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Hydrotherapeutic Massage: Hot Tub Jets

Hydrotherapeutic massage is created by forcing water (or a combination of water and air) through jets directed at specific areas of your body. As you're shopping for the best hot tub or spa, you'll find a wide variety of jets and jet combinations. Consider the following when reading reviews on hot tub jets:

The quantity of jets alone does not guarantee a good massage. A combination of the right jets, in the right formation ensures a good massage.

1. Some jets offer powerful, direct streams of water to specific muscle groups in your body. Other jets provide a softer water flow. A big jet doesn't guarantee a great massage; a jet that's the right size for a specific muscle group creates a great massage.
• Does the spa offer the right size jets with the appropriate intensity for all muscle groups?
2. All jets are made to direct water flow. Spa pumps push water through the jets. You can customize a massage by controlling the flow.
• Does the hot tub allow you to divert water flow pressure from one seat to the next?
• Can you turn jets off and on individually to personalize your massage?
3. Many jets are designed to oscillate or rotate back and forth. An oscillating or rotating stream of water simulates a hand circling, or rubbing certain areas of your back.
• Does the hot tub have a combination of straight-stream and oscillating or rotating jets?
• Can you change the direction to obtain a more personalized massage?

Jet Formations

True hydrotherapy comes from a combination of jets, working different areas of your body at different times. Rather than counting jets, consider jet formations in order to choose the hot tub or spa that offers the experience that's right for you.

• Take a critical look at the hot tub. How many seating positions with hydrotherapy jets ("therapy stations") does it offer? How many different massage experiences can you find?
• Check the placement and combination of jets. Are the large, powerful jets placed for the appropriate muscle groups in your body, such as your lower back, shoulders, and feet?
• Consider jet groupings. Does the hot tub offer an overall back therapy seat, with jets placed in all the major muscle groups of your back? Does it offer a good lumbar massage?
• Consider the delicate areas of your body. Make certain that jets directed toward your neck are not too strong. Are there additional jets for muscle groups in your wrists, your hands, and your calves?
• Imagine an overall massage experience. Can you move from one therapy station to the next and achieve a massage that rivals a traditional massage (i.e. can you work your entire body, head-to-toe, with a customized water and air bubble massage)?