Extended Weekend Getaways By Heather Raulerson
Freelance Writer
I was living in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and was able to visit the RarinJinda Wellness Spa Resort with a friend.
The RarinJinda Wellness Spa Resort is an amazing facility that provides a tranquil pampering experience with the latest spa technologies, including a hydrotherapy pool. The spa package we chose had us relaxing in an indoor heated hydrotherapy pool, dipping into an outdoor onsen, and enjoying a steam sauna.
The staff greeted us warmly and offered us a cup of green tea before being led to the changing rooms. After switching to swimsuits, we headed to the hydrotherapy pool. The water was surprisingly warm as I gingerly stepped into the pool. 
The hydrotherapy pool has eight stations that you rotate through with water jets placed in different locations to perform like a massage therapist, stimulate the lymphatic system, and flush the toxins out of your body. I was looking forward to this experience and hoped it would help my tired body from all the walking I had been doing exploring Chiang Mai.
What to expect in a hydrotherapy pool? Pure relaxation! Each station has jets shooting water at different locations on your body with different intensities, ranging from a gentle, soothing pulse to more intense pressure. The stations are set up to allow you to use them on the parts of your body that need them the most work as you move from one to the next.
To prepare for hydrotherapy, you first enter the Bubbling Area, where gentle bubbles surround your body. Then you head to the next section of the pool with foot jets attached underneath the pool, shooting water upward and giving your feet the most wonderful foot massage. I love getting foot massages, and this one easily eased the soreness in my feet. Another station had jets pointing to locations on my back, stomach, and legs. The Aqua Bed is the next station, where you lay down and enjoy water jets massaging your lower legs and feet, designed to increase circulation in that body area. You could almost fall asleep at this point since it is so soothing.
Each station in the hydrotherapy pool has enough jets to support two people going through the stations together. After the Aqua Bed, you stand in an area dedicated to relaxing your back muscles by having the water jets aimed directly at your core. As we keep much tension in our backs, the next station of the pool continues to focus its intentions on the back and leg area. This station has you sitting and has the most powerful of the jets. With the intense pressure, these water jets quickly released the tension in my lower back.
Toward the end is the Swan Neck station. As the previous stations focused on the feet, legs, and back, this one is designed to help decrease musculoskeletal pain and fatigue in your upper shoulder area. Its powerful jets propel water down onto your neck and shoulders. I wasn’t a complete fan of this stage as my shoulder area is quite narrow; I kept getting the water shooting at my head. The last step is to return to the Bubbling Area for the cool-down process of your hydrotherapy pool experience. Having the bubbles gently caress your skin is the perfect way to end your water massage.
The next portion of the hydrotherapy package moved us to the outdoor onsen. There are three separate pools for you to enjoy. The first is the Hot Springs pool, where the water is naturally hot between 40 and 42°C. Then, hop right into the next pool, the Cold Water Pool, at 16 to 20°C. Jumping from the hot water into the cold water was a shock to my system, and I wasn’t brave enough to stay in the cold water pool for very long. The last outdoor pool is the Carbonated Spa Pool which had a similar temperature to the hydrotherapy pool at 36 to 38°C. After finishing up with the outdoor pools, we returned indoors to partake in a steam sauna. If there were any toxins left in my body, they were gone after the sauna.
Thailand makes a point of catering to the relaxation of the mind and body, and the RarinJinda Wellness Spa Resort was the perfect place for my first foray into a wellness spa. The water melted away every ache in my body, and I felt incredibly energized when I left. If you get a chance to visit a wellness spa this year or even get to experience a hydrotherapy pool, you won’t regret the luxurious pampering you will receive. It is a new day, so why not be pampered for a new you?