For thousands of years we have enjoyed the health benefits derived from the combination of exposure to hot elements and immediate immersion in cold water followed by an extended period of relaxation.
 
Hydro-thermal therapy will energize and relax your body & mind, cleanse your body, and improve physical conditioning along with your sense of well-being!

Hydro-thermal therapy is provided at Refuge through the sauna and steam bath which open up the body's vascular system and the cold water pools that enhance muscle recuperation by quickly building down lactic acid.

1. Reduces the inflammatory mediator prostaglandin F2 alpha, and protects against oxidative stress and free radical damage.
2.Increases testosterone and growth hormone (GH) in men.
3. Regular sauna use, when combined with exercise therapy, can efficiently clear organic chemicals, solvents, drugs, pharmaceuticals, and even PCBs and heavy metals from the body. The immersion in cold water has specific benefits that complement those derived from regular exposure to heat.
 
A German study at the Herzog-Julius Hospital for Rheumatology and Orthopedics, Bad Harzburg, Germany, examined oxidative stress associated with ice-bathing in regular winter swimmers and found these swimmers showed an "adaptive response" through enhanced "anti-oxidative defense".  Other research highlighting cold water's effect on our body's immune system showed an increase in both the number and activity of "peripheral cytotoxic T lymphocytes" (cells that are tasked to destroy virally infected cells and tumors) in those regularly exposed to cold therapies.
 
Full body cold water immersion also resulted in a sustained increase in norepinephrine, which substantiates the long-term pain relief. Exposure to cold also increases metabolic rate and accelerates the build down of lactic acid in muscle tissue.
Finally, the benefits of cold water therapy show promise for those with chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic heart failure, and some (non-lymphoid) types of cancers.