Origins of Your Therapeutic Massage Spa in St Petersburg FL by Chris Lontok

You may have been a regular client at your favorite therapeutic massage spa in Pinellas County, Gulfport, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, St Petersburg FL, availing of reflexology massage therapy, deep tissue massage therapy, Swedish massage therapy, sports massage therapy, hot stone massage therapy or perhaps pregnancy massage therapy. You and your significant other may have been enjoying therapeutic massage at the couples room. But have you ever wondered about the origins of the therapeutic massage spa that you patronize in St Petersburg FL?

Since ancient times, people have used the spa to find relief from various types of discomfort. From those olden times to these more modern days, different kinds of spas have also emerged. According to the International Spa Association (ISPA), the spa industry worldwide covers ten major segments, namely, food, diet and nutrition; exercise and fitness; bodywork and massage; mind, body and spirit connection; beauty and skin care; time, rhythm and cycles balancing; ecology and climatology; culture; and management and operations.

The very first spas in the world, however, were centered on water. At that time, the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Mesopotamians and Minoans considered bathing as a form of therapy that relieves pain and treats various diseases.

The early Greeks called their spas laconica. The Romans followed suit and called their Roman bath the balneum. A more luxurious version was the Roman hot bath called thermae. The Romans began building larger and larger thermae until they became huge complexes that not only had for areas for bathing but also other areas for dining and for sports. The bathing areas became so vast that some could even accommodate as many as 6,000 persons at any one time.

At the thermae, people started with the largest bath called the tepidarium. They stayed there for not less than an hour because the bath was accompanied by a massage with oils. The people then proceeded to the caldarium for either a hot bath or a cold bath. This was followed by a visit to the hottest bath in the complex, called the laconicum. The very hot bath was accompanied by a vigorous massage where a metal strigil was used to slough of dead skincells. Finally, people finished off with a dip in the coldest bath in the thermae, called the frigidarium.

During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, spas were also built in Switzerland, Belgium, Germany and England. They were often located beside natural mineral springs or natural hot springs because such waters were considered beneficial to the sick. Many water based treatments and therapies were developed, many of them integrated with massage therapy.

History has witnessed how people have benefited from therapeutic massage spas through the ages. Even today, therapeutic massage spas still provide health and wellness benefits through reflexology massage therapy, deep tissue massage therapy, Swedish massage therapy, sports massage therapy, hot stone massage therapy and pregnancy massage therapy. Residents of Pinellas County, Gulfport, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach are fortunate to have a professional therapeutic massage spa in St Petersburg FL.