Hot Tub Before Massage - or After?
If you're like me, you enjoy a good, professional massage. Preferably outdoors on a warm beach, beneath a shaded canopy. If that's not possible, a local massage practitioner is the next best thing. Even better, some masseuses travel with a folding massage table and still make house calls!
Perhaps you've just booked your spa at a fancy spa resort, and well, of course they have a large, bubbling hot spa! So now you wonder, what's better - a hot tub soak before getting a massage? Or enjoying the hot tub or spa after the massage?
Soaking for 15 minutes in hot water, at 100-105° F, relaxes the muscles, drawing out lactic acid. This loosens tight areas, deep in muscles and connective tissue surrounding joints. It reduces inflammation of joints, reduces blood pressure and increases oxygen flow to painful areas.
So, the answer to the question,"Hot Tub Before Massage?" is a resounding "Yes!" - you should slip into the hot water before your massage, whether your massage is local, or if you are at a spa resort. Just 15 minutes in a hot tub, right before your massage appointment, will make your massage more enjoyable and effective, and easier for your therapist.
If you are at a fancy spa, don't show up to your massage appointment dripping wet. Dry off beforehand, perhaps taking a cool shower rinse, to close up skin pores (you don't want to absorb too much massage oil!). Your muscles will retain the heat from the spa for up to an hour.
After your massage, if you want to return to the spa for 15 mins - take a soapy shower to remove any massage oils (your spa operator will appreciate this), and another soak in the tub will do aching muscles and joints good, and give your pores another tall drink of water.