LPAW’s hydrotherapy pool — located within our Bow flagship clinic at 46–52 Fairfield Road — is one of the only on-site clinical hydrotherapy pools in East London, and at 36°C, it is the warmest therapeutic pool in the region. It is not a leisure facility. It is not a general swimming pool. It is a dedicated clinical tool, built and maintained for one purpose: delivering therapeutic outcomes that land-based treatment cannot achieve alone.
This page is about the facility itself — what it is, why the temperature matters, and who it is for. For information on the clinical treatments delivered in the pool, see our Hydrotherapy service page.
Location: 46–52 Fairfield Road, Bow, London E3 2QA — a short walk from Bow Church DLR station, with the pool contained within the main clinic building.
Temperature: 36°C — maintained consistently at this therapeutic temperature year-round. This is not approximate. Pool temperature is monitored and controlled to remain within therapeutic range.
Access: The pool is accessible to clinical patients with a scheduled hydrotherapy appointment, and to self-use members who have completed a clinical assessment and been approved for unsupervised use. The pool is not accessible to the general public as a leisure facility.
Changing facilities: Private changing rooms are available adjacent to the pool. Grab rails and pool steps provide safe entry and exit.
Poolside equipment: Therapeutic floats, resistance tools, pool noodles, support bars, and steps are available within the pool environment. The configuration of the pool allows physiotherapists to treat patients at multiple depths.
Hygiene and maintenance: The pool is maintained to clinical standards, with regular water quality testing and chemistry management. Only LPAW patients and members access the pool.
The temperature of a hydrotherapy pool is not an incidental feature. It is the primary therapeutic variable that distinguishes a clinical hydrotherapy pool from a leisure centre pool or a hospital pool, and it determines a large proportion of the clinical benefit.
Standard leisure centre pools: 28–30°C. Most hospital hydrotherapy pools: 33–34°C. LPAW’s clinical pool: 36°C.
At each temperature step, the physiological and clinical effects change meaningfully.
Vasodilation and circulation. Warm water causes peripheral blood vessels to dilate. At 36°C — matching or slightly exceeding core body temperature — the vasodilatory response is maximal, significantly increasing blood flow to muscles, tendons, and soft tissue. This improves the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to healing tissue and accelerates the removal of metabolic waste products.
Muscle relaxation and spasm reduction. The warmth penetrates muscle tissue, reducing tension and involuntary muscle guarding. For patients with chronic pain conditions, fibromyalgia, polymyalgia rheumatica, or severe spinal conditions, this relaxation effect is significant — it reduces the pain barrier to movement, allowing therapeutic exercise that would otherwise be too painful or too restricted.
Cold sensitivity and pain amplification. Many patients with chronic pain conditions — fibromyalgia in particular — have heightened sensitivity to cold. Standard pool temperatures (28–30°C) are experienced as cold by these patients and can trigger pain amplification. At 36°C, this response is eliminated. The pool is comfortable from the moment of entry.
Early post-surgical comfort. Following joint replacement or orthopaedic surgery, the sensitivity of the operated limb is heightened. A cooler pool would provoke discomfort and guarding; 36°C provides the warmth that allows post-surgical patients to move with greater confidence and less pain in the critical early rehabilitation window.
Neurological conditions. Patients with multiple sclerosis must exercise in controlled temperatures — overheating in a warm pool can temporarily worsen neurological symptoms (Uhthoff’s phenomenon). Our therapists manage pool temperature and session intensity carefully for neurological patients, and the consistent 36°C environment allows this to be done predictably.
Beyond temperature, the physical properties of water at any temperature deliver benefits that land-based therapy cannot replicate:
Buoyancy — unloading the body. Water’s buoyant force reduces the effective weight of the body depending on depth of immersion. At neck depth: approximately 90% reduction. At chest depth: approximately 60–70% reduction. At waist depth: approximately 50% reduction.
This graduated unloading means that exercises impossible or too painful on land — walking, squatting, range-of-motion work — become achievable in the pool. For post-surgical patients with weight-bearing restrictions, or patients with severe joint pain, this is not a convenience. It is the mechanism that makes early rehabilitation possible.
Hydrostatic pressure — natural compression and support. Water exerts uniform pressure on all submerged surfaces. This compression reduces swelling, supports joint proprioception (the sense of joint position in space), and provides stability — particularly valuable for patients with joint instability or poor proprioception following injury or surgery.
Resistance — 12 times that of air. Moving through water provides 12 times more resistance than moving through air, in all directions simultaneously. This makes every movement a strengthening exercise without requiring weights, machines, or special equipment. The resistance is also self-limiting — the faster you move, the more resistance you encounter — which provides a natural safety mechanism for patients.
Viscosity — slowing movement down. The viscosity of water slows movement relative to air. This provides additional stabilisation and reaction time, particularly valuable for patients with neurological conditions, balance impairments, or post-surgical uncertainty.
To understand why the LPAW hydrotherapy pool matters, it helps to appreciate how rare on-site clinical hydrotherapy pools are in private physiotherapy practice in London.
NHS hydrotherapy services have been significantly reduced over the past decade — many hospital hydrotherapy pools have been closed due to maintenance costs and funding constraints. The result is that many patients who would clearly benefit from hydrotherapy have no realistic access to it within the NHS.
In the private sector, the majority of physiotherapy clinics have no pool at all. Those that do use pools typically access external facilities — leisure centres or hotel pools — which are shared with leisure swimmers, maintained at lower temperatures, and not configured for clinical use.
LPAW built and maintains an on-site pool because we believe it is one of the most powerful rehabilitation tools available — and because the patients who need it most are the ones who often cannot access it elsewhere.
Location: 46–52 Fairfield Road, Bow, London E3 2QA — a short walk from Bow Church DLR station, with the pool contained within the main clinic building.
Temperature: 36°C — maintained consistently at this therapeutic temperature year-round. This is not approximate. Pool temperature is monitored and controlled to remain within therapeutic range.
Access: The pool is accessible to clinical patients with a scheduled hydrotherapy appointment, and to self-use members who have completed a clinical assessment and been approved for unsupervised use. The pool is not accessible to the general public as a leisure facility.
Changing facilities: Private changing rooms are available adjacent to the pool. Grab rails and pool steps provide safe entry and exit.
Poolside equipment: Therapeutic floats, resistance tools, pool noodles, support bars, and steps are available within the pool environment. The configuration of the pool allows physiotherapists to treat patients at multiple depths.
Hygiene and maintenance: The pool is maintained to clinical standards, with regular water quality testing and chemistry management. Only LPAW patients and members access the pool.
The temperature of a hydrotherapy pool is not an incidental feature. It is the primary therapeutic variable that distinguishes a clinical hydrotherapy pool from a leisure centre pool or a hospital pool, and it determines a large proportion of the clinical benefit.
Standard leisure centre pools: 28–30°C. Most hospital hydrotherapy pools: 33–34°C. LPAW’s clinical pool: 36°C.
At each temperature step, the physiological and clinical effects change meaningfully.
Vasodilation and circulation. Warm water causes peripheral blood vessels to dilate. At 36°C — matching or slightly exceeding core body temperature — the vasodilatory response is maximal, significantly increasing blood flow to muscles, tendons, and soft tissue. This improves the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to healing tissue and accelerates the removal of metabolic waste products.
Muscle relaxation and spasm reduction. The warmth penetrates muscle tissue, reducing tension and involuntary muscle guarding. For patients with chronic pain conditions, fibromyalgia, polymyalgia rheumatica, or severe spinal conditions, this relaxation effect is significant — it reduces the pain barrier to movement, allowing therapeutic exercise that would otherwise be too painful or too restricted.
Cold sensitivity and pain amplification. Many patients with chronic pain conditions — fibromyalgia in particular — have heightened sensitivity to cold. Standard pool temperatures (28–30°C) are experienced as cold by these patients and can trigger pain amplification. At 36°C, this response is eliminated. The pool is comfortable from the moment of entry.
Early post-surgical comfort. Following joint replacement or orthopaedic surgery, the sensitivity of the operated limb is heightened. A cooler pool would provoke discomfort and guarding; 36°C provides the warmth that allows post-surgical patients to move with greater confidence and less pain in the critical early rehabilitation window.
Neurological conditions. Patients with multiple sclerosis must exercise in controlled temperatures — overheating in a warm pool can temporarily worsen neurological symptoms (Uhthoff’s phenomenon). Our therapists manage pool temperature and session intensity carefully for neurological patients, and the consistent 36°C environment allows this to be done predictably.
Beyond temperature, the physical properties of water at any temperature deliver benefits that land-based therapy cannot replicate:
Buoyancy — unloading the body. Water’s buoyant force reduces the effective weight of the body depending on depth of immersion. At neck depth: approximately 90% reduction. At chest depth: approximately 60–70% reduction. At waist depth: approximately 50% reduction.
This graduated unloading means that exercises impossible or too painful on land — walking, squatting, range-of-motion work — become achievable in the pool. For post-surgical patients with weight-bearing restrictions, or patients with severe joint pain, this is not a convenience. It is the mechanism that makes early rehabilitation possible.
Hydrostatic pressure — natural compression and support. Water exerts uniform pressure on all submerged surfaces. This compression reduces swelling, supports joint proprioception (the sense of joint position in space), and provides stability — particularly valuable for patients with joint instability or poor proprioception following injury or surgery.
Resistance — 12 times that of air. Moving through water provides 12 times more resistance than moving through air, in all directions simultaneously. This makes every movement a strengthening exercise without requiring weights, machines, or special equipment. The resistance is also self-limiting — the faster you move, the more resistance you encounter — which provides a natural safety mechanism for patients.
Viscosity — slowing movement down. The viscosity of water slows movement relative to air. This provides additional stabilisation and reaction time, particularly valuable for patients with neurological conditions, balance impairments, or post-surgical uncertainty.
To understand why the LPAW hydrotherapy pool matters, it helps to appreciate how rare on-site clinical hydrotherapy pools are in private physiotherapy practice in London.
NHS hydrotherapy services have been significantly reduced over the past decade — many hospital hydrotherapy pools have been closed due to maintenance costs and funding constraints. The result is that many patients who would clearly benefit from hydrotherapy have no realistic access to it within the NHS.
In the private sector, the majority of physiotherapy clinics have no pool at all. Those that do use pools typically access external facilities — leisure centres or hotel pools — which are shared with leisure swimmers, maintained at lower temperatures, and not configured for clinical use.
LPAW built and maintains an on-site pool because we believe it is one of the most powerful rehabilitation tools available — and because the patients who need it most are the ones who often cannot access it elsewhere.
LPAW’s clinical team includes 19 practitioners, many holding postgraduate qualifications from UCL, King’s College London, and Guy’s and St Thomas’. Lead clinician Mr Arjun Viswanath MSc, MCSP, MPPA – Co-Founder and Consultant Physiotherapist – brings 25+ years of NHS and private experience including BMI London Independent Hospital and Harley Street.
Every clinician joining LPAW completes a mandatory intensive shadowing placement with our Consultant Physiotherapist before seeing patients independently. This is not a standard practice at most clinics – it’s our way of maintaining clinical consistency across the team.
No. The pool is a clinical facility, available only to LPAW patients with a scheduled hydrotherapy appointment or to approved self-use members. It is not a leisure facility.
A standard leisure pool is typically 28–30°C; you would experience this as comfortably warm to mildly cool. Our pool at 36°C feels distinctly warm — similar to a warm bath. Most patients find it immediately comfortable and report that the warmth is one of the most appreciated aspects of treatment, particularly those with fibromyalgia or chronic pain.
Yes, once your wound has healed and your surgical team has cleared pool use — typically 4–6 weeks post-surgery. We will liaise with your surgical team about specific clearance. The pool is one of the most valuable tools for hip replacement rehabilitation and is used by our post-surgical patients routinely.
No. The pool is used for therapeutic exercises at standing, seated, and supported positions. Swimming ability is not required or expected.
Yes. Paediatric hydrotherapy sessions are conducted by our specialist paediatric physiotherapists. For details, see Babies & Children.
Contact us to book an initial clinical assessment. Your physiotherapist will assess your condition and suitability for self-use, and — if appropriate — set you up with a self-management programme and a membership. See Memberships for pricing tiers.
Location: LPAW Bow, 46–52 Fairfield Road, Bow, London E3 2QA.
Nearest station: Bow Church DLR (2-minute walk). Bow road (7min walk)
What to bring: Swimwear. Towels, changing facilities & showers are provided. Flip Flops are recommended.
Booking: You can book online, call 020 8983 3218 or email us. While online booking does support hydrotherapy, we may occasionally contact you to rearrange if there is a clash in the pool at that time.
Note: The pool is located at Bow only — it is not available at our Stratford East Village site.
Not every visit to the pool needs to be a supervised clinical session. LPAW offers self-use pool memberships for patients who:
Self-use membership is popular with patients managing chronic conditions on an ongoing basis — fibromyalgia, arthritis, chronic back pain — who benefit from regular warm water exercise and wish to access the pool more frequently than clinical sessions allow. It is also used by post-surgical patients maintaining rehabilitation gains after their supervised sessions are complete.
For details on membership tiers and pricing, see our Memberships page. Membership is available to assessed patients only — it is not open to the general public.
Location: LPAW Bow, 46–52 Fairfield Road, Bow, London E3 2QA.
Nearest station: Bow Church DLR (2-minute walk). Bow road (7min walk)
What to bring: Swimwear. Towels, changing facilities & showers are provided. Flip Flops are recommended.
Booking: Pool sessions are booked via our standard appointment system — call 020 8983 3218 or contact us online.
Note: The pool is located at Bow only — it is not available at our Stratford East Village site.
Not every visit to the pool needs to be a supervised clinical session. LPAW offers self-use pool memberships for patients who:
Self-use membership is popular with patients managing chronic conditions on an ongoing basis — fibromyalgia, arthritis, chronic back pain — who benefit from regular warm water exercise and wish to access the pool more frequently than clinical sessions allow. It is also used by post-surgical patients maintaining rehabilitation gains after their supervised sessions are complete.
For details on membership tiers and pricing, see our Memberships page. Membership is available to assessed patients only — it is not open to the general public.
