You’ve tried expensive serums and creams, but do you have the ultimate beauty product? It doesn’t come in some fancy jar and won’t cost you an arm and a leg. It’s clear, pure, and ready to get you looking and feeling your best! Still haven’t guessed what it is? It’s good old’ H2O!  Here are some ways that drinking an adequate amount of water daily can help you appearance and overall health: 

• Water flushes out toxins which gives you a more radiant complexion since those toxins are being released and not escaping through your pores!
• Increases energy levels
• Helps attack dark circles around your eyes making your eyes look brighter and clearer
• Maintains the skin’s elasticity and suppleness (less wrinkles!)
• Improves circulation and blood flow
• Helps to curb your appetite for those on a diet!

So how much water should you actually be drinking? Just follow the “8×8″ guideline recommended by The Mayo Clinic–8 glasses, 8 ounces each a day. So keep that reusable container handy and fill it up throughout the day! Let the water do the rest!

We all know that drinking water is necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but there are many other ways to incorporate water into your life . From relaxing your muscles to strengthening your immune system, water can work wonders for you! Here are just a few different ways to enjoy water during your next visit to the Hot Springs:

• Water Aerobics: Get a workout in the water! Join in the water aerobic classes offered daily at the Hot Springs for a fun way to stay in shape!
• Watsu Massage: Enjoy an extraordinary form of warm water hydrotherapy massage which integrates the healing qualities of water. Each session is not only a massage, but a profound experience that promotes healing “shifts” on the physical, emotional and spiritual levels.
• Mineral Baths: Take a dip and experience the healing powers as mineral water is absorbed into your skin and helps heal.
• Cold Plunge Pool: As the newest addition to the Hot Springs, this 55 degree pool helps to increase circulation and strengthen the immune system. A long period of time is not needed to receive the benefits of the cold water-even 30 seconds can get the nerve receptors firing.

So take advantage of all of the different ways to enjoy water here at the Hot Springs. Whether it’s a soak in the mineral baths or a quip dip in the Cold Plunge Pool, enjoy the benefits of H2O!

I would like to introduce you to Patrick Mitchell, Glen Ivy’s own Director of Landscapes and Sustainability. Not only does Patrick know everything and anything about all of the beautiful gardens and collections of plants here at the Hot Springs, he’s here to let you know exactly where our most important resource, water, comes from!

“Pure Glen Ivy Well Water.” We see these signs throughout the Hot Springs but what does that really mean? Where does our water come from?

In case it isn’t completely obvious, Glen Ivy Hot Springs is all about water. It is the one resource that makes this sanctuary a destination. Of course the beautiful landscapes and wonderful staff are invaluable, but Glen Ivy would not exist with out our water—and the availability of that water is a long and complex process.

In fact, the story of Glen Ivy Hot Springs’ water begins somewhere around 12-million years ago. That is when the Santa Ana Mountains began to rise up. Faults or deep cracks in the earths crust formed between the areas we now know as Lake Elsinore and Whittier and as those faults moved and adjusted, the land to the west was pushed up, often rapidly and violently. In this cataclysmic time hot molten magma from deep within the earth vented toward the surface making contact with underground pools or aquifers. As the pressure built, the hot water was forced to follow cracks and crevices eventually reaching the surface in what we now call hot springs. Where underground water stays protected from heat and pressure underground pools form. As these pools fill in the gaps underground, water is forced to move and often reaches the surface in cold water springs.

As both hot and cold springs are reliant on rain and snow to refill the underground pools or aquifers, the amount of available water changes seasonally and from year to year. Being aware of these changes, every person at Glen Ivy Hot Springs conscious of the need to plan and explore multiple ways to protect and conserve this most important resource.

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing some of the innovative ways Glen Ivy is preserving and protecting Pure Glen Ivy Well Water.

-Patrick

An important part of our August Challenge is the importance of consuming clean water. During your time surfing the web, there is a website that is striving to bring safe drinking water to developing nations that you should check out! Wahanda, a website devoted to health, beauty, and wellness, has teamed up with Charity: Water to help provide clean and safe drinking water to deprived communities around the world and they’re making it SO easy for you to help the cause!

How do you participate? Simply register for a free Wahanda account, find any spa, salon, or gym that you’ve visited and write a review (yes, it’s that simple!). For every review you write, Wahanda will donate $1 to help fund Charity: Water. Just in case you need a reason why you should post a review, here are a few:

• 1.1 billion people don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water
• Unsafe drinking water causes 80% of all sickness and disease
• $20 can give a person in Africa clean drinking water for 20 years
• 100% of the money raised goes directly to fund project costs and a sustainable development
• Drilling a well costs between $4,000 and $12,000

So share your Glen Ivy Hot Springs experience (or any other spa, salon, or gym!) and let Wahanda do the rest! You give the review, they’ll give clean water!

Whether you shorten your time in the shower or only do laundry when you have a full load, you’d be surprised how big of a difference YOU can make! As part of our August Challenge, we’re making water conservation easier than ever with these easy ways you can start conserving our precious resource (and even save a little money!).

• We’re more likely to notice leaks indoors, but don’t forget to check outdoor faucets, sprinklers and hoses for leaks.

• When buying new appliances, consider those that offer cycle and load size adjustments (they’re more water and energy efficient).

• Use a water-efficient shower head. They’re inexpensive, easy to install, and can save you up to 750 gallons a month.

• Adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street.

• Monitor your water bill for unusually high use. Your bill and water meter are tools that can help you discover leaks

For a fun way to learn some more ways to conserve water, play Tip Tank. Have any ways that you’ve used to help conserve water? We would love to hear from you!

At the heart of any spa is water and the rituals that surround it and we’re no different here at Glen Ivy Hot Springs. With 150 years of guests socializing, renewing and relaxing in our waters, one might wonder: Where does “Spa” and the idea of using water to heal come from? Well friends, sit back, relax, and enjoy a little trip through time!

The exact origin of the word “spa” is still unknown, but a popular belief is that it originates all the way back to the time of the Roman Empire. Roman soldiers looking to recover from their ailments and wounds they received in battle turned to local bathhouses for relief. The thermal water brought relief to their aches and pains and they found rejuvenation in the hot water and now we have “Sanus Per Aquam”—or SPA which translates to “health through water.” Another popular belief is that “SPA” came from a Belgium town, Spa, whose name is known to go back to Roman times. However “Spa” came to be, the belief of the healing and purifying properties of water stands true today.

Now fast forward to August 2010! Guests continue to visit Glen Ivy Spas for the same reasons that Roman soldiers visited local bathhouses—relaxation, renewal, and a deep sense of well-being.  With warm water flowing around every corner, it’s hard not to completely lose yourself in the healing powers of our water. So take a tip from the Romans–head to warm water and let the healing commence!

Check out more on the history of Glen Ivy Hot Springs and even share your story of how you use Glen Ivy’s water to heal! For more water wisdom, take our August Challenge!

Staying hydrated during summer is one of the best things you can do to stay healthy as the temperature rises. As part of our August Challenge, we encourage you to Elevate Your Water Wisdom and you can start by drinking plenty of water!

Try this eco- and travel-friendly Glen Ivy Spa Tumbler, perfect for holding 16 ounces of your favorite hot or cold beverage. It is made of BPA free material and double wall insulated so it won’t leave a mess on your desk! So do away with plastic and Styrofoam cups and grab a reusable option instead!

Stop by the Spa Lifestyle Store during your next visit to the Hot Springs to pick up your Glen Ivy Tumbler or head to our online store!