Hydrotherapy refers to curing a man’s menatal or physiological disease with water. Broadly speaking, a hydrotherapy in medicine includes using steam-type, solid-type, liquid-type water molecules as a mass, to cure a disease or a trauma with water to be taken orally or used externally. The former means to input water through a tube inside a body for a treatment, for example, an enema or a lavage with mineral water.

Yet water is often used externally in a general hydrotherapy. That is to soak the wounded limbs or body inside a hydrotherapy trough filled with 36.5 to 40.5℃ warm water, to gain the aim of massage, detumescence, relaxation, abating pain, increasing range of motion, improving blood circulation, promoting wound healing, with the help of such forces as water buoyance, liquid static pressure, surface tension, cohesive force, force from liquid floating. Beside, a bather, soaked into the water from head to toe, can have a curative training with water buoyance, mitigate limb spasm and improve body resistance.

A spa is defined from a mineral spring or a hot spring. Spa therapy means a therapy with a mineral spring or a hot spring, which principal curative components are warm water and natural mineral, not just warm water in a general hydrotherapy. Curative effect of a spa therapy does not only depend on hot compress but also the mineral.

After knowing the implication and function of a spa, we will have a good look at high-consuming bathing culture on beautifying the face / the body surrounded by spa of the contemporary era.