Hydromassage at planet fitness.

Hydromassage is one of the perks offered at Plant Fitness for Black card membership holders. It uses pressurized warm water jets to achieve therapeutic benefits you would otherwise have needed traditional hand massage for. It has been in use for over 30 years and is found at the black card spa in Planet Fitness.

Hydro means water and another name for water is “aqua”. Other names a hydromassage could be called are water massage or aqua massage. The equipment can come in the form of a hydromassage chair or bed. Whichever form it’s presented, it’s designed to provide hydrotherapy to reduce muscle tension and stress and improve blood circulation.

As a Black card holder, you have access, not only to the Planet Fitness hydromassage but to everything in any of the thousands of its locations worldwide. These include tanning beds, total body enhancement, massage chairs, and Saunas if your center is among the few Planet Fitness clubs with a Sauna.

Hydromassage bed.

The aqua or water massage bed is a convenient, cushy bed designed to use pressurized warm water jets to massage different parts of your body. The jets of water move up and down the body to massage selected parts of your body.

It has a touchscreen console that enables you to adjust its operational settings to suit your needs and preferences.

This is a great and perhaps a cheaper way to enjoy the benefits of a massage without the more cumbersome hands-on massage which may not even be available. It may also appear bothersome to request a massage from the gym staff which is where the hydromassage comes into play.

The hydro or water massage bed allows you to have your massage fully clothed or as exposed as you want because you don’t get wet during the session. This is made possible by the waterproof surface of the bed that prevents your body from coming into direct contact with the water.

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How to use hydromassage bed at Planet Fitness.

All tools and equipment have a usage guide which helps to avoid misuse or damage to both the user and the machine. The hydromassage isn’t left out. If you are new to the equipment, you’ll need to be guided on the proper use of the hydromassage for the best experience without unwanted events.

Usage.

The first step towards using the hydromassage at Planet Fitness is undergoing a verification process and booking, for good reasons.

• Verification: The hydromassage amenity is meant only for black card holders so there is a need for every intending user to undergo a verification to prove black card membership.
• Booking: There is usually a limited number of hydromassage beds available in a Planet fitness center. There may be no free one during your use of the gym so booking for it ensures you get undelayed access to the equipment at your appointed time.

After passing through the above steps you’ll finally be given access to the Planet Fitness hydromassage. It has a flat cushy surface you lie on for the massage. Firstly, you may want to spray a sanitizer on it and wipe it with a towel to clean it. Though this is recommended for every user at the end of a session, the last person may not have cleaned it well.

Beside the bed is a touchscreen console with which you could start, stop, hold, and program the hydromassage as you would have it work. Some of the commonly used features include:

Start dial: Once you lay comfortably on the bed, You use this button to kickstart your session and the countdown for the session begins.
Stop dial: Usually, the machine will stop once your session is over however, if before this time you wish to stop, use this button.
Hold dial: The water jet is usually continuously moving. The Hold button suspends this movement and has it focused on a particular part of your body.
Massage area tab: Though the hydromassage is designed to work on the whole length of your body and therefore is in continuous motion, two cursors can be used to set the range of that length to be covered. It focuses on that part of the length of your body that lies between these cursors. Adjusting the cursors limits the action of the hydromassage to specific areas of your body.
Massage filter button(3 adjustment sliders): You’ll find this button by scrolling up or down where you have the games, articles, and music as shown in the image above. It has 3 Massage presets:

1. Profile massage preset: This allows you to set your massage experience based on your therapeutic goals which may be:
   • Total body treatment,
   • Stress and shoulder tension,
   • Lower back pain,
   • Sore and tired legs.
2. Muscle massage preset: It allows you to choose the regions of your body you want the massage and also the specific muscles in those regions.
3. Design your Massage: This is a drag-and-drag feature that enables you to select different muscles of your body for massage.

Massage customization tab: This gives you the option to place your body areas or muscles in the order you want the massage. For instance, you may want to move from the shoulders to the lower back, then the thighs, and back to your shoulders.
Pressure control tab: This determines the intensity or force of the massage and can be adjusted on a scale from 1 to 10. Higher intensities enable the massage of deeper muscle tissues whereas lower intensities address the needs of the more superficial muscles.
Speed control tab: It can be adjusted on a 4-point scale and determines the rate of the message.

Above is a video that provides a practical guide on the use of hydro massage equipment at Planet Fitness.

Frequency of use.

The hydromassage equipment manufacturer recommends about 15 minutes of usage a day. This is just 50% more than the timing for the full 10-minute session on the machine and not up to 2 sessions. So it’s right to assume a session of hydromassage a day should be adequate going by this recommendation.

However, since it has no side effects, getting on it for as much as you desire shouldn’t be a problem for a healthy individual but there are medical conditions for which you may have to avoid the use of the hydromassage straight up, and others for which you may have to consult with your healthcare provider.

For instance, you can’t afford to massage an area of your body with blood clots like in a deep vein thrombosis. A dislodged blood clot could travel up your bloodstream to cause very serious health problems which may be life-threatening in some cases.

Unhealed injuries or surgeries are reasons to limit the use of a hydromassage to only healthy body parts or avoid the use completely till after recovery. Otherwise, there are no limitations to how many times you could use it daily or weekly but the number of people on the waiting list will affect its availability.

Rules.

Some rules or regulations are placed on the use of the hydromassage at Planet Fitness. Some of these border on hygiene, age, and availability. Below are some of the known rules.

• You have to be a black cardholder to access the machine,
• The hydromassage has to be booked before use. This is to ensure an organized use of the equipment without anyone getting in the way of others,
• You must be at least 18 years of age,
• Waiting for your turn each time is essential to avoid creating chaos.
• Maintenance of hygiene and cleaning of the equipment after use is important though it’s not enforced.

Planet Fitness hydromassage cost.

There are no separate costs for the use of Planet Fitness hydromassage. All you need is to be a black cardholder. The hydromassage is one of the perks you get with it. The card currently costs $24.99 monthly but this is subject to change anytime as it was reviewed upwards sometime earlier this year from $22.99. We made this known with full details in an earlier article you may want to see.

As a black card holder, your total monthly fee for a year is about $299.88. However, other fees add up for the year such as the sign-up fee and annual membership fees. These could bring your annual black card membership fee to as much as $397.88 in some cases.

The cost of black card membership in a year falls within the range of $349.88 to $397.88 because the sign-up fee varies from $1 to $49 among the various Planet fitness centers. The annual membership fee is the same across the board though.

12 Hydromassage benefits.

There is a reason people enjoy massages and keep going back for more. It’s simply because of what they benefit from the sessions. Hydromassage at Planet Fitness may be distinct from the traditional hand-on massage but it has just as many benefits as a hands massage. Here are some of what you stand to gain from a session of hydromassage at Planet Fitness.

1. Reduction of muscle soreness: Most research conducted in this area suggests post-exercise massage relieves symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness which often comes after workouts your body is not yet accustomed to as stated in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).¹
2. Enhanced blood circulation: The warm jet of water from the hydromassage results in vasodilation of blood vessels(widening of the blood vessels walls) which improves circulation of blood.
3. Reduction in blood pressure: With dilated blood vessels due to the warm water jet, you’ll expect a reduction in blood pressure as has been proven by research.²
4. Removal of metabolic wastes and toxins: With enhanced blood circulation as the result of vasodilation of blood vessels, there is a corresponding enhancement in the clearance of metabolic wastes from the tissues or organs via the bloodstream.
5. Reduced recovery time after workout: A study has revealed that post-exercise massage reduces recovery rate and improves performance even after intensive activities.³
6. Reduced Muscle stiffness: Massage results in reduced muscle stiffness. The warmth provided by the water causes further relaxation of tense muscles. This results in greater flexibility and reduced risk of injury during activities or sports.
7. Improved sleep quality: Massage reduces stress and is known to improve the quality of your sleep. This has also been found to hold for cardiac patients in a study.⁴
8. Stress reduction: This is a common reason people go for a massage. Unlike the usual hands-on massage, the warm water jet of hydromassage offers an improved reduction in stress levels and relaxation.
9. Reduction in episodes of headaches: Research has proven massage therapy to be effective in reducing tension and migraine headaches.⁵
10. Relief from low back and neck pain resulting from muscle spasms: A Study has revealed massage can be as effective as manipulation and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in managing these types of pain.⁶
11. Cheapness: Planet Fitness Hydro Massage costs nothing more than a black card membership that gives you access to so many other perks. For this reason, it’s cheaper than the pricier hands-on massage that offers just about the same benefits you get from a hydro massage.
12. Privacy: Not everyone likes to be undressed for a hands-on massage from strangers. The hydromassage allows you to get all you stand to benefit from a traditional massage with a good sense of privacy.

I hope this was helpful and answers all your questions on hydromassage. If so, kindly share and let us know what else you are interested in.

Reference

1. Ernst E. Does post-exercise massage treatment reduce delayed onset muscle soreness? A systematic review. British Journal of Sports Medicine 1998;32:212-214. ↩︎
2. Dewi Hartinah, Andy Sofyan, Siswanto, Ahmad Syafiq. The Effect of Hydrotherapy on Blood Pressure of The Hypertensive Patients in Public Hospital of RA. Kartini Jepara. Advances in Health Sciences Research. Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Sustainable Innovation 2019 – Health Science and Nursing (IcoSIHSN 2019). DOI 10.2991/icosihsn-19.2019.22. https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/icosihsn-19/125919804 ↩︎
3. Mehdi Kargarfard, Eddie T.C. Lam, Ardalan Shariat, Ina Shaw, Brandon S. Shaw & Shamsul B.M. Tamrin (2016) Efficacy of massage on muscle soreness, perceived recovery, physiological restoration and physical performance in male bodybuilders, Journal of Sports Sciences, 34:10, 959-965, DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2015.1081264 ↩︎
4. Cheraghbeigi, N., Modarresi, M., Rezaei, M., & Khatony, A. (2019). Comparing the effects of massage and aromatherapy massage with lavender oil on sleep quality of cardiac patients: A randomized controlled trial. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 35, 253-258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2019.03.005 ↩︎
5. Christopher Quinn, Clint Chandler, Albert Moraska, “Massage Therapy and Frequency of Chronic Tension Headaches”, American Journal of Public Health 92, no. 10 (October 1, 2002): pp. 1657-1661.https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.92.10.1657 PMID: 12356617 ↩︎
6. Ernst, E. (1998). Massage Therapy for Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 17(1), 65-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-3924(98)00129-8 ↩︎