Seek the Heat combines lights across the colour spectrum with a specially curated soundscape of solfeggio frequencies designed to induce a feeling of calm. This unique and evocative experience is inspired by the fields of multi-sensory therapy and chromotherapy, as well as chakra philosophy.
Multi-sensory therapy – the use of various stimuli at the same time to encourage a relaxed, yet engaged state of mind – has been around for decades. It was first used in the 1960s as a way for people experiencing learning disabilities to enjoy a specific environment that awakens the senses while nourishing the nervous system.
In fact, the word used for this activity in the Netherlands, where multi-sensory therapy originated, is ‘snoezelen’, which is a combination of words meaning ‘to explore’ and ‘to relax’.
Multi-sensory therapy usually takes place in a controlled environment such as an enclosed room. It uses multiple relaxing inputs across the visual, aural, tactile, olfactory (sense of smell), gustatory (sense of taste) and proprioceptive (sense of body in space) systems. When the senses are stimulated simultaneously (or ‘stacked’) in a way that feels calming, this calming effect is amplified.
Seek the Heat brings the concept of multi-sensory therapy to life in a natural setting. Our Amphitheatre becomes the container for a multi-sensory journey to unfold across a landscape that includes native trees and birdlife, an open sky, fresh air and true mineral springs, weaving these natural elements into the experience.
One of the benefits of multi-sensory therapy is that it’s an immersive, interactive activity without any specific goal or end-game. The focus is not on performance, but the sensory experience, which runs counter to a culture in which we’re often encouraged to be productive – sometimes at the expense of our nervous system.
And yet, it’s an activity in which we’re invited to engage and connect, rather than disengage or disconnect like we might if scrolling on our devices. Sensory experiences remind us that we are human and living in the present moment. Those immersing in Seek the Heat can choose to enter the pools with intention and mindfulness, bringing awareness to the full array of sensory stimuli and receiving the experience with keen attention.
Guests are invited to meditate on their relationship with the colours of the chakras as the pools glow with seven different colours, as well as a specially composed soundscape from Josh Roydhouse that deepens the sensory experience and contributes to a feeling of profound relaxation.
As well as taking you on an aural journey, Josh Roydhouse’s ‘Chakras’ album will sound underwater, allowing you to interact with the music on a somatic level. Because humans are mostly composed of water, sound waves travelling through water can be felt in our bones in a completely different, more immersive way compared to how we receive sound with our ears.
This takes sound therapy to a deeper level, too. Sound therapy involves using sound (music, singing, isolated instruments, tuning forks and so on) to induce feelings of harmony and relaxation. The experience is enhanced when sound resonates in the body rather than simply the ears.
When it comes to the healing power of music, different frequencies (measured in units known as hertzes, or Hz) are associated with different emotional and psychological responses. Solfeggio frequencies are those that operate between 174Hz and 963Hz – a range believed to assist in deep relaxation by shifting us from Beta to Alpha and Delta brain waves. While research in this field is still emerging, a 2018 study by scientists at Juntendo University, Tokyo, found that the 528Hz solfeggio frequency (sometimes called the “miracle tone”), in particular, suppressed the stress hormone cortisol and boosted oxytocin (the hormone associated with love and bonding).
Josh’s beautifully composed soundscape travels from 396Hz to 963Hz. Each piece of music is its own sonic environment that corresponds with the emotional terrain of each of the seven chakras.
Colour therapy might sound like a novel concept, but as a society we’re increasingly aware of how colours affect us. We know that blue light (from a phone screen, for example), has a stimulating effect, while warm light helps us sleep.
Also known as colour healing or chromotherapy, colour therapy is in fact one of the oldest therapies, used in ancient China, India and Egypt, where coloured light was created via methods such as shining light through coloured glass or silk.
Coloured light (also known as wavelengths in the visible region), seems to affect our biology, and different light therapies are used to treat a variety of conditions from skin complaints and wound healing to inflammation. Research indicates there is an interaction between coloured light and our mitochondria – the cells that house our energy.
Light therapy is also used in psychiatry, where it’s recognised that certain wavelengths affect certain neurohormonal pathways. Red light encourages melatonin production, for example, which is why parents often use red light in their children's rooms, while amber light is also known to reduce cortisol and induce relaxation. Bright light therapy is used to help regulate melatonin and serotonin as well as circadian rhythms, and can help treat Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Chakra theory includes the idea that each chakra is associated with a particular frequency. The lower chakras (which are typically associated with the earth, water and fire elements) are connected with frequencies from 396 to 528Hz, while the upper chakras (associated with air, ether and light) range from 639 to 963Hz.
While wading into our Amphitheatre pools or sitting in the enveloping warmth of our sauna this season, you might like to take a few slow breaths and bring your full awareness to both the soundscape and the colour of the light surrounding you. As you sit and breathe, notice what the colours and music evoke in you. The magic of Seek the Heat is that guests can experience not only deeply restorative bathing rituals, but also the full sensory experience of being immersed in light and sound.
Seek the Heat is complimentary with bathing this winter and includes chakra-centred Hot Springs Yoga daily at 3pm, special Sound Dome sessions, illuminated saunas and Bathe-in Cinema screenings (on Thursday nights), in addition to the lightscape and soundscape of the Amphitheatre pools and sauna. To find out more about booking Bath House bathing and other experiences, get in touch with our Reservations Team.