Written by Megan Smith, PT
If you’ve ever poured yourself a hot bath after a long day because you knew it would help you relax, or burned your finger on the stove and plunged it into a bowl of ice water to relieve the sting, you’ve experienced a form of hydrotherapy.
Hydrotherapy uses water as therapy to relieve physical pain, promote healing, and decrease mental stress. Treatments vary in temperature, water pressure, flow, and delivery. Cold water is used for reducing muscle inflammation, while hot or warm water relaxes muscles and increases circulation. Common delivery systems for hydrotherapy include physical therapy tanks, swimming pools, whirlpools, hot tubs, saunas, showers, and tubs.
Hydrotherapy can also include massage or low impact aquatic exercise. In water circuit therapy, sometimes called contrast hydrotherapy, you go through multiple forms of hydrotherapy alternating between warm and cold water to ease pain and increase blood flow. Athletes often use this technique, and it can include warm baths, saunas, cold plunges, cool baths or immersion therapies.
When choosing a form of hydrotherapy, consider the benefits of each and choose what’s best for your situation.
2. Hera Walk-In Bathing System
3. ComfortWave S10 Half Body Hydrotherapy Table for Home
4. TidalWave Pool Exercise Bike
5. Cold Therapy Machine by Vive Health
Water circuit therapy includes switching between hot and cold water. This can be done in a spa with therapy pools, cold plunge pools, hot tubs, and salt pools. Similar, less elaborate water circuit therapy can actually be set up at home.
Aquatic exercise is physical therapy or other exercise that takes place in water to lessen the impact on joints.
During aquatic massage, jets of warm water hit pressure points, delivering oxygen to your muscles, easing joint pain and muscle stiffness, and promoting increased blood circulation. This can take place in a whirlpool situation where you are in water, or on a hydromassage table where you remain dry.
Perhaps the most important feature to consider for each hydrotherapy device, is if it offers hot or cold therapy. A lot of devices exclusively offer either hot or cold therapy while others can offer both! But what is the difference between the two?
Cold hydrotherapy is a great remedy for any minor injury, such as a sprain, or even more chronic conditions such as long term inflammation. By reducing swelling, muscle spasms and pain, you’re sure to have a speedy recovery! The Cold Therapy Machine by Vive Health is an example of a fantastic device that provides continuous, ice-cold hydrotherapy.
On the other hand, hot hydrotherapy is ideal for muscle relaxation, reducing stress and increasing blood circulation. The ComfortWave S10 Half Body Hydrotherapy Table offers hot therapy for great pain relief and reduced stress. Be sure to consider which therapy you’d benefit from the most before making your selection!
 | Ice Therapy Machine with Special Cold Pads and Straps by Vive Health View Product |
The portable Cold Therapy Machine by Vive Health at number 5 on our list pumps cold water continuously through special compress pads to reduce post-surgery pain and swelling.
No matter where you hurt, the different sized wraps allow you to secure the cold compress on your shoulders, knees, hips, arms, legs, and feet. It will fit the contours of your body so you can get the full benefit of this form of hydrotherapy.
It is simple to operate by connecting the hose to the machine’s ice water reservoir, plugging in the snap lid and controller, and setting the icing time. It will quietly deliver cold compress therapy for up to 30 minutes. It has simple control buttons and holds up to 6 liters of water and ice, with a sensor to alert you when it’s time to add more ice.
The ice water flows through an insulated 5-foot tube and it has a 5.8-inch power cord so you can set yourself up comfortably. This device comes with a carry handle and weighs less than 10 pounds before being filled with water, so it’s easy to take pain relief with you wherever you need it.
If you want to alleviate soreness, stiffness, swelling, inflammation, pain, and discomfort, this ice therapy machine will deliver the relief of cold compresses anywhere you need it, wherever you are.
 | TidalWave Pool Exercise Bike View Product |
Coming in hot at number 4 on our list is the fun and vibrant TidalWave Pool Exercise Bike. With the choice between a bold green, yellow, or pink, you can now enjoy your workout in style. The TidalWave is engineered to provide you with a low resistant cardiovascular workout while reducing the chances of joint pain afterwards.
The convenience of this bike blows all others out the water. It’s slender design ensures it doesn’t take up much space in the pool, making it ideal for group or individual workouts. With a folding v-frame design, scratch resistant transport wheels, and total weight of only 50 pounds, this pool exercise bike is exceptionally easy to transport and store. Despite its lightweight construction, it can still support up to 300 pounds and accommodate users of all shapes and sizes!
The TidalWave bike by Aqua Creek is so much more than meets the eye. Aside from convenience, this bike is customizable and can accommodate more than one type of exercise. During bike exercises, you can choose between multiple resistance levels to tailor the workout to your specific needs. You can choose to upgrade to the sports seat which is narrow and perfect for fast, athletic bike exercises, or the semi-recumbent seat which comes with a backrest and arm handles for extra stability.
Whether you’re on your way to your aquatic spin class or the comfort of your own backyard, the TidalWave Pool Exercise Bike is perfect for all your pool workouts. This sleek and stylish bike is the perfect tool for looking and feeling your best.
 | ComfortWave S10 Half Body Hydrotherapy Table for Home View Product |
Combining the healing powers of heat, massage, and water, the ComfortWave S10 Half Body Hydrotherapy Table for Home by Sidmar Manufacturing Products has claimed the number 3 spot on our list.
Lie on this hydrotherapy massage treatment table fully clothed, and get the benefit of powerful jets directing warm water directly to your body’s pain points. Buoyancy takes the weight off your body frame, and the water pressure can be adjusted from light to deep tissue. The release of muscle tension and stress aids in lowering blood pressure. The benefits of soft tissue massage, acupressure, heat therapy, and trigger point therapy are all combined in this comprehensive hydrotherapy table.
The dry hydrotherapy massage bed can accommodate users up to 350 pounds. It will benefit anyone who feels physical or mental stress, and it’s known to benefit people living with orthopedic, musculoskeletal, and neurological conditions. It’s also good for children and adults with sensory processing disorders. It helps anyone relax the body and mind.
If you are seeking a comfortable and relaxing way to reduce swelling, improve circulation, increase range of motion, lower blood pressure, relieve stress, rehab injuries, and reduce pain, this hydromassage table will meet your needs. Relax with the full hydrotherapy benefit while remaining completely dry.
 | Hera Walk-In Bathing System View Product |
Mobility challenges can make getting into and out of a standard bathtub dangerous. At number 2 on our list, theHera Walk In Bathing System by Polaris Medical makes it possible to walk right into a bathtub and enjoy a relaxing bathing experience while independently taking care of your personal hygiene needs.
This hydrotherapy tub doesn’t sit on the floor, and has room for a lift to be positioned under it. The door swings open wide and you can step or be lift-assisted into the seating area. The door locks electronically to prevent accidental opening while the tub has water in it. It features a storage compartment under the tub for bubble bath, shower gel, or shampoo. You can fill the electronic dispensers and have them ready at the touch of a button when it’s time to get clean. When it’s time to relax, this tub will treat you to a 2-jet hydro massage.
The water will stay at the set temperature with thermostatic mixing valves and it can be filled in less than three minutes. The automated panel controls water temperature, fill amount, and even the shampoo dispenser.
If getting into and out of a tub is a safety concern, this walk-in hydrotherapy tub will make it possible for you to safely enjoy all the benefits of a relaxing bath with hydro jet massagers without any of the risk that comes from stepping over a tub wall.
 | Mobile Sports WhirlPool View Product |
Topping our list of best hydrotherapy devices is the Mobile Sports Whirlpool from Whitehall Manufacturing. This whirlpool is long enough to be enjoyed by those with larger athletic builds, and can be purchased in 85-gallon, 90-gallon or 110-gallon sizes. It is designed to provide recuperative therapy and prevention of sports related injuries to the arms, legs, hips, back, and shoulders and also benefits patients struggling with arthritis, stroke, back pain, fibromyalgia, neurological conditions and musculoskeletal conditions like sprains and strains.
Another hydrotherapy benefit of this whirlpool is that it can be included in water circuit therapy, in which you switch between hot and cold plunges. An example of this would be 10-20 minutes in this heated whirlpool, 10 minutes in a sauna to increase circulation and perspiration, 10 minutes in a cool bath to bring down body temperature, then finishing up with 10 minutes in a cold tub to minimize swelling, reduce pain, and enhance your mood.
Made from 16-gauge seamless corrosion-resistant stainless steel, with 80 percent recycled materials, this Mobile Sports WhirlPool is water tested and comes with a one-year warranty. It has heavy duty galvanized steel and rubber locking wheels and the bottom is fully-covered for easy cleaning. It has a lever for easy height adjustment and agitation direction.
Although this can be used to deliver hydrotherapy at home, it is also a favorite of professionals.
If your active lifestyle is taking a toll on your joints and muscles, this whirlpool can provide you with the kind of soaking relief your body needs to recuperate and get you back into the game. The added benefit of being an element of water circuit therapy makes it even more desirable as a tool for rehabilitation, relaxation, and recovery.
Hydrotherapy is the practice of using water to manage and relieve pain and promote overall well-being. It takes many forms, includes hot and cold temperatures, and encompasses multiple delivery methods.
The documented benefits of hydrotherapy include reduction in blood pressure, decreased in less muscle soreness, elevated mood, and improved sleep.
Common types of hydrotherapy include aquatic exercise, soaking in natural mineral springs, colonic cleansing, compresses, water circuit therapy, isolation tanks, foot baths, hot fomentation, ice baths, sauna, sitz baths, steam baths, soaking therapeutic baths, watsu, and whirlpool therapy.
The Mobile Sports WhirlPool topped our list because of its standalone features, and the fact that it can be incorporated into water circuit therapy. It’s big enough to accommodate people with larger athletic frames and is a great choice for relaxation or rehabilitation.
Hydrotherapy is one of the oldest forms of natural medicine. With so many options for hydrotherapy at home, you can customize your approach to achieve the greatest benefit. Whether you want to exercise, relax, rehab, or just safely be able to enjoy a bath, the products on our list are all quality built with the user experience in mind.
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Megan has been a part of Rehabmart since its inception nearly 20 years ago. For the past several years she has been enjoying her role as HR Director while maintaining her Physical Therapy license. When she isn't working on her next in-service or working to find a new team member, she enjoys her five children, helping those who have PT type ailments, baking, practicing yoga, and working out.
