Leanne’s dark room is a great stress-buster

A BATTLE with depression and the illness of their child has led a couple to open their own therapy centre.

Leanne and Chris Morris opened the Clearwater Hydrotherapy Relaxation Centre in Dundee last month.

And they’ve already been amazed at how treatments benefit users.

Mum-of-two Leanne said: “It really is a privilege to be able to help people this way.

“The feedback we get is quite overwhelming. People notice improvements even after one session.”

The new centre has a stateof-the-art flotation room and a water-jet massage facility — that doesn’t get you wet.

Leanne left her council job and Chris his career as a printer. It’s taken three years of hard work and all their savings to realise their dream.

In October, the centre’s chlorine-free hydrotherapy pool opens, complete with underwater treadmill.

It was after Jessica, the couple’s first child, developed the lung complaint bronchiolitis almost three years ago that they first learned of the benefits of hydrotherapy.

Leanne explained: “Jessica was only a year old. She spent a week in hospital and another two or three months recovering at home.

“It’s a common condition that causes lung inflammation.

“I’d been taking Jessica swimming at a local pool — I had asthma as a child and I wanted to make sure she had good, strong lungs.

“The doctors said there could be a connection between the chlorine in the water and Jessica’s condition — the byproducts of the chlorine can irritate airways.

“I learned as much as I could on the subject and — although the fitness benefits of swimming in a chlorinated pool far outweigh any potential risk — I’d much rather she swam in a non-chlorinated pool.

“We found one nearby but it was so popular it was hard to use when we liked — so we looked at the possibility of opening our own.”

And when Leanne developed post-natal depression after the birth of second child John, now 2, a GP’s suggestion she try flotation therapy saw her business idea grow further.

Leanne said: “The doctor suggested it after learning of my interest in hydrotherapy.

“I experienced a huge improvement in my condition.

“As a result, we decided to include a flotation room in the centre.”

The flotation room has an 8ft x 3.5ft pool, 10in deep. It contains a large amount of Epsom salts to ensure buoyancy and is heated to body temperature, 37.5 C.

Leanne, who is expecting her third child, said: “The room is darkened and each session lasts an hour.

“Within minutes you drift into that zone between awake and asleep.

“It’s the ultimate de-stress therapy. We never spend an hour relaxing like that in real life — even when we go to bed most of us have a phone next to them.

“It can also help with chronic pain, sleep problems and sports injuries.”

The water-jet massage table is like a waterbed you lie on fully clothed. Blasts of water under the material ease away aches and pains.

A 15-minute session is the equivalent of a one-hour traditional massage.

For more info, visit the website clearwaterhydrotherapy.co.uk