Hydrotherapy

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What is Hydrotherapy?


Support your body’s natural ability to restore, regulate, and heal.

Hydrotherapy uses the therapeutic properties of water to support circulation, digestion, immune function, and nervous system regulation. At our practice, we offer constitutional hydrotherapy, a gentle naturopathic treatment that combines alternating hot and cold applications with gentle electrical stimulation.

The treatment is designed to encourage your body’s natural restorative processes while helping you shift into a deeper state of relaxation. Many patients describe constitutional hydrotherapy as a nervous system reset and leave feeling relaxed, refreshed, and restored.

Hydrotherapy supports:

  • Stress resilience and nervous system regulation

  • Healthy circulation and metabolism

  • Digestion and bowel regularity

  • Immune function

  • Relaxation and restorative sleep

  • Energy and overall vitality

Hydrotherapy can be used on its own or as part of a personalized naturopathic care plan.

Curious whether hydrotherapy is right for you? Click below to learn more or schedule your visit.

Add-On Services

Sheet Wrap

Experience deep calm and nervous system reset with a classic naturopathic hydrotherapy technique. A cooled, damp sheet is wrapped around the body, from neck to feet, serving as a gentle compress that draws out toxins, eases inflammation, and supports immune regulation. This therapy is especially beneficial for fatigue, chronic stress, and systemic inflammation. Offered as a deeply restorative add-on at the start of your constitutional hydrotherapy appointment.

Note: This therapy adds 1 hour to your treatment time.

Castor-Oil Pack

Support gentle detoxification, hormone balance, and digestive wellness with the time-honored healing of castor oil therapy. Applied topically over the liver or abdomen after your constitutional hydrotherapy session, castor oil packs promote liver and gastrointestinal detoxification, lymphatic flow, and reduce inflammation. Add this nourishing therapy to any constitutional hydrotherapy appointment for deeper detoxification and restoration.

Note: This add-on extends your treatment time by 15 minutes.

Dry Brushing

Stimulate lymphatic flow, exfoliate the skin, and awaken circulation with a revitalizing dry brushing session. Using gentle, rhythmic strokes, this traditional technique helps support detoxification, boost immune function, and prepare the body to better absorb subsequent therapies like constitutional hydrotherapy or sheet wraps. Add dry brushing to your appointment for a refreshing, energizing start to your healing session.

Note: this add-on extends your treatment time by 15 minutes.

Herbal Fomentation

Enhance your constitutional hydrotherapy session with a uniquely formulated blend of therapeutic herbs, applied during the hot towel phase. This soothing herbal fomentation supports detoxification, circulation, and tissue repair, and is efficiently absorbed through the skin for deeper healing benefits.

Note: this add-on does not extend your appointment time.

FAQs

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Our Commitment to Ethical Water Sourcing

At Dr. Elleanor Smith Naturopathic Medicine, we adamantly believe in the importance of preserving natural spaces; especially our most vital resource: clean, fresh water.

In our practice, we use ethically and sustainably sourced spring water by Alive Water served in reusable glass bottles. Alive Water collects the water they use from the natural overflow of pristine springs, not by pumping from aquifers. They harvest less than 0.1% of the total spring flow, ensuring that local ecosystems remain protected and undisturbed. Bottling takes place directly at the source, minimizing environmental impact.

While access to clean water may seem like a given, more than 2 million people in the United States still lack reliable access to safe drinking water, many of them in California. This underscores our commitment to working with companies that uphold the highest standards in water stewardship.

We intentionally choose to partner with organizations that share our environmental values, because we believe every decision, no matter how small, can help create a healthier planet and a better world. Interested in consuming Alive Water at home? Use code “1aj” on the Alive Water website for 15% off your first delivery and order.

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In the heart of Del Mar, California