# Are bathtubs important? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 23, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820 "2014-07-23T04:28:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/1 "2014-07-23T04:28:11Z")
I’m remodeling a bathroom and instead of a traditional shower/bath I’m thinking of just putting in a shower which will take up less space. What do you all think? It just seems to me that except for children, nobody uses a bathtub. Everyone takes showers. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/2 "2014-07-23T04:33:34Z")
Do you have another tub in the house? As you said, kids use tubs and parents or those planning on having kids will want one when you eventually sell your place. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/3 "2014-07-23T04:34:07Z")
Nm ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/4 "2014-07-23T04:34:15Z")
Incorrect. Many adults really do enjoy baths. Many enjoy them as a relaxing luxury. For people with arthritis soaking in a hot bath can bring pain relief. People with eczema take medicated baths. Some people just prefer baths. I will never, ever buy a house that does not have a bathtub. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Wino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@The\_Wino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Wino)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/5 "2014-07-23T04:43:54Z")
We currently have a huge, very nice glass shower and no bathtub. My fiancée bought this house two years before we started dating and had the bathroom remodeled. One of the changes he made was to have the tub replaced with a shower only. I would not have agreed to it had I been here at the time. I had a huge tub at my old house and loved it so much. I sometimes took a glass of wine and a book or my phone and locked myself in and lounged for an hour or more. It’s so cozy, especially in the winter. We have an appointment with the contractor this week to see about re-remodeling the bathroom and I can’t wait to have my own pouting area back. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/6 "2014-07-23T05:00:10Z")
you can have an immersion experience. do you want to cool off or get warm or soak the crust off then immerse in the appropriate water. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/7 "2014-07-23T05:10:27Z")
People use bathtubs for non- bathing purposes too like washing the dog or like uh… I dunno, soaking big things. Storing pet alligators. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/8 "2014-07-23T05:14:21Z")
Well we do have one tub already. The house has 3 full baths. One just has a shower, one a tub/bath, and this one DID have a tub/bath but as I said, I’m considering doing just a shower since its a small space. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/9 "2014-07-23T05:38:18Z")
I’ve lived in my current apartment, which doesn’t have a bathtub, for 22 years. It might be nice to soak every once in a while but I doubt I’d use a bathtub more than a couple times a year if I had one. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/10 "2014-07-23T06:33:16Z")
We remodelled our main bathroom four years ago. It did have a bath, with a shower over it (it was a very small room). No one had used the bath, except to stand in while having a shower for over 20 years, so I was glad to get rid of it and have a decent size shower recess. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/11 "2014-07-23T06:35:17Z")
I’m cheesed by the TINY bathtub in my apartment. It’s much too small. (Or, of course, it might be that I’m too damn big…) ---
**Author:** ![Saturn\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Saturn\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saturn_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/12 "2014-07-23T06:50:46Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > What do you all think? It just seems to me that except for children, nobody uses a bathtub. Everyone takes showers. Wrong, unless you’re talking about your family only. > [@](#): > > Well we do have one tub already. The house has 3 full baths. One just has a shower, one a tub/bath, and this one DID have a tub/bath but as I said, I’m considering doing just a shower since its a small space. If your family does not take baths and you want to save space, then it sounds like it might make sense to convert it to a shower only. Personally, I love taking baths but I don’t see the need for each bathroom (especially three) to have its own bathtub. If the family and overnight guests have access to separate bathtubs, even better. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/13 "2014-07-23T06:54:28Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Well we do have one tub already. The house has 3 full baths. One just has a shower, one a tub/bath, and this one DID have a tub/bath but as I said, I’m considering doing just a shower since its a small space. In that case, just a shower. One bathtub per house is enough if you’re not the Bradys. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/14 "2014-07-23T06:57:51Z")
It’s your house. Do what you want with it. Just be aware that some folks like tubs, and the lack of a tub will make it harder to sell your house later (and will likely have an adverse effect on the value that you get when it does sell). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/15 "2014-07-23T07:41:13Z")
I shower twice a day, but still have a bath once or twice a week - either to have a really thorough soak/scrub (notwithstanding bullshit arguments about it being impossible to get clean if you’re sitting in bath water), or for relaxation. Also, a bath is a good backup if the shower breaks. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/16 "2014-07-23T07:53:03Z")
I’ve been living without a bathtub for over nine years, now. I can’t say I miss it on a day-to-day basis, but I always find myself taking a bath whenever I stay at a hotel. ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/17 "2014-07-23T09:12:40Z")
The tub in my previous apartment was good for one thing: clipping toenails. Since I currently live at ground level I just step outside, but if it was on a top floor I’d probably miss the tub. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/18 "2014-07-23T09:52:36Z")
As long as there’s a full-size tub somewhere in the house (preferably the master bath because that’s the norm), makes sense to make one of the bathrooms shower-only. I rarely take baths, but wouldn’t buy a house without a tub in it somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/19 "2014-07-23T10:07:09Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > It’s your house. Do what you want with it. > > Just be aware that some folks like tubs, and the lack of a tub will make it harder to sell your house later (and will likely have an adverse effect on the value that you get when it does sell). Well that’s the thing. We might be selling within the next year or two and I want to make the bathroom follow the popular trends. Which might just be to have no tub but a larger shower and possibly even on of those double shower head arrangements. One should always be looking at resale whenever they do a remodeling project. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820/20 "2014-07-23T10:12:12Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Well we do have one tub already. The house has 3 full baths. One just has a shower, one a tub/bath, and this one DID have a tub/bath but as I said, I’m considering doing just a shower since its a small space. Holy crap, you have three full bathrooms? :eek: Ensuites as well? I am impressed! 🆒 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bathtubs-important/693820.md?page=2)