Going for therapy: more and more hospitals, wellness centers and facilities are adding warm-water therapy pools.(AQUATIC THERAPY)

In 1976, the employees of Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center in Seattle decided to build a pool for sick and disabled youngsters, and crank the water temperature up to a comfortable 93 degrees. For an hour a day, the little patients were given a chance to do something they'd always wanted: Be kids again.

What the employees created became more than the hospital ever anticipated--one of the nation's first therapy pools. Cardiac patients and cystic fibrosis patients found swimming to be a beneficial, low-impact exercise. Psychiatric patients built skills and positive interactions within the warm water. The hospital soon added mobility swims, patient programming, family swim time, lessons and community adult programs. Approximately five years ago, an award-winning, adapted-aquatics program was implemented.

"We've seen a lot more referrals and the pain management team is referring a lot more kids," said Kathy Bateman, therapy pool program supervisor at the hospital.

That's because hospitals and wellness centers are recognizing the benefits of therapy in warm water. Making a patient light and buoyant while moving against water creates new levels of endurance and strength without gravity causing stress and pain. As baby boomers hit middle age and look for ways to recover from their still active lifestyles, aquatic therapy will only continue to grow in demand, according to experts.

Designers have already seen the spike in demand. "The past few years have seen a marked increase in the construction of therapeutic pools," said Randy Mendioroz, principal of the Aquatic Design Group in Carlsbad, Calif.

"More and more debilitated [people] ...