The Where and What of Watsu

It's been over two years, and I still remember my first and only Watsu as the single best bodywork treatment I've ever had. I'd just booked at room at The Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain. The front desk at the Paradise Valley resort, just outside Phoenix, suggested I start researching the spa treatments for my upcoming stay, since, as is true with many popular resorts, sessions fill up fast. On the online spa menu, under "aquatic experiences," I encountered the term "Watsu" for the first time. For a second, I mistook it for watusi, the manic dance that was popular in the 1960s. Watsu is anything but.

Developed in the early 1980s by Harold Dull, a northern Californian shiatsu instructor, Watsu marries the gentle bends and stretches of shiatsu with water immersion. Dull got the idea for the multivariate treatment after he started floating his students in the naturally warm waters of Harbin Hot Springs. (Now in his seventies, Dull still teaches and lectures. He also heads the Worldwide Aquatic Bodywork Association, or WABA, which accredits Watsu instructors worldwide.) The technique, which amounts to a guided float, caught on first among the New Agey, alternative therapy set. By the late 1980s, Watsu had officially crossed over to the high-end mainstream, with spas such as Two Bunch Palms, in Desert Hot Springs, California, and Sonoma Mission Inn, offering Watsu sessions.

Besides The Sanctuary's website description, which promised a deep state of relaxation, I didn't know what to expect. Would I channel Esther Williams? Richard, my Watsu therapist, put me at ease immediately with his soothing voice and caring banter when he came to fetch me in the spa's waiting area. The shaded outdoor pool, about 10 feet in diameter, was heated to the mid-90s, to approximate body temperature. I can't remember who got in first.

Over the next 50 minutes, Richard bent and kneaded my limbs, neck, back, as he supported and even held me in his arms. This was slightly more intimate than I'd anticipated - but not alarmingly so, no more than your basic massage, and mainly because I had not seen a photograph of what a guided float involved. (The Sanctuary has since added a photograph of a Watsu treatment to its website.) I might have felt shy if the experience hadn't been so instantly profound. I went deep into myself as a lifetime of water - rivers, streams and shorelines - passed before my eyes. It was nothing short of transformative. I felt beyond relaxed. I felt revived.

Converted, I pledged to have another Watsu as soon as possible. Only that proved easier said than done. Despite its increased popularity, Watsu is not yet as widely offered as one might think. In the States, New York City - or the Northeast, for that matter -- didn't have a commercial Watsu facility until Cornelia Day Resort opened in midtown Manhattan in 2004. Its Watsu pool, initially filled with Evian water, now contains salt water, a nod to thalassotherapy, treatment involving seawater and the sea.

Around the U.S., Watsu is more widely available in popular destinations like Arizona, New Mexico, California and Florida. After that, your Watsu choices are slim and sporadic, as is the case around the world. (For a sampler of resorts and day spas with Watsu, see the slide show.)

That said, WABA is trying to change that, and not just for the spa set. Next month, WABA is sponsoring the first World Watsu Week. Between April 21 and 28, Watsu therapists around the world will donate sessions and classes, in an attempt to raise Watsu's profile, including its health benefits. Watsu is recognized to alleviate symptoms associated with conditions such as arthritis, spinal cord injury, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, among others. It also helps special needs children build confidence, and injured patients regain their range of motion. Some health insurance plans cover Watsu, under the aquatic therapy. In addition, some Watsu therapists are opening private practices, like massage therapists.

Dull, the creator of Watsu, tells AOL Travel that the biggest growth for Watsu right now is in Italy and Germany. Watsu is also taking off in Brazil, where there is considerable interest in Watsu's medical benefits. During World Watsu Week, Dull will be based at Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, which will soon offer, guess what? Watsu.

Barbara Benham, a writer based in Washington, D.C., can be reached at bbcerf@aol.com.