As far back as Ancient Rome, people would gather in public bath houses for social or business opportunities. Bath houses were a place you could get together in a relaxing atmosphere. Today, the public bath houses in many countries continue to create an atmosphere of relaxation, one of the many great benefits of being immersed in water.

Fortunately today, we do not need to go to a public bathhouse; we have the luxury of owning hot tubs and spas. We can take advantage year round of the many healthy benefits any time we desire in our own hot tubs.

Have you considered implementing the social interaction of the public bath houses with those closest to you? With social media, we can share the details of our lives with many at the click of a mouse. How wonderful it would be to interact face to face instead? Spending time in the hot tub together naturally will cause deeper conversations and support.

We have gotten so used to instant gratification and technology connecting us quickly that as a whole that we are losing the closeness to family and friends. Can you imagine the conversations and sharing you could enjoy with the time you sit in a hot tub with your loved ones? As a bonus,everyone would receive the healthy benefits a hot tub naturally brings!

Use the concept of the public bath houses with a twist: spend time with your family in your hot tub! There are many family-oriented games that can be enjoyed in a hot tub. The games will not involve a game board and moving pieces, but they can be entertaining and create a time and place for the family to come together. With younger children, a fun game to play when together is "I'm Thinking of Someone Special." The rest of the family must ask yes or no questions until one person can name the person they're thinking of. These are fun because often younger children only really know their teachers and close family and it brings about a sense of "that person is special to me."

Older children can embark on word association games like my kids play when we are at a restaurant. The idea of this game is to say one word and the next person has to say a word that relates to the word the person before said. You could also rhyme a word if you couldn't come up with a word that could be associated with the original word.

If you're looking for a good excuse to purchase a hot tub, keep in mind that with the medical benefits of the hot tub brings, you cannot put a price on the closeness that can really bring about positive communication within your family.