Day 143 - Getting to Chill - Literally

Many of the students who graduate from this program will go on to work in spas, and in doing so, will have clients who want to have extra treatments. So we are taking a "Spa Treatments" class to teach us some of these extra things.

I do have a couple issues with this, though. Some of the things we will be learning in this "Spa Treatments" class, such as Hydrotherapy, are not within the "scope of practice" for Licensed Massage Therapists and Certified Massage Practitioners within the state of Maryland. However, we are still required to learn this information, as it will be on the National Certification Exams. It's a real shame, too, because they can be so beneficial to the clients.
Regardless, we have to learn it. Tonight, we learned about hot and cold Hydrotherapy, mostly cold.
What's that, you say? What is it?
Hydrotherapy has been practiced for a millennia or more. It's the use of water to affect change in the body to bring it back to homeostasis.
Huh?
It makes your body work better - by using water. Sometimes at extreme temperatures.
Have you ever taken a cold bath or shower and felt energized afterward?
Bingo - hydrotherapy.
Tonight we worked with ice cubes, tubs of cold water, and a topical product called Biofreeze, which is like Ben Gay or Icy Hot, but more - uh - specific for therapy.
I found it all rather interesting, but once again, because I won't be able to practice it in the state of Maryland, I'll learn it and maybe tuck it away for later, when I move to Florida and take care of Octogenarians.
Well, I'm off to go soak my knee in some ice water.