Baths Vs. Showers

From the day we are born, we take a bath. Doctors advise us to bathe our babies every day. And suddenly somewhere along the line, we convert to taking daily showers. Is it simply just a matter of convenience? Or cost? Or comfort? Which do you prefer, a bath or a shower? The oldest account of bathing as a daily ritual dates back to the ancient Indians who took three baths a day. Some communities still practice this today. River water is considered sacred in India and so mass bathing in some rivers is still an age-old ritual. The Roman Empire was also famously known for its daily bathing customs, not only for washing and relaxing but also as a place to socialize and spread the news. The earliest findings of actual bathtubs were in ancient Greece in the mid-2nd millennium BC, but the modern bathtub, as we generally know it today, was invented by an American man, John Kohler, in 1883. He took a cast-iron horse trough, added four decorative feet, and covered it in enamel. The first recordings of showers were mostly wealthy and noble people in Egypt having water poured over them by servants. The Greeks then went on to invent a device that sprayed bathers with water. But it was in 1767 that an Englishman named William Feetham designed what we now know as the modern shower, though it was hand-pumped back then. So, bath versus shower…which is best for you? For most of us, taking a daily shower is part of our everyday routine, simply because it’s quick and easy; we don’t all have time to run a bath each morning before we head out for the day. Showers are a convenient solution and an assured way to wake us up and energize us. Showers are also proven to be cleaner than baths as the dirt we clean off our bodies is rinsed and quickly distributed down the drain, whereas with a bath, we are soaking in the same water for the duration. It is not uncommon for people who take a bath to quickly rinse off with a shower once they leave the bathtub. Baths are a great way to relax. Most people who prefer baths take them in the evening, after a long hard day at work or school to relax the muscles and stimulate the nervous system. Studies have shown that people who regularly bathe experience less stress, fatigue, or depression. It is also a common suggestion for many who suffer from any kind of muscle or joint pain, that a bath can help to ease the pain. Recent health studies are suggesting that cold showers are the way to go. Though they may be an uncomfortable way to start your day, that cold shock that first hits your body increases both oxygen intake and heart rate and naturally, wakes you up quicker than a hot shower. Here are a few interesting facts about baths versus showers. On average, British citizens take 5 showers and 3 baths a week, Japan takes 5 showers and 6 baths a week…does that make the Japanese cleaner? More relaxed? Or both? India takes the most baths, on average 7 per week. Bathing twice a day is not uncommon either. Brazilians hold the record for most showers, an impressive 12 per person, per week. One trillion gallons of water per year are used in the U.S. for showering that translates to an average shower of around 13 minutes per person, per day. The global bath and shower products market size was 43 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, increasing rapidly thanks to recent novel products, such as bath bombs, bath salts, and gels.