What to Expect from Colonic Hydrotherapy
Your first colonic, explained step by step
If you are wondering what to expect from colonic hydrotherapy, the process is usually more straightforward than many first-time clients imagine. At Parkland Natural Health in Holborn, your therapist explains each stage before treatment begins, checks that the treatment is suitable for you and stays with you throughout.
We use a closed-system, gravity-fed colon hydrotherapy system with filtered water warmed to approximately body temperature. Privacy, hygiene, dignity and clear communication are central to every appointment.
Consultation &
suitability screening
Closed-system
hydrotherapy
Therapist with you
throughout
Private &
discreet care
See Parkland Natural Health before your visit
Watch our short video for an introduction to Parkland Natural Health and our approach to colonic irrigation in Holborn.
1. Consultation and suitability screening
When you arrive, your therapist will welcome you and ask you to complete a consent form and health-screening questionnaire. You can discuss your bowel habits, previous experience, relevant health information and what you hope to get from the appointment.
Your therapist will explain the procedure and answer your questions before you decide to proceed. You do not need to know exactly what to ask or do. We will guide you through the appointment.
Booking reassurance: If your suitability screening shows that colon hydrotherapy is not appropriate for you, we will not proceed with the treatment and will issue a full refund.
2. Preparing for your treatment
Before treatment begins, you will have access to the toilet and changing area. You may use the toilet if needed, but you do not need to have a bowel movement before your appointment.
You will undress from the waist down and then lie comfortably on the treatment couch. You will keep your upper-body clothing on, and your therapist will maintain your privacy throughout the appointment.
A quick tip: don’t drink any liquids two hours before your procedure. Besides, do not take laxatives or drink coffee before and after treatment. However, you don’t need to fast before or after visiting us.
3. The closed-system colonic set-up
Parkland Natural Health uses a closed-system, gravity-fed set-up. Water enters through the treatment equipment while water, gas and bowel contents leave through separate enclosed tubing.
Because the system is enclosed, bowel contents remain contained in the drainage tubing. This provides a discreet treatment environment and helps minimise odour and leakage.
We use appropriate single-use treatment components, including the speculum and treatment tubing, and discard them after use.
4. Inserting the disposable speculum
A small disposable speculum connects you to the closed system. Your therapist applies a suitable lubricant before gently inserting the speculum into the rectum.
Only a short section enters the body—about two inches—and the design includes a stop that limits further insertion. Your therapist will explain this stage before proceeding and will listen to your feedback throughout.
5. Warm filtered water and gentle filling
The water used at Parkland Natural Health passes through two stages of filtration and is warmed to approximately body temperature before it reaches the treatment system.
Because our system is gravity-fed, water enters gradually rather than being forced into the bowel at high pressure. Your therapist can adjust the flow within the system’s low-pressure operating range of approximately 0–50 millibars.
The treatment uses repeated cycles of gentle filling and release. These changes create normal sensations associated with bowel filling and the urge to empty, while your therapist adjusts the flow according to your comfort and response.
6. What does a colonic feel like?
You will usually notice activity in the abdomen as the bowel fills and releases. Common sensations include fullness, movement, gurgling, an urge to open the bowel, brief pressure or mild cramping.
Your therapist remains with you and can slow the water flow, pause filling or give you more time to release. You can also ask to pause or stop at any point. You remain in control throughout the appointment.
Many first-time clients find it helpful to know they do not need to “perform” during the session. Simply tell your therapist what you are feeling and let us guide the process.
7. Abdominal massage and bowel response
Your therapist may use gentle abdominal massage during the session. The massage can focus on different areas of the abdomen while we observe how your bowel responds to filling and release.
Abdominal massage may support comfort and bowel emptying for some people. Research in adults with chronic constipation has also reported improvements in bowel-movement frequency and constipation symptoms following abdominal massage.
Scientific source: PubMed PMID 39531948 – Effectiveness of abdominal massage on chronic constipation in adults.
8. Emptying through the closed system
During treatment, gentle filling alternates with periods of release. Water, gas and bowel contents pass through the enclosed drainage tubing while you remain on the treatment couch.
The therapist can pause filling, adjust the flow, use abdominal massage or allow additional time for evacuation. Every bowel response differs, so each appointment is adapted rather than following a fixed routine.
9. What happens after your colonic?
When the treatment is complete, the water flow stops and the tubing and speculum are removed. You will then have privacy to use the toilet, where you may pass some remaining water and bowel contents.
After getting dressed, you can return to the treatment room for a short aftercare discussion. Your therapist can talk through hydration, food, bowel activity and practical habits that may support regular bowel function.
Most clients simply continue with their normal day after leaving the clinic.
What does research tell us about bowel response?
Research on professional colon hydrotherapy itself is more limited than research on medical bowel irrigation. However, human physiology studies and clinical research on repeated bowel irrigation provide useful context for bowel filling, emptying and symptom management. These studies are not identical to the treatment provided at Parkland Natural Health, so we use them as supporting context rather than as proof of a particular result.
Normal bowel reflexes
Human research has described a recto-colic reflex: when rectal filling produced the urge to empty the bowel, pressure and contractions increased in the left colon.
PubMed PMID 9028993 – Recto-colic reflex: role in the defecation mechanism.
Repeated bowel irrigation
A 2025 systematic review of 16 studies involving 1,567 people with chronic constipation and/or faecal incontinence found that most observational studies reported improvements in symptoms, quality of life or both. The authors also called for better-quality randomised trials.
PubMed PMID 41168141 – Transanal irrigation in chronic constipation and faecal incontinence.
Bowel-emptying symptoms
Clinical studies of repeated irrigation have reported lower constipation severity, greater satisfaction with bowel function and, in selected patients, less feeling of incomplete evacuation.
PubMed PMID 42011892 – Transanal Irrigation in Functional Constipation: Long-term Results
PubMed PMID 18720454 – Prospective study of colonic irrigation for defaecation disorders.
These findings help explain why bowel filling, release and repeated irrigation remain areas of clinical interest. However, they do not prove that a professional colonic will produce the same result for every client, and we do not claim that colon hydrotherapy permanently strengthens bowel muscles or guarantees independence from laxatives.
Your appointment at a glance
How long should I allow?Allow about 60 minutes for a standard appointment, including consultation, preparation, treatment and aftercare. The treatment itself is commonly around 30 minutes, while some additional options may take longer.
What should I wear?You keep your upper-body clothing on and undress only from the waist down for treatment.
Do I need to fast?No. You do not need to fast before or after your visit. We simply ask you not to drink liquids for two hours before the procedure and not to take laxatives or drink coffee before and after treatment.
First colonic?First-time clients are welcome. Your therapist will explain each stage, answer your questions and adjust the appointment to your comfort.
Privacy, communication and consent
Colon hydrotherapy at Parkland Natural Health is an interactive, therapist-administered procedure. Your therapist stays with you, explains what is happening and adapts the session to your comfort and response.
You can ask questions at any stage. You can also ask us to slow down, pause or stop the treatment. Our aim is to provide a professional and discreet appointment with particular attention to privacy, hygiene, dignity and informed consent.
Still deciding? You may also want to read about the benefits of colonic irrigation, browse our colonic irrigation FAQ, or check our contraindications and restrictions.
Ready to book your first colonic in Holborn?
Your first appointment includes consultation, suitability screening, treatment and aftercare advice. If screening shows that colon hydrotherapy is not appropriate for you, we will not proceed and will give you a full refund. You can see real-time availability and book online.