# 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:** 14\ **Page:** 5
**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:** [February 28, 2016, 11:50pm 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/747247/81 "2016-02-28T23:50:07Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > The purpose of taking a bath is not to relax, or to have a good time, or to soak, or anything like that. The purpose of taking a bath is to get clean. Period. Um… why can’t you get clean AND have a good time? Will the bath police show up or something? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 12:51am 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/747247/82 "2016-02-29T00:51:48Z")
The purpose of a bath may be “to bathe” but then my reasons for being in the tub aren’t exclusively to take a bath. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 1:10am 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/747247/83 "2016-02-29T01:10:45Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > An astonishing number of people seem to misunderstand the purpose of bathing. This may be one reason why so many people have an otherwise-inexplicable preference for showers. > > The purpose of taking a bath is not to relax, or to have a good time, or to soak, or anything like that. The purpose of taking a bath is to get clean. Period. If you’re in the tub for more than 20 minutes, you’re doing it wrong. If you put more than a few inches of water in the tub, you’re doing it wrong. If you find the tub too cramped, you’re probably doing it wrong. (Unless you’re freakishly tall or fat.) Well, that certainly explains the two person jetted tubs in honeymoon suites. They are for efficiently getting two people clean after sex. Silly me, I’ve been using them wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 1:36am 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/747247/84 "2016-02-29T01:36:15Z")
In 1997, I spent three nights in a hotel in Paris. It was a fairly cheap hotel (they did not take credit cards, for example, and to make a reservation you had to send them a check in francs). The room had a private bath in it and there was even a hand held shower, but no shower curtain. The first night I took a bath, but hated it and the second night I was able to take a shower without spraying the floor too badly. Third night, I skipped the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 1:41am 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/747247/85 "2016-02-29T01:41:47Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > In 1997, I spent three nights in a hotel in Paris. It was a fairly cheap hotel (they did not take credit cards, for example, and to make a reservation you had to send them a check in francs). The room had a private bath in it and there was even a hand held shower, but no shower curtain. The first night I took a bath, but hated it and the second night I was able to take a shower without spraying the floor too badly. Third night, I skipped the whole thing. I give this post a 10 for potential and a negative 5 for actual results… ---
**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:** [February 29, 2016, 2:13am 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/747247/86 "2016-02-29T02:13:10Z")
I have a cyst disorder and one of the only thing that works to shrink the cysts in my undies area is a soak in as-hot-as-I-can-stand bath for 15 mins (a sits bath). So I do that every so often. I don’t “take a bath” tho. I stand up and take a shower after. I never do a shower after a bath. My bathtub after a shower is not pleasant. I’ve stayed in a couple hotel rooms with huge tubs in the post 5 years or so. Pretty sure I showered after my soak there too. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 5:48am 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/747247/87 "2016-02-29T05:48:05Z")
It was just a couple of weeks ago that I took the first bath I’ve taken in many years. The cold weather knocked out the hot water in my shower/bath, but the pipes feeding my bathroom sink were just fine. So I drew myself a bath by repeatedly filling up a drink pitcher in the bathroom sink with hot water, balancing that out with cold water from the shower/bath. It didn’t work as well as I would have hoped – I struggled to keep the water from draining out, even though the plug seemed to be intact – but it was interesting to try. The last bath I took before that one was at least a decade ago, I think. I was living in Oakland and needed a good soak because I had walked Bay To Breakers and my feet were just dying. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 6:15am 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/747247/88 "2016-02-29T06:15:47Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > The purpose of taking a bath is not to relax, or to have a good time, or to soak, or anything like that. The purpose of taking a bath is to get clean. Period. I have the complete opposite view. I think a bath is a kind of physical therapy. It is ok to add a beer and/or a magazine to the affair. I don’t soap up or scrub in the bath, I just soak my sore muscles in magnesium sulfate. Afterwards, I get cleaned up with a shower. Your mileage obviously varies. ---
**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:** [February 29, 2016, 9:23am 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/747247/89 "2016-02-29T09:23:20Z")
I voted “In the last 24 hours” but that’s because I didn’t see the “Actually I take baths regularly” option. I bath rather than shower. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 9:44am 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/747247/90 "2016-02-29T09:44:00Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > An astonishing number of people seem to misunderstand the purpose of bathing. This may be one reason why so many people have an otherwise-inexplicable preference for showers. > > The purpose of taking a bath is not to relax, or to have a good time, or to soak, or anything like that. The purpose of taking a bath is to get clean. Period. If you’re in the tub for more than 20 minutes, you’re doing it wrong. If you put more than a few inches of water in the tub, you’re doing it wrong. If you find the tub too cramped, you’re probably doing it wrong. (Unless you’re freakishly tall or fat.) Balls, the main purpose of a bath for most people is to be immersed in lovely warm water and relax. The cleaning is secondary for the most part. To get clean efficiently and quickly I take a shower. Two minutes and I’m done. A bath is a half hour affair with a G&T and copy of “Private Eye”. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 9:44am 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/747247/91 "2016-02-29T09:44:18Z")
I had a bathtub… I had the bath salts… I had the time… I had a house at a perfect temperature… So why the hell not? ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 4:36pm 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/747247/92 "2016-02-29T16:36:50Z")
I sometimes get headaches that include stiff neck and shoulders, and a bath can help a lot. Also, occasionally in the winter I get chilled and nothing takes care of that better than a hot bath (although a good fire comes close). ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 5:22pm 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/747247/93 "2016-02-29T17:22:41Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > The purpose of taking a bath is not to relax, or to have a good time, or to soak, or anything like that. The purpose of taking a bath is to get clean. Period. You have your bath by all means, I’ll have mine, ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 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/747247/94 "2016-02-29T20:49:11Z")
If my purpose is to get clean, I take a shower. If my purpose is to relax in the way one can only do in a tubful of warm water, I take a bath. I never do one instead of the other. Once I’m soaking in a tub, I’ll eventually get around to washing, because why not, once I’m there. But that’s not why I take a bath. So if the poll had an ‘other’ option, I’d check that. [Previous 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=4)