Tuesday December 26, 2000

What's up with watsu?

The serenity of water, the healing power of human touch, the relaxation of massage... put all three together and these elements form an immersed therapy for the mind, body, and soul known as watsu.

Guiding people on this aquatic journey at the Two Bunch Palms resort in Palm Springs, is watsuist, Annie Clark. She explains, “It's so much, but to explain it simply… I'm holding you. I'm holding you in water and there's a lot of fear in water but there's also peace.”

“I worked on somebody yesterday and they said, ‘God, it was like I was born again.’"

Annie says it's difficult to describe watsu because each session is unique. But every experience begins with a soothing dip in a secluded warm-water pool. She says, "In the water, there's not the gravity, there's not the weight and it's warm, it's relaxing."

Suspended, eyes closed, virtually weightless, the treatment continues with a series of stretches and a pressure point massage. For most of the session, you simply glide across the water's surface. But occasionally you're submerged into the warm water.

Annie says, “That's also part of the trust, and also part of the letting go."

Here's the EXTRA info on watsu: The treatment will run you anywhere from $50 to $100 per session and doctors are now starting to use watsu with autistic children and cerebral palsy patients.