Sensitive Skin Care & Hot Tubs

You got out of the hot tub. Your muscles feel relaxed, your mind feels soothed. If you have sensitive skin, this may not be the only thing you feel. A soak in the hot tub could leave you with dry, flakey, itchy skin, even rashes or inflammation. Before you panic, or consider giving up your new spa, there are simple solutions to this well known problem.

Why is this happening?

Chemically, a lot is going on in your hot tub water - and this is before you even add chemicals.

If you have sensitive or reactive skin, hot water will dry it out more than usual - increasing reactivity and possibly triggering any skin conditions you have.

Bacteria thrives and grows in hot water - which can irritate your skin and cause infections. Sanitizers kill this bacteria but have an additional drying effect.

What can I do about it?

First take a few practical steps to reduce the initial problem, then look at a number of products that genuinely help with reactive skin.

1. Expert tips

   If you are running the water temperature at max - try lowering it 1 or 2 degrees.

   
   

   Shower right after using your hot tub and moisturize your skin so it is less reactive.
   

   After filling the tub, ensure your alkalinity and pH are balanced and add a pH stabilizer.

   
   

   If you're using well water, check if you can get municipal water trucked in. This will greatly reduce the amount of chemicals needed and improve base quality of the water
   

2. Additives

   Hot tub conditioners use natural enzymes that help keep your water balanced, cleaner, softer and gentler on skin. Conditioned water still needs to be sanitized and checked for pH balance, though you will use less sanitizer, less balancers and the water will be less harsh on your skin.

   
   

   Our own customer base has the best results from the following products:

   
   

   Spa Marvel is a Canadian formula with a near cult-like following among spa users with allergies, high reactive skin, eczema, psoriasis and other dermatological conditions. It is a liquid you add to hot tub water when you fill it fresh (or every 3 months).

   Spa Perfect (by Natural Chemistry - a Canadian company) uses a proprietary enzyme to continuously reduce contaminates, condition and clean hot tub water, and soften it. It's formulated to solve problems unique to hot water environments. It has a following among people with sensitive and highly reactive skin.

   Ultra Spa (by Spa Boss - a Canadian company) is a combination of borates and conditioners that soften water while increasing effectiveness of other chemicals, so less of everything is required - reducing the number of irritants and adding a "silky" feel to water. It's loved also for the smell - not just masking but truely reducing the odor of chlorine or bromine.

   
   

3. Hardware

   There are newer solutions for water care that can be plumbed in to your hot tub.

   Ozonator adds ozone to your water to keep it cleaner, longer, reducing the amount of sanitizer required. In turn, this reduces the TDS (total dissolved solids) count, so you can keep your water longer. Ozonators can be added to a hot tub post-purchase, though many premium spas come with one built in.

   
   

   Ionizer is an older technology developed by NASA to purify water during space travel. It's now redesigned for use in hot tubs and pools. An ionizer works by placing a metal core into hot tub plumbing. The ions in the metal automatically reduce and remove bacteria that comes in contact. Only a residual amount of sanitizer is then needed to ensure bacteria does not breed too quickly. We expect this will become a favorite among many hot tub users, particularly those with reactions to chlorine or bromine. Ionizers can be added post-purchase.

   If you suffer from skin sensitivity or a dermatological issue, it's wise to speak with a doctor and go over any option mentioned above.