Your First Aquatic Therapy or Spa Session: What to Expect

Two Different Things Called "Water Therapy"

A clinical aquatic therapy session (often called hydrotherapy in UK hospitals) is exercise in a pool, led by a physiotherapist. A spa visit is usually relaxation, with hot tubs, steam or saunas and no clinical assessment. The leaflets we read describe the first kind. We found no comparable official "what to expect" leaflet for commercial spas, so the spa notes below are limited to health-authority safety points. For the difference in more detail, see wellness hydrotherapy versus clinical aquatic rehabilitation.

What Aquatic Therapy Is, According to Two NHS Trusts

Two English NHS hospital trusts describe it in similar terms. One says hydrotherapy is "a form of treatment carried out in warm water." [2] The other describes it as using the properties of water to do therapy-based exercises in a pool. [1] It says the water is warmer than a standard swimming pool. [1] The first trust gives its pool temperature as 34.5 degrees C. [2] That is one hospital's figure, not a standard. See water temperature: what sources say.

Before Your Visit

Leaflets from these trusts ask patients to tell staff about changes in health, and to say if they are pregnant or trying to be. [1] They also say to tell staff about an open wound, and not to wear plasters in the pool. [1] One trust lists new chest pain or angina, a fever and infections of the wound, skin, chest or urinary tract as things to tell the department about when deciding whether to cancel. [2] See preparing for hydrotherapy for a checklist of things to mention.

What Happens in the Session

Based on the two leaflets:

• One trust expects you to empty your bladder and have a brief poolside shower before getting in. [2]
• You enter by steps with handrails, or by a hoist if steps are hard. [1]
• You do not need to swim. [2]
• One trust says your physiotherapist gives you your own exercises. [1]
• One trust says sessions normally last 30-40 minutes. [2] Another says the first session lasts about 20 minutes and later ones a maximum of 30. [1] These are what each service does, not a recommendation for you.
• Poolside floors can be wet, and one trust requires non-slip waterproof shoes. [1] See getting in and out of water safely.

Afterwards

Both trusts say tiredness after a session is normal. [2][1] One advises drinking after the session to prevent dehydration. [2]

Spas and Public Pools

A British Columbia health authority says to shower with soap before using a hot tub or pool, and, if you are unsure of the water quality, to stay out. [3] One hospital reports that its pool water is tested for chlorine and pH before each session. [2] For what to look for, see how to check a pool, spa or clinic. We do not list or rank places.

Evidence Note

This page describes how services run, not whether a treatment works. For evidence by condition see hydrotherapy evidence by goal.