The hot water bath that utilises industrial technology

Do you need to loosen those tight sore muscles in your waist or back? How about relieving all the stress that you experience everyday? Your jacuzzi is the answer!

A jacuzzi is a hot water tub with jets that circulate the water. It was invented and developed by a man of the same name.

Born in 1903 in Italy, Candido Jacuzzi emigrated with his family to the States (Berkeley, California) and started up his business Jacuzzi Brothers, Inc. there. The company initially manufactured airplane parts, later moving on to industrial water pumps.

It was an illness that led to the Jacuzzi family's famous invention. Candido's son suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, which required him to attend monthly hydrotherapy sessions at local hospitals. Seeing how his son was constantly in pain, Candido adapted some of his water pumps so that they fitted in a tub and treated his son at home in between the sessions.

The jacuzzi whirlpool1 baths first hit the market in 1955. Though originally targeted at housewives, Hollywood stars such as Randolph Scott and Jayne Mansfield also used it. Their testimony boosted the popularity of the jacuzzi. In 1968, Candido unveiled the first jacuzzi as we know it today. The tub now came fitted with pipes, electrical pumps and water jets. This invention immediately became a hit. Hotels, places of relaxation and recreation, and houses of the rich and famous now possess the humble industrial pumps.

In the jacuzzi, the pump works in tandem with underwater suction fittings to eject water through the jets. Venturis (singular: venturi) fitted in water jets mixes air with the water, causing the bubbly effect. This ratio of air to water is usually adjustable. Unlike hot tubs or spas, jacuzzis are normally drained after each use.

Jacuzzis are now commonly used for relaxation of stiff muscles, to release stress and in the treatment of chronic or joint pain. The movement of water increases blood flow to the areas which are stimulated, promoting healing and reducing inflammation. However, people with heart and/or circulatory problems are advised to consult their doctors before using a jacuzzi.

A note of caution: Even for people with no health problems, it is not advised to enter a jacuzzi (or a hot tub, hot spring, spa or sauna) alone. This is because the heat causes your blood vessels to dilate (expand), allowing large amounts of blood to flow to your feet. If you stand up too quickly, you wil feel faint as a significant volume of blood has left your head. Some people with low blood pressure might actually faint in a jacuzzi or hot tub, resulting in loss of life.

Someone I am acquainted with left the jacuzzi, changed and made it as far as the elevator before she fainted. Her friend had to drag her out and alert a doctor. She was also fed glucose on the off-chance that she might have been a diabetic. On coming to, the doctor questioned her closely and later educated us all about the consequences of taking a soak in a jacuzzi.

1 It should be noted that Jacuzzi himself did not invent the first whirlpool baths, although he did invent the self-contained variety that we know today.

"What is a jacuzzi?" --
"Who invented the jacuzzi?" --
