Now the members of the Buzz Bus team hop all over the country in the Airstream, from two weeks to a month at a time, spreading the message of active and healthy living and sharing the resources which contribute to well-being. Part of their goal is “to partner with like-minded sponsors throughout the country to create a health and wellness ‘buzz’ everywhere they stop and the thousands of miles in between.”

Not so long ago, the team stopped at the Warm Mineral Springs in North Point, Florida for some hot water wellness and a massage at the Spa Donya. With the highest mineral content in America and a consistent 87-degree temperature year round, it’s no wonder that Health.com named these the #1 healing and rejuvenating springs in America. Vanessa, the Buzz Bus team member I spoke to, said that the Warm Mineral Springs “felt like a totally undiscovered and undisturbed slice of wellness. It was amazing to be able to experience a massage there and then soak in the warm water afterward — my skin and body felt so soft and rejuvenated!” That likely had something to do with the mineral content of the springs; there are 51 minerals total, including magnesium, potassium and sodium, which, among other things, promote healthy skin, help reduce high blood pressure, and assist with the alleviation of arthritic symptoms. Such a simple way to get into the healthy lifestyle. Thanks to the Buzz Bus for spreading the wellness word!

My mother has arthritis and generally uses the hot tub twice a day: morning and night. Since doing this on a regular basis she’s found that her knees are a lot better and that she’s in less pain overall. If she’s been typing a lot and her wrists are sore, she goes into the hut tub and dangles them in front of the jets for a therapeutic massage. But the best part, in her opinion, is that the hot tub is a source of motivation. “When I get up I go right down to the hot tub and it’s nice and warm and relaxing,” she says. “The birds are singing and I just look at the sky and the leaves and that’s how I start my day.”

My father doesn’t use the hot tub as regularly as my mother, since he doesn’t have a chronic condition such as arthritis. But he does find it helpful for healing the occasional sore muscle and for relieving stress. “When I get into the hot tub,” he says, “I can just feel the stress evaporate from my body. And if I’ve overexerted myself in the yard, I don’t necessarily need to go for a massage,” he says. “When I get out of the hot tub I feel much better.”

I, like my mother, tended to use the hot tub at least twice a day (sometimes more) while I was home. I found it to be an excellent way to relieve my stiff muscles in the morning and a great way to unwind at night.

If you too are considering getting a hot tub for your health, be sure to consult your physician and tax specialist beforehand: if it counts as a medical expense, you may qualify for an income tax deduction according to IRS Publication 502.

Many Japanese people spend their weekends or holidays at an onsen, soaking with friends or chatting with fellow visitors; some spent time there after the tragic earthquake and tsunami of March 2011. John Burnett wrote an NPR article in which he interviewed two women who had survived the tsunami and accepted invitations to spend a few weeks at an onsen. “The onsen is really healing,” said one. “We can stretch our legs and make new friends in the onsen bath,” said the other. After such a devastating tragedy, it is good to hear about people’s healing experiences, and heartening to know that some onsens are doing what they can to help speed the process.

If you have chronic joint pain it is important to discern whether you have arthritis or arthralgia. Arthralgia is characterized by pain in the joints but does not include inflammation, which is generally found in arthritis. And if you do have arthritis, it is good to know the type and the cause. But in some instances, the source of the pain remains unclear. Dr. Schulz says that in these circumstances, rather than too quickly prescribing a pain-relieving drug, doctors may recommend hot water therapy — a more conservative approach to pain reduction. Furthermore, he says, “the fact that hot water therapy tends to reduce pain in the joint is something that patients usually find out even on their own.”

So if you’re suffering from arthritis, arthralgia, or any other type of chronic joint pain, you may try committing to a hot shower or a soak in the hot tub at the beginning of each day. Chances are high that it could really help.

As an adult, she continued with this particular self-care practice, but eventually grew concerned about the amount of bathwater she was using. “The solution, obviously, was a hot tub,” she says, which she now uses at all times of the day.  But most often, Betsy climbs into her hot tub when the day is just beginning: “It is simply my place to be quiet, to feel a core warmth, and to be outside. It is the combination of these three ingredients that provides a balance within me and connects me to the day I am about to begin.” 

Well, I’m no proponent of counting calories, but I suppose that for anyone trying to reach a healthier weight, the point that this article makes could be a good one to keep in mind. Swimming for an hour seems to burn more calories than jogging for twenty minutes, so you may want to start going to the pool for your exercise. You could also just combine the best of both worlds and try jogging in water! Or, if you’re looking for a more low-key way to burn calories, you could try ai chi; Marlene teaches an ai chi community class at the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute, which appeals to students who are suffering from arthritis and fibromyalgia.

There are a number of detox strategies (Rossman lists seven), but sweating is probably the easiest. When we sweat, our bodies automatically expel unwanted toxins. This is one reason why regular exercise is so important. Spending time in a sauna is great, but many of us don’t have access to a sauna on a regular basis.

The Natural Path says that “the simplest and easiest method of increasing your body temperature is to immerse yourself in hot water.” Bathtubs, hot tubs and spas are all excellent options. And since soaking in one of these is a form of exercise, it means you’re detoxing on more than one level.

Once a week for a month I took myself on a hot tub date and then let a friend practice her massage skills on me. A week ago I went back to yoga and am happy to report that the feeling of iron clamps pinching my back and leg has dissipated, and openness and flexibility are being reinstated.

I will absolutely be continuing with the practice of hot tubbing and getting a massage once a week, as long as it’s possible. In addition to the aforementioned physical benefits, it’s been really good for my spirit to take myself to a quiet beautiful place each weekend, to stretch out under the redwood trees while steam rises off my skin. I’ll admit that I have a particularly low tolerance for cold, but it’s almost never warm enough in San Francisco to go outside in just a t-shirt. So being outside wearing nothing at all (and not feeling a bit cold, either!) is a wonderful sort of freedom that I noticed while I was up at Harbin, as well. Sitting in the warm tub in the rain, I wasn’t worried at all about getting cold and wet (after all, I was already wet, and perfectly warm.) Instead I could really allow myself to just experience the beautiful sight and sound of raindrops falling through the lit-up nighttime branches. Being warm when it’s sort of chilly outside creates a feeling of invincibility that, when felt on occassion, I think can be very psychologically beneficial.

The idea behind contrast water therapy (alternating between hot and cold water immersion)  is that the cold water constricts blood vessels and helps to flush out waste products, such as lactic acid. The warm water, on the other hand, increases circulation and improves the healing process.

Interestingly, when treating an injury such as a sprain or a strain, the athlete begins and ends in warm water. But for workout recovery they begin and end in cold water. In either case, though, Julieta reports that with contrast therapy, “athletes feel an overall reduction in muscle soreness.”

This, I can tell you, is most definitely true. Last week a couple of friends and I took an overnight trip to Harbin Hot Springs, where I treated myself to a Breema massage and soaked in the hot water as much as my 24-hour visit would allow. As most of the tubs require silence, I had a wonderful amount of quiet alone time in which to reconnect with myself and with nature. And all that time in the hot water loosened up my tight muscles, calmed me down and returned me to the city feeling more peaceful and refreshed than I had in weeks.