A tranquil getaway loaded with fun and health benefits can be found just outside Grahamstown, at the Highlands Health Hydro.
A tranquil getaway loaded with fun and health benefits can be found just outside Grahamstown, at the Highlands Health Hydro.
The Hydro is situated on a 235 hectare farm and offers health giving hydrotherapies for the whole family. There is an indoor heated swimming pool, jacuzzi, infra red sauna and steam room.
The indoor heated swimming pool (kept at 30°C all year round) is brimming with spring water and is free of chlorine and other chemicals. It is sterilised by a process called ozonation. This is a water treatment process using oxygen that cleans the water without leaving any chemical residue.
The Highlands Health Hydro owner, Dr Stuart Dwyer said that this process also creates peroxides in the water. Peroxides are what your immune system generates in killing bacteria and viruses. People who have an illness such as flu or bronchitis are benefited by just swimming in the water, as it is detoxifying.
Using the Hydro facilities also greatly benefits people with arthritis and is very helpful to those trying to lose weight. Children also love swimming here. Three year old Zoe Steffny was spotted in the pool recently.
Her mother, Marnie Steffny said the pool is the perfect place for children to learn how to swim. "The pool is perfect. It is warm and has no chlorine. It's fun and that is exactly what kids want," she said. The infra-red sauna is the only one of its kind in Grahamstown that combines moderate heat and a healing infra red radiant energy.
This penetrates deeply into the body to heal and push out toxins. Time spent relaxing in the steam room and the warm jacuzzi bath, which is also filled with pure spring water, improves circulation, and toxins that may be in the body are gently perspired out. The ozonated water turns all toxic substances into carbon dioxide, which then simply evaporates.
"People get a lot of health benefits by coming regularly, which is why we formed a club membership," Dr Dwyer says.
The membership cost is R250 per month for unrestricted use of all the facilities. Casual visitors are most welcome at R50 per facility. There are also special rates for families, students and pensioners and a group booking can be made for a business meeting or for end of year functions.
Mostly, it is a quiet place to take the day out and relax. For as little as R50, one can spend the entire day at the Hydro, dipping in and out of the pool, and relaxing on the deck. So what are you waiting for? Get your health and peace of mind from the Hydro.
