Jacuzzi & Hot Tub Health Benefits
Up to your neck in water, you carry about a tenth of your weight
A soak warms, lifts and presses on your body all at once. This guide explains what each one does, using the research behind it.
Warm, supported and calm.
Lifted by the water
Water's buoyancy supports your weight. Submerged up to your neck, the water cancels out about 90 percent of your body weight, which takes the load off your weight-bearing joints, bones and muscles.1
Physiotherapists use the same effect in warm hydrotherapy pools, where buoyancy allows earlier supported weight-bearing.2 In a hot tub, it is why a soak feels so easy on the body.
Warmth, pressure and resistance
Warmth for muscles
NHS physiotherapists note that exercising in warm water can help muscles relax and reduce pain, and can improve joint range of movement and strengthen muscles.2
Heart and circulation
In a laboratory study of immersion in 32°C water, heart rate fell by 15 percent and systolic and diastolic blood pressure fell by 11 and 12 percent, while metabolic rate stayed the same.3
Pressure
The pressure of the water on your body can reduce swelling if you have painful injuries.1
Resistance
Water offers resistance as you push against it, which strengthens your muscles. A few slow movements in the tub put that to work.1
For the benefits with the strongest research behind them, see our hot tub health benefits and hydrotherapy evidence guide.
Using your tub well
Temperature
The British and Irish Spa and Hot Tub Association gives 36 to 38°C as the typical bathing range, and not more than 40°C.4
Our hot tub temperature guide covers summer, winter and children.
Before you soak
If you are pregnant, have a health condition or take medication, ask your midwife, GP or doctor first and follow their advice.
Children should always be with an adult. Our hot tub safety guide has the pre-soak checklist.
Choosing a tub? Our buying guide shows what to check, and the Outdoor Living hot tubs are all here to browse.
Quick answers
Open a question to read the answer.
Does a hot tub really make me lighter?
Water's buoyancy supports your weight. Up to your neck, it cancels out about 90 percent of your body weight, so your joints carry far less load.
What temperature is typical for a soak?
The British and Irish Spa and Hot Tub Association gives 36 to 38°C as the typical bathing range, and not more than 40°C.
Can I exercise in a hot tub?
Gentle movement works well. Exercising in warm water can help muscles relax and reduce pain, and can improve joint range of movement.
Should I check with someone before using a hot tub?
If you are pregnant, have a health condition or take medication, ask your midwife, GP or doctor first and follow their advice.
Where is the strongest evidence for hot tub benefits?
For sleep. Our hot tub health benefits and hydrotherapy evidence guide ranks each benefit by how strong the research is.
Sources
- Mayo Clinic News Network, Micah Dorfner, Aquatic exercise: Gentle on your bones, joints and muscles (7 July 2015): buoyancy, resistance and pressure
- Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Hydrotherapy and aquatic therapy (last reviewed 28 January 2025): warm water, muscles and joints
- European Journal of Applied Physiology, Human physiological responses to immersion into water of different temperatures (March 2000): heart rate and blood pressure
- British and Irish Spa and Hot Tub Association hot tub safety alert, via EuroSpaPoolNews (13 June 2019): bathing temperature range
Paul Margerison
Managing Director & Founder, Outdoor Living
A good soak is a warm, supported pause. Enjoy it, and look after yourself while you do.