WELLNESS VILLEROY&BOCH - Villeroy & Boch

6
Whirlpool wellbeing
Prof. Bernhard Allmann,
health expert at the German University
for Prevention and Health Management
Prof. Allmann, what is the connection between
health and bathing?
Health and whirlpool bathtubs
IN THIS INTERVIEW PROF. ALLMANN, AN EXPERT IN PERSONAL
HEALTH MANAGEMENT, ANSWERS QUESTIONS ON HEALTH
AND WHIRLPOOL BATHS AND EXPLAINS THE THREE NEW WHIRL
PROGRAMMES FLOW, ENERGY AND FIT WHICH WE DEVELOPED
WITH HIM FOR THE WHISPER ACTIVE JETS.
The pace, complexity and stress of modern life have produced
increasing concerns about personal health and there is a
growing move towards individual health management. We are
becoming responsible for our own health and seek possibilities
for maintaining or improving it. At the same time there is a
greater demand for rest and relaxation. We seek solutions in our
direct living environment. This is why the bathroom is becoming
more important. It has always been a retreat and refuge but it is
now also a place for active health management.
What effect does bathing have on the body?
Bathing has several positive physical and psychological effects.
When we lie in the bath we automatically feel relaxed. The water
makes us feel unusually light, takes the weight off our limbs. The
hydrostatic pressure in a bath produces a counter-reaction in
the body: the blood circulates, the heart rate increases and the
metabolism is stimulated. The water friction promotes blood
circulation to the skin and relaxes the muscles.
What about whirlpools?
Whirlpools further enhance the positive effects of the bathing.
At temperatures above 36°C the heat intake is increased.
The whirling water also moves the hairs on the skin, sending
relaxation signals to the body. The movement of the water
makes us more sensitive to relaxation processes. As with a
massage, the receptors are stimulated and relaxation hormones
produced. At the same time the blood circulation to the skin
is improved and the muscles relaxed, in this way even relieving
pain to a certain extent. The skin also benefits from the more
powerful washing action.
How do the three new programmes Flow, Energy
and Fit work?
Is it always important to immerse yourself fully?
Not at all. For people with rheumatic pain, tension in the shoulder
and neck muscles or with a cold, a full bath is the best way of
gaining relief. A hot bath is also a good way of countering stress
and relaxing before retiring to bed. By contrast, a tepid or cold
half-bath for seconds or minutes is an ideal way of cooling down
on a hot day. Arm or leg baths are a time-saving alternative to
improve circulation and as a remedy for varicose veins and high
or low blood pressure or to prevent hardening of the arteries.
What is so special about the three whirlpool
programmes?
Each programme has its own choreography, starting with an
introduction, developing to the main part, and then a slow
conclusion. The programme rhythm can be felt and understood.
Flow, Energy and Fit are based on manual techniques used This is particularly agreeable because we live in cycles and feel
by physiotherapists and masseurs. Thanks to the innovative comfortable with regularly recurring processes. Each programme
movable Whisper Active Jets the whirling flow can be adjusted runs for a fixed time to ensure that its effect can be utilised to
to the required needs. Flow gently strokes the skin, increasing the full. In this way you can be sure of doing something for your
sensitivity and giving a feeling of weightlessness.
health and wellbeing every time you take a whirlpool bath.
The result is complete relaxation. The Energy programme is based
on the acupressure technique in which energy meridians are
stimulated by light pressure and energy blockages removed.
Large areas of the body are addressed successively. Lost energy
returns and can be stored. Fit is the most sporty programme. The
directed massage removes muscle blockages. The whirlpool bath
is relax ing and refreshing, giving renewed strength and energy.
Whirlpool wellbeing 7