Watsu – Floating in Warm Water

Watsu at the Buff Medical Resort

A therapist accompanies you the entire time: you lie in water warmed to around 35 °C (95 °F), are moved calmly and gently stretched – you do not have to perform anything and do not need to be able to swim.

What is Watsu?

Watsu is a form of bodywork in warm water – the name stands for "water shiatsu", a kind of aqua shiatsu. The method was developed in the early 1980s by Harold Dull, who transferred elements of Zen Shiatsu into water. Characteristic is the water temperature of around 35 °C (95 °F), roughly body warmth: only this way does the body stay relaxed and carried throughout. In this water you are gently moved, rocked and stretched – stretches, soft massage and shiatsu techniques flow into one another. Being carried in the warm water lets many guests experience their joints and spine as relieved. Many people experience Watsu as deeply relaxing, and many find they move more freely afterwards; it is a wellness experience and not a medical treatment – in the case of specific complaints, please have them clarified by a doctor.

What to expect

You step into the pool warmed to around 35 °C (95 °F) and are held securely by the therapist. What follows happens without any effort on your part: calm rocking movements, gentle stretches, stillness in between. After the 40 minutes you should allow yourself some time to rest – the treatment often continues to work for a while.

Afterwards, the treatment winds down entirely at your own pace – with a quiet massage, in our pool landscape, or during still hours in your suite, right on Lake Constance.

More than wellness: your health in view

If you wish, the Buff Medical Resort goes beyond care and relaxation. From gut health according to F. X. Mayr through cardiology to sports and exercise medicine, you can add a deeper look at your health to your stay – entirely as you wish. Read more under Programmes.