# When was the last time you took a bath instead of a shower and why did you do so? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 26, 2016, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247 "2016-02-26T19:56:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/1 "2016-02-26T19:56:31Z")
I can’t even remember the last time I did, although it had to have been when I was in high school sometime, because I was still living with dad then and he was convinced showers didn’t get you as clean as a bath did. He was firmly against shower-taking for both himself and anyone living in his house…which, yes, that’s pretty insane, but when you lived under his house, you lived by his rules or you didn’t live there. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/2 "2016-02-26T20:06:39Z")
Had chicken pox at the age of 31. Oatmeal baths. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/3 "2016-02-26T20:09:06Z")
I twisted my knee 5 or so years ago. Took a couple of hot baths for therapeutic purposes. That said, I showered before the soak. To me sitting in a tub of water isn’t about hygiene. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/4 "2016-02-26T20:12:11Z")
About a year and a half ago. Had a pain that just wasn’t relieved by anything other than soaking in HOT water. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/5 "2016-02-26T20:20:33Z")
My wife takes several baths per week (and showers on days not bathing). Once in a while I will jump-in after she is done just for a warm soak. Rarely do I draw a bath for myself - maybe 3-4 times a year. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/6 "2016-02-26T20:26:04Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > I You, yes you. Why don’t you participate in your poll threads? I haven’t taken a bath since I was probably 7 or 8. It takes too long. I can get in and out of a shower in 15 minutes and then back to video games and porn. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/7 "2016-02-26T20:28:29Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > … > > I haven’t taken a bath since I was probably 7 or 8. It takes too long. I can get in and out of a shower in 15 minutes and then back to video games and porn. You were into porn at age 7 or 8? My, you were a precocious little dickens, weren’t you? 😉 Me: “Within the past year”. “instead of” is a bit of a misnomer - I’ll take a bath when I need a soak for relaxation or because something is achy. I don’t even take soap / shampoo to the tub. Michael Palin did a travel series called Pacific Rim where he travelled around all the countries that border the Pacific. In Russia, he stayed at a hotel where there was only a bath, not a shower - and the hotel staff were horrified that he asked for a stopper for the tub. They thought the idea of sitting in water you’d gotten dirty was gross. I’m not quite sure what the purpose of the tub was, then! ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/8 "2016-02-26T20:29:35Z")
Only when I’m sick, and usually not even then. The last time was probably about 10 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/9 "2016-02-26T20:37:04Z")
I usually only crave baths when I’m pregnant. Youngest child is 12. I’d take a bath now and then for aches and pains, but we don’t have a good, big bathtub. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/10 "2016-02-26T20:49:36Z")
My wife and I stayed at a hotel last week with a huge bathtub. We both got in. It wasn’t “instead of a shower,” but it was a bath. I think we showered later… ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/11 "2016-02-26T20:53:39Z")
I guess it depends on what you mean by “bath”. A good 3 or 4 years ago I went to Vegas and my hotel had a tub with jets in it, so on a lark I ran it, got into it, and bubbled around while watching the bathroom TV, but I didn’t use soap or shampoo or anything. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/12 "2016-02-26T20:55:05Z")
I used to enjoy the occasional theraputic and well scented hot soak. That was before arthritis made getting out of a sitting position in a slick tub an adventure in every sense of the word. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/13 "2016-02-26T21:04:25Z")
Once a week or so in the winter, instead of the shower. Heats me up at the end of the day to go to bed warm. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/14 "2016-02-26T21:05:50Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > You, yes you. Why don’t you participate in your poll threads? I did. I was the first one to vote. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/15 "2016-02-26T21:14:26Z")
I love baths, but the tubs that came with our house are little rinky-dink affairs with abrupt backs that don’t slope. I soon gave up trying to bathe in them. About five years ago, we were staying in a very nice hotel room that had a huge bathtub. It was very deep with a comfortable sloping back. I had a nice long simmering soak, and that was the last time I had a bath instead of a shower. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/16 "2016-02-26T21:24:59Z")
At least once a week I take a bath. But I shower beforehand and don’t re-use the shower water in the bath. If I get sick with a cold I shower and then bathe almost every night I’m sick. Having a half hour soak just makes me feel better. These days I’ve taken to getting some fancy oils and salts as well. I also read while I’m there. Haven’t dropped a book…yet! I also stay much warmer afterwards than I do after just a shower, so it’s especially nice in the wintertime. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/17 "2016-02-26T21:27:31Z")
Actual ‘sit down in the water’ bath? Gods only know. Probably more than 25 years, and it would have been because there wasn’t a shower installed. ‘Washing up in a way that’s not a shower’? Last week, when I was in hospital and couldn’t actually stay under the shower head because I couldn’t get the water warm enough not to knock the breath out of me, so I basically just wet a cloth from it and washed up with that. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/18 "2016-02-26T21:36:22Z")
I’d be curious what the gender breakdown of this is, because a lot of women I know love those bath bomb things. I’m a guy and I think I’m probably not unusual in not being able to remember the last time I took a bath. For one thing I’m almost 6’4" and can’t easily fit in most bathtubs. I do enjoy a good hot tub, but that’s different than “taking a bath.” ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/19 "2016-02-26T22:11:07Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > I haven’t taken a bath since I was probably 7 or 8. It takes too long. I can get in and out of a shower in 15 minutes and then back to video games and porn. If you think a bath takes too long, you’re doing it wrong. From the time I step into the tub until I get out is about 12-15 minutes–and that includes time for the water to drain. I have never understood the allure of showers. If I want to feel water beating down on me (which I don’t, but if I did), I’ll stand outside in the rain. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247/20 "2016-02-26T22:13:03Z")
I bower. I sit in the bath and let the shower fill it. When I’m feeling ready to get out, I open the drain and start to perform my cleansing rituals. I don’t rinse myself with bath water, but I fill my tub every time I go to clean myself so…categorize that as you will. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-took-a-bath-instead-of-a-shower-and-why-did-you-do-so/747247.md?page=2)