Sea-bathing Therapy

In this article, Psychologist Shobhika Jaju explores why bathing in the seawater right before monsoons, is a must for most locals & why should it be on your itinerary if you are visiting Goa this summer.

The Sea is known as the healer of the mind, body & soul. Ever been to the beach and felt all your worries melting away? Or perhaps soaked your feet in the water and saw your skin looking reenergized? Or just felt lighter simply after breathing in that warm salty air?

Salt has healing properties and there is enough research documenting this. The seawater across Goa’s shoreline is a treasure trove of healing properties, for people of all ages, especially during summers. For a lot of people, bathing in the sea right before the monsoons, during the period of late April – early June, is an annual ritual which they cannot miss.

But why so?

Traditionally, bathing & soaking in the seawater has been known to have many healing properties. Right from enhanced skin, better blood circulation, improved immune system, & so many more benefits, there are no surprises that a lot of people treat swimming in the sea, a must do exercise rather than just an act of leisure. Using seawater for medical purposes, is known as Thalassotherapy. There are mental health benefits too, such as improved mood, a more relaxed state of mind leading to lowered anxiety, reduced symptoms of depression, etc.

The increased salt content in the water right before the monsoons just doubles the benefits one can derive from the sea bath. Increased salt content has numerous healing elements, like iodine, calcium, sodium, etc., and all of this improves the body’s metabolism and efficiency of the hormone system.

Ideally, this annual bathing ritual used to be a two to three days thing, with the entire family camping at the beach. The belief is that to get maximum benefits out of the increased salt content in the water, one needs to dip in the water for a few minutes every two to three hours. However, in modern times we can see full families just staying in the water for long hours before, heading back home at the sunset hour, the same day.

Well, if you can’t go to the beach for some reason, soak in some salt in your bucket at home, and have a saltwater bath for your overall being. And when you can, don’t forget to hit the beach and soak it all in!!