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Come on In, the Water's Fine

2/12/2017

19 Comments

 
Picture
We all know about dog people and cat people.  
 
However, I also think there are shower people and bath people.
 
I’m an unabashed Bathtub Girl.   
 
Don’t get me wrong: I love a good shower. 
 
In fact, along with that single large mug of coffee every morning, I require strong water pressure directly above my scalp to help me wake up.  And, there’s certainly something nice about going out the door with shiny scrubbed skin and just shampooed hair. 
 
But spending time in a bathtub is a completely different event, one that goes way beyond getting clean, or even calming achy muscles.
 
At least for me, drawing a bath has become a kind of after dark meditation.
 
First, I make sure the tub is clean.  Then I run the water, being careful to bring it up to the right heat.  Both too cold and too hot are unbearable, so, to steal a line from Goldilocks, the temperature must be just right. 
 
And since I always sink in the tub at night, I add a little something to help me sleep—usually with lavender as the main ingredient.  Lately, I’ve been putting in a few squirts of Johnson’s Baby Soothing Vapor Bath, which is designed to calm fussy babies. Yes, the ingredient list reads like the inside of a chemistry lab, but the main point is that, at least for now, it’s doing the job.
 
As it turns out, taking baths to bring on a night of restful zzz’s is only one benefit of a good soak.
 
It’s not surprising that regular visits to the bathtub clean and moisturize skin, hair and eyes.  But getting into a tub can also lower blood pressure and improve cardiac function, and according to the National Health Institute, expand lung capacity and oxygen intake.  In addition—and this is something I know for sure—baths reduce stress and anxiety levels.   The happy consequence to this is mood elevation.
 
Here’s one last happy fact that may surprise you: daily baths keep our bodies as well hydrated as drinking a ton of water every day (since we’re mostly made of water, this makes perfect sense).
 
For those wondering what else may be added to a bath, there appears to be a nearly infinite amount of choices.
 
Supermarkets, drug stores and natural food venues all sell bath salts, bubble mixtures and scrubs, as do many larger farmers’ markets.   If you’re into more exotic fare, try a Google search; here, with more than one million results popping up, there’s a pineapple infused oil; a crème brulee concoction, and a bubble bath bomb emblazoned with one’s favorite sports teams. For those who can’t make up their mind, there are bath of the month clubs, including Lavish Bath Box (www.lavishbathbox.com), Bath Time Box (www.bathtimebox) and Bathmatical (www.bathmatical.com). 
 
Sadly, I didn’t discover the many benefits of bathing until I was well into adulthood.   
 
While my mother put my older brother and me in the tub together as very small children, it was simply a quick and efficient way to get us both clean; soaking was never involved.  As a teenager, I loved taking showers in my parents’ newly added on master bathroom; it didn’t have a tub. There were no large ceramic ovals in my college dorm, and when I lived in Brooklyn, my apartment only had a shower.  (In fact, like so many old jerry-rigged places, the bathroom itself was literally outside my front door and down the hall.) 
 
But once returning to California, I discovered my own little slice of bathtub heaven.  And best of all, I never have to leave home to partake of this always wonderful experience.  
 
One more thing.
 
In a world that seems to be rapidly spinning off its axis, this is one ritual I’m planning to keep around for a very long time.
 
How about you?  Are you a shower or bath person?  I look forward to your stories and comments!
 
P.S.  Bonus question:  Why don’t men like baths? 
19 Comments
Larry Grant
2/12/2017 03:00:14 pm

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You've gotten so much better about checking to see if I'm in the shower before drawing your bath and either chilling me down or scalding me in the process. This shower taking body of mine appreciates that.

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Hilary Grant
2/12/2017 07:46:45 pm

Ha! I love you, too. xo

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kim
2/12/2017 05:05:05 pm

Hi!, I am a shower person! With really good music going : ) Its kind of a dance party thing for me-the same for doing dishes-music driven energy to get it all done.

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Hilary
2/12/2017 07:48:38 pm

I can definitely see this in you! Just one thought... the energy might do some lower vibration shifting when all of the kiddos have spread their wings and are out of the house. :)

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Kim Fonturbel
2/16/2017 06:20:40 pm

I have 5 and a half years to go til last one is out of high school! I am still quite in the thick of it way back in 7th grade. Soaking it all in.

George Marshall link
2/12/2017 07:18:35 pm

Funny you should ask. I prefer a shower given the choice. In the last place I lived there was a shower in the tub and I always used the shower. The problem I have with the tub is that I fall asleep which could prove dangerous, though I never have drowned, it only takes once. Now in my new digs I only have a tub so it is back to baths. It isn't that I don't like them. It is very relaxing but I guess thats it, almost too much so.

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Hilary
2/12/2017 07:51:47 pm

Ha! It *does* only take once to drown! When my daughter was about four, I couldn't find her anywhere in the house. It was just the two of us; I had not yet met my husband. I was completely freaked out, and even went out my front and back doors and shouted her name. This went on for a good five minutes. I found her, fast asleep, in the bathtub, in about four inches of water. Completely and utterly relaxed, of course. She was fine, but man, what a scare!

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leslie spoon
2/13/2017 08:19:15 am

Hilary I wonder how many people really take bathes anymore. It seems like most of us don`t have time or make the time because we seem to have so much to do these days. It sounds like a bath would be a good way to relax in this insane world. Thanks for a good idea!!!

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Hilary
2/13/2017 09:08:22 am

I agree: I don't think baths are as popular as they once were. And that's too bad. This is one activity I always make the time for; when I'm away and can't take baths, I always miss them, terribly. : )

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Susan Jordan
2/13/2017 04:10:51 pm

I almost always take showers to get clean, but sometimes it's also to un-ache my body after a day of hard physical labor. I can't really take baths at this time, but I do wish I could. I'm 5'10", so the standard bathtub doesn't fulfill my wish to immerse like one of those big oval specials that were popular a couple of decades ago can. A cousin of mine and her husband bought one of those portable hot tubs (the lightweight ones that look like they're made partly from foam), and I've wished for one ever since, but I have no yard and only a dodgy back balcony, so I'll need to wait on that wish. :)

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Hilary
2/13/2017 07:59:13 pm

Yes, you need the Julia Child special for a bath tub. One day, you'll have the riches to build a bathtub to your specifications :) Good to know that you know you have a dodgy back balcony, so you won't try to put a hot tub on it. I like hot tubs, too, but given a choice, bathtub time wins. : )

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Heather Risinger
2/13/2017 08:31:21 pm

Bath girl all the way. I can't wash my hair every day (natural curls don't like it, and it falls out way too much if I do) so baths are a must have and my favorite. <3

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Hilary Grant
2/13/2017 09:15:59 pm

Yet again, we are on the same page! xo

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kerri
2/16/2017 04:27:31 pm

I'm so glad you asked. I got some scented epsom salts recently. I have lots of arthritic aches and pains. I love soaking. It is so therapeutic, and my pains melt away afterwards for a good amount of time. Recommended to all! I actually drew the hubster a bath recently. What a baby- I thought he was going to die. He ended up saying he enjoyed it.

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Hilary
2/16/2017 07:35:14 pm

Epsom salts are the absolute best. I enjoy the lavender ones... but they must be organic. The store that used to carry them here has closed. :(

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Glenn
2/18/2017 12:52:22 pm

If I had a bathtub that was deep enough and long enough, I would definitely take more baths!

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Hilary Grant
2/18/2017 04:26:46 pm

I"m with you on this point all the way! This is why I don't like the old fashioned tubs with those ornate claw feet: not only are they difficult to get in and out of, they are WAY too small! : )

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Tammy Dalcin
2/18/2017 09:35:16 pm

I love my baths. They take me away from all my troubles and lift my fog brain when the day has been long.
The problem is, I don't seem to find the time for myself to take my baths lately. I don't like to be hurried when I'm in the bath so I must choose I time when I am alone, and all is calm and quiet. I enjoy lighting candles and filling the tub with lots of bubbles, there is nothing like the feeling getting into a hot tub of soft floating bubbles surrounding your body.
Unfortunately this is a rare occasion and usually i take a bath after a long hike just to relieve the pain of my aching bones.
Sadly now showers are my go to for getting clean and baths are a luxury,

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Hilary
2/18/2017 10:38:21 pm

You've made an excellent point: you can't draw a bath, and expect to enjoy it, when you're in a hurry. This is why my baths are pretty much always the last activity I do right before going to bed. I'm all warm and cozy from the water, so going straight into my soft flannel sheets provides the sweet, sweet transition to my zzz's. :)

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    Hilary Roberts Grant

    Journalist, editor, filmmaker, foodie--and a clown! 
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