting the client, creative adaptation of techniques to suit different body types, and skilled use of flotation devices (leg floats and noodles) are all essential.
I would advise a practitioner working in a leisure setting to focus on the pleasure and relaxation aspects of warm-water aquatic therapy. However, this work can sometimes trigger strong emotional reactions in those whose life-situations make them vulnerable to this (grief, abuse, profound sadness, etc.). Practitioners should be prepared to handle this while remaining aware of the limitations of the setting and doing all they can to avoid leaving someone in an 'opened-up' state after such a session.
Image: Stunning roof top pool at Thermae Bath Spa affording views over the city and surrounding Cotswold hills.
This work by Sara Firman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
