Chromotherapy: the colorful treatment appearing in all the coolest spas

There’s an exciting new treatment popping up in wellness centers, spas and luxury hotels worldwide. It’s called chromotherapy – and it’s a rapidly growing trend.

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What is chromotherapy?

Chromotherapy (or color therapy as it’s sometimes called) involves the use of color and light to stimulate wellbeing. Different colors and shades have different wavelengths and significance. Each color on the spectrum will have its own effect on the body, mind and emotions. While the exact origins of chromotherapy are lost in time, there are records of color being used as therapy in several civilizations around the world. In ancient Egypt, Greece and India, color was used to heal, while ayurvedic medicine associates different shades with the body’s seven ‘chakras’.

In today’s spas and wellness centers, you’ll find chromotherapy being offered in a number of forms. Some practitioners use concentrated colored light beams as an alternative to acupuncture. More often, color therapy is applied through special LED lighting placed in pools and showers. But before we explore the world of chromotherapy treatments, let’s take a closer look at how this popular therapy works.

Coloring in the details

Chromotherapy uses the visible spectrum of electromagnetic radiation – in other words, color. Exposure to different colors is used to improve wellbeing and treat all kinds of conditions. Every color has its own unique properties and corresponds to different parts of the body. Below is a quick chromotherapy summary:

  • Green: calming and restorative, it encourages harmony and balances the spirit. Green light is said to regenerate the respiratory system, soothe the joints and alleviate headaches.
  • White: clear and pure, it rebalances the senses. It’s associated with regeneration and helps to reset the body’s internal rhythms. White light stimulates the production of serotonin, which helps to regulate sleep and the nervous system. Light boxes are often used in winter by those suffering from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
  • Yellow: symbolizes hope and inspires happiness. Yellow light is said to evoke feelings of security and general wellbeing. In terms of physical healing, yellow boosts the digestive system. It has a cleansing effect, combating imbalances and expelling impurities.
  • Red: no surprise that red represents vitality and strength. It’s energizing, invigorating and encourages courage and optimism. Red light is used to increase blood flow and heart rate – in short, it gives the body real get-up-and-go!
  • Blue: this is the color of rest and relaxation. It reduces stress, insomnia and general agitation. Blue also lowers blood pressure as well as pulse rate. Turquoise is said to be a particularly serene and soothing shade.
  • Orange: fresh and invigorating, it has revitalizing properties and promotes optimism.
  • Magenta: lowers anxiety and raises creativity.

Bringing chromotherapy to your spa or wellness center

Color therapy is a highly flexible treatment. It doesn’t require bulky, expensive equipment or take up lots of space. You can offer it as a stand-alone therapy or integrate it into your other treatments. In short, if you want to enhance or expand your offer, chromotherapy’s a good option.

  • Jacuzzis and hot tubs

Adding colored lighting to hot tubs and jacuzzis is a stunning way of exposing users to color therapy. Many hot tub manufacturers already offer in‑built lighting systems. The use of LED lighting, which is one of the biggest last trends, can create a range of different effects, from discreet spotlighting to kaleidoscopic beams. For maximum health benefits, you can synchronize your lighting with your hydrotherapy options. For instance, with a strong, vigorous hydromassage setting, you might choose an energizing shade of red. For gentle relaxation, a more suitable color might be a soothing green or blue.

  • Saunas and steam rooms

Your sauna or steam room is a natural choice for a chromotherapy system. With integrated LED lamps or color‑changing panels, users are bathed in light as they recharge their batteries!

  • Showers

In some spas, customers can experience chromotherapy as they take a shower. Integrated lighting means they can immerse themselves in a cascade of changing colors! This illuminated downpour is visually incredible – and combined with variable massage options, offers an unforgettable experience!

  • Pools

Want to give swimmers maximum relaxation? Install underwater lighting to subtly transform your pool’s mood and ambiance. Overhead lighting can enhance the effect – allowing you to re-create everything from a shady turquoise cave pool, to a golden sunlit beach.

Discover 16 telling figures about the wellness and spa sector!

Chromotherapy can be introduced in sorts of ways to give customers an even better experience. But what about combining it with your spa’s other treatments? Color therapy has the potential to make an even greater impact when incorporated with aromatherapy, halotherapy, acoustic therapy or other natural health concepts. The result is an experience that stimulates all the senses. Colors, scents and sounds combine for an unforgettable wellbeing experience.

Photo credit: Fotolia

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