Indoor plumbing has been around for hundreds of years. Lucky for us we have some great choices when it comes to getting clean. Do you like to have a bath, or do you prefer to have a shower?
Either of these will leave you clean but there are different needs associated with taking a bath or a shower. Most bathrooms have a bathtub that can also double as a shower, so if you decide you want to have a bath one day and a shower another day, it is possible.
Gone are the days where a bathroom only had a tub with no shower attachment, and you had to take the time to fill the tub. For families decades ago, bath time may have meant all the kids having a bath together or one in succession of another to save water.
What is the Definition of a Bath?
A bath is where you soak your body in a bathtub full of water and wash with soap and a cloth or any number of accessories. Some people use a loofah which helps to remove dead skin.
Your body is immersed in water and then you lay in the tub for many minutes or several hours, although if you were to soak in a tub for several hours the water could be very tepid by the time you decide to get out of the tub.
Before indoor plumbing was around baths were taken in rivers and lakes outside.
There were also bath houses where many people used large pools of water and then completed their routine by sitting in a sauna to enjoy the therapy of the steam. Baths became a more personal experience once people started to install baths into their homes.
What is the Definition of a Shower?
A shower is where you stand under a stream of water (usually hot) and clean your body under that stream.
Some showers are handheld while others are attached to the wall permanently. Showers take a much shorter amount of time than a bath and use much less water if the shower is short. Showers can be taken indoor or outdoors depending upon the equipment being used.
Are There any Advantages to Taking a Bath Over a Shower?
Showers are convenient and blast your dirt and skin away, but baths are also a wonderful way to get clean. Baths are relaxing and good for easing muscle pain. They can exfoliate your skin by soaking off the outer layer of skin.
Immersing the body in water at the end of the day in a hot bath fends off stress, fatigue, and depression. Sitz baths can be useful and promote healing of the lower regions of the body and can ease and treat itching, irritation, and hemorrhoids.
Oatmeal baths are useful in treating inflammation including psoriasis and eczema and can reduce inflammation and redness. Essential oils create relaxing aromas that can help to put your body and your mind at ease.
The best oils to use for relaxation are eucalyptus and lavender.
Baths are Great for you if you Have a Cold or flu
If you are feeling particularly awful, a warm or a hot bath can help you to feel better. Warm water over your chest can help to eliminate congestion, relieve a fever, and help with those aches and pains.
Are There Advantages to Showers Over a Bath?
Showers do have some great advantages. A hot shower can produce steam and heat which can relieve your muscle pain and release toxins from your body. Cold showers can assist you with burning fat and increasing immunity.
This type of shower is where you start with hot water and then decrease the temperature gradually until you are having an icy cold shower.
Cold Showers Could Help with the Treatment of Depression
If you are brave enough to have a hot shower that is then slowly transformed into a cold shower, you can help to stimulate your nervous system, promote the release of endorphins, and improve depression symptoms.
Want Beautiful Hair and Skin?
Showers have been shown to improve your circulation and increase blood flow at the scalp. This improves the look of your hair and promotes glowing healthy skin.
Should you Have a Bath or a Shower?Top of Form
If you want to relax and are not in a hurry or you are looking for a treatment for your aching muscles and want to get ready for bedtime, a bath is the perfect option. If you are limited on time in the morning and water, a shower might be the right choice.
Does Showering Offer Advantages Over Bathing?
There are certain advantages to having a bath over a shower. A shower offers better cleaning and the water from your shower goes down the drain as you shower, and the dirt from your body goes with it.
If you are having a bath the dirt from your bath sits in the tub with you as you soak.
Showering ensures that your circulation is improved, and this promotes healthier skin and hair. You will naturally glow from the inside out and certain bath additives such as natural oils can help to have an anti-aging affect on your body.
Do Baths Have Advantages Over Showering?
Since you are soaking in a tub, a bath can promote healing. It can also relieve pain and make you relaxed enough to fall asleep quickly once you hit the pillow. If you have any inflammation on your skin, a relaxing bath with oatmeal can remove irritation and itching.
Bath Versus Shower
A bath has you immersing your entire body into the water by soaking in a bathtub or a large container.
The water starts off quite hot and eventually cools down. A shower is a process whereby you spray your body with water using an overhead sprayer or a handheld unit. You may opt for hot or cold water.
How Much Water is Needed?
There are different amounts of water used for a shower and for a bath. Baths tend to use much more water even if the water is simply sitting in the tub. The average bathtub holds 160 litres, and most people will fill the tub with at least two thirds of that amount.
The average shower is around ten minutes in length and uses about half the amount of water required for a bath. Some people take a bath and then end the bath with a shower to rinse themselves off. This simply adds to the amount of water used during the process.
What Equipment is Required?
A shower requires a curtain that is suspended from the ceiling either on a rod or on a curtain loop in the case of a standalone tub.
The wall needs to have coverage of some type whether that is tiles or a tub surround to protect the wall from moisture which can lead to rot behind the wall.
A bath only requires a tub or a large container where one can sit or recline and be immersed in hot water to clean the body.
What is the Position of the Body?
Bathing is completed in a lying down position or seated. Showering can be done in a standing position or a seated position on a shower bench. Most of the time a person stands in a shower and lays down in a bath.
Time Required for Bath and Shower
The normal time for a bath is anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour or more but depends on the amount of time that the water stays warm. No one wants to soak in a cold bath. Some types of tubs hold heat for a longer period than others.
Showers can take anywhere from ten minutes to twenty minutes, but most showers are ten minutes or less. This is the amount of time required to lather up, wash the hair and rinse, although shaving in the shower can add quite a bit of time to the process.
Whether you like to have a shower or a bath, they are both good options for cleaning your body.
Baths can also be used for relaxation and pain relief and are better for this option since you can immerse yourself in the water and add different salts that can ease up muscle and joint pain.
Water Flow for Cleansing Options
When you are soaking in a bathtub, the water is stagnant and sits in one place. Once you have completed your bath, you will drain the water and then clean out the tub to remove dead skin and other debris.
A shower has a constant flow of water, and the dirt and debris are washed down the drain as it is removed from your body. You might need to clean out the shower if there is dirt left behind or you may need to dry the shower out to prevent mildew from forming.
Having a bath or a shower is a complete personal preference.
As you can see from the foregoing, there are pros and cons to showers and to baths. Whichever option you choose is a completely personal choice.If you only have a bath or a shower, there is an option to install the other if you choose.
The cost is not too expensive and offers you more options for getting clean at home.
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Article suggested by Refined Plumbing Sunshine Coast