Soaking in the healing waters of the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool is beneficial for health due in large part to the 15 dissolved minerals found in the geothermal water and a process called transdermal absorption.
Before science could prove it, people—even animals—instinctively knew that spending time immersed in a mineral hot spring made you feel better, and they’ve been revered by cultures around the world. In Japan, hot springs have always been prized real estate. Frequented by today’s globe-trotting wellness travelers—and the famed snow monkeys of Nagano—Japanese onsens once welcomed elite military commanders, samurai and shoguns. Closer to home, the Ute Indians of Western Colorado considered the hot springs sacred, incorporating soaking as part of their tribal rituals. It was not uncommon for the Utes to bathe themselves and their horses in the hot springs in preparation for battle with other tribes. People (and animals) have always understood the efficacy of hot springs long before science discovered the nuances of cellular biology and biochemistry.
Science, however, can help us understand the details of why hot springs are healing. Our skin, the body’s largest organ, functions as armor, protecting our fragile insides from all manner of hazards. It does an amazing job of keeping the deleterious stuff out; so how do the minerals from a hot spring get in to work their medicinal magic? Two words: transdermal absorption.
Even though skin is a formidable barrier, it’s also permeable and porous, allowing trace amounts of minerals to pass through. Glenwood Hot Springs’ geothermal water contains 15 different minerals—boron, calcium, chloride, sodium, sulfate, lithium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron, silica, zinc, fluoride, phosphate and nitrogen—each one possessing unique healing qualities. When you soak in the geothermal springs, you receive a small, healthful, safe dose of this mineral cocktail.
In fact, transdermal absorption is how medicines are sometimes administered. “The Patch,” for example, is a common smoking cessation remedy that delivers reduced dosages of nicotine to help smokers resist the urge to smoke a cigarette. Similarly and more pleasantly, in the case of hot springs, minute quantities of minerals pass through the layers of skin before entering the bloodstream.
But even if your body didn’t absorb any minerals transdermally, you would still reap a prescription’s worth of healing. Simply soaking in the mineral hot springs is naturally detoxifying and a gentle remedy for skin ailments including acne, eczema and psoriasis.
In addition to the mineral content of the water, the heat of the hot springs water is also beneficial and helps to alleviate the sensation of pain. According to the North American Journal of American Sciences, heat, along with the pressure of the water, dulls our perception of pain by blocking pain receptors in the body. That’s why if you suffer from arthritis, fibromyalgia or joint pain, you feel so much better after a dip in a hot spring.
Soaking in the geothermal waters of Glenwood Hot Springs has tremendous health benefits. Unlike many medical interventions though, soaking in our hot spring water feels fantastic!