Bathing
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Children bathing in a small metal bathtub |
Bathing is the immersion of the body in
fluid, usually
water, or an aqueous solution. It is generally practiced as part of regular
hygiene.
Some spa facilities provide bathing in various other liquids such as
chocolate or
mud, and there have been examples of bathing in
champagne. Additionally, exposing the body to open air is sometimes considered bathing, for example, in
sunbathing or
moonbathing.
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Most bathing is done in hot water or hot steam. However, splash baths function like a cold shower to help people cool off on hot days. A jogger is shown, in this multiple exposure picture, running through the Dundas Square splash pad to cool down. |
Bathing serves several purposes:
*
Hygiene, and the neat physical appearance of cleanliness
*
Decontamination from
chemical,
biological,
nuclear or other exposure-type hazards.
*
Recreation* Therapy (e.g.
hydrotherapy), healing, and relaxation (e.g.
Blessed Rainy Day)
*
Religious, or, less frequently, other ceremonial
rites. See
Baptism* Celebration and socialization, e.g. running through fountains after winning the
World Series, or jumping through a hole cut in the ice over a lake on
New Year's Eve.
* Ensuring people are free of certain items such as weapons or other
contraband: In Chicago, Russian baths were a safe meeting place for rival gang leaders. Weapons are difficult to conceal on a nearly naked body. If the meeting resulted in reconciliation, the gangs would meet upstairs for
bagels,
cream cheese and
borscht. [
1] Many homeless shelters, and almost all prisons have an
intake facility or intake process that includes a supervised
shower with change of clothes to ensure that no contraband or contamination enters the facility.
Bathing is usually done in a bath (i.e. a place designed for bathing), but may also be done in places not specifically intended for bathing, such as
rooftops (
sunbathing and
windbathing), a
lake,
river, or
sprinkler connected to a garden hose.
One town known for its baths is
Bath (known during
ancient Roman times as
Aquae Sulis), a Roman city in
England famous for healing
hydrothermal springs, and most recently for the
Bath Spa Project consisting of a rooftop pool overlooking the city of Bath, as well as four circular clear glass steam baths. The word
bath is believed to be derived from the name of the city.
 |
A shower used for bathing |
There are various kinds of baths, which include:
* Private baths -
Bathtub*
Public baths* Shower
*
Whirlpool baths - similar to a
hot tub*
Swimming pools (also known as swimming baths)
*
Shower baths
*
Steam shower baths
*
Sauna or
infrared sauna baths
*
Decontamination baths
* Hot baths
* Cold baths.
*
Milk BathsBathing usually involves the removal of at least some clothing; in private baths all clothing is removed. The amount of clothing removed depends on circumstance, custom, and willingness of bathers to reveal themselves. A
swimsuit, swimming costume, or bathing suit is a garment designed for swimming or bathing. Typically a men's suit consists of shorts or briefs. A women's suit often consists of two pieces that cover the
breasts and
pubic region, or of one piece that resembles the combination of briefs and a tank top joined together.
Some European waterparks require bathers to be completely
naked and baths are sometimes not separated by gender. Most of the newer
Japanese baths are gender-segregated, whereas the older Japanese baths in the countryside are mixed gender. In both cases (mixed or segregated) public bathing in Japan is done in total nudity.
*
Drowning is one possible danger of bathing. In a shower bath drowning has been known to occur, even though the risks are less than in an immersion bath. Baths that have standing water involve a higher risk of drowning.
*
Heatstroke can also result from the use of sauna baths or other hot baths.
*
Hypothermia from using cool baths and not being sensitive to the cold or because of falling asleep, etcetera.
*
Ear infections, also known as
swimmer's ear can result from water building up and the resulting increase in bacteria.
*
Impact injuries are also possible from landing inappropriately in a bath, from an elevation, or from collision with other bathers, or with the sides of the bath.
*
Irritation caused by bathing solutions or other cosmetic products.
*
Infection caused by sharing dirty bathwater or bathing with others.
*
Collapsing when getting out of the bath because of the sudden change in blood pressure can occur, particularly when the bath is hot. Fainting can lead to accidents (including drowning if one falls back into the bath).
*With advanced
age, some people experience a diminished ability to
sense temperature, and must use extra care to avoid accidentally
scalding themselves while bathing. Caution is needed with
children as well, as their body is much more sensitive to temperature and pain and they are more vulnerable to changes in temperature; this is particularly the case with babies.
*Bathing
infants too often has been linked to the development of
asthma or severe
eczema according to some researchers, including Michael Welch, chair of the
American Academy of Pediatrics' section on allergy and immunology [
2].
Access to the shower in the
bathroom for people that uses
wheelchairs.
See
Handicapped*
Overbath screen*
Shower doors and
enclosures.
*
Spa*
Shower, that saves more
water than bathing.
*
Shower tray* Shower
valve*
Sauna bathing in Finland*
Russian baths (with reference to bathing as a way of ensuring participants are not carrying weapons)*
The Japanese bathing ritual*
The Straight Dope: Is good personal hygiene a recent invention?
