Bathing
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2008-07-17T02:26:21Z
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[[Image:KidsBathingInASmallMetalTub.jpg|thumb|Children bathing in a small metal [[bath tub|bath]]]]
'''Bathing''' is the immersion of the body in a [[fluid]], usually [[water]] or an aqueous solution. It may be practiced for [[hygiene]], [[religion|religious]] or [[therapy|therapeutic]] purposes or as a [[recreational]] activity.
Some [[spa]] facilities provide bathing in various other liquids such as [[chocolate]] or [[mud]]. There have been examples of bathing in [[Champagne (wine)|champagne]], [[baked beans]] and all manner of other substances. The intentional exposure of the body to any agent may be considered bathing, for example to [[sunlight]] ([[sunbathing]]).
==Reasons for bathing==
[[Image:Dundas-square-splash-fountains1024.jpg|300px|thumb|Most bathing is done in hot water or hot steam. However, splash baths function like a cold shower to help people cool off on hot days. A jogger is shown, in this [[multiple exposure]] picture, running through the [[Dundas Square]] [[splash pad]] to cool down.]]
[[Image:Jigokudani hotspring in Nagano Japan 001.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Wild [[Japanese Macaque]] ([[Snow Monkey]]) come down from mountain in day time, having learned to bathe in winter at [[Jigokudani Monkey Park|Jigokudani]] [[Onsen]] [[Nagano prefecture]] ([[:ja:地獄谷温泉 (長野県)]]), [[Japan]]. Habit of bathing and warming body by Japanese Macaque is believed to be done only in this particular area and being taught to succeeding [[generation]]s.]]
Bathing serves several purposes:
* [[Hygiene]], and the physical appearance of cleanliness
* [[Decontamination]] from [[chemical hazard|chemical]], [[Biological hazard|biological]], [[nuclear hazard|nuclear]] or other exposure-type hazards.
* [[Recreation]]
* Therapy (e.g. [[hydrotherapy]]), healing, rehabilitation from injury or addiction, relaxation (e.g. [[Blessed Rainy Day]])
* [[Religion|Religious]], or, less frequently, other ceremonial [[rite]]s (e.g. [[Baptism]], [[Mikvah]])
* Celebration and socialization, e.g. running through fountains after winning the [[World Series]], or jumping through a hole cut in the ice over a lake on [[New Year's Eve]].
* Ensuring people are free of certain items such as weapons or other [[contraband]]: In Chicago, Russian baths were a safe meeting place for rival gang leaders. Weapons are difficult to conceal on a nearly naked body. If the meeting resulted in reconciliation, the gangs would meet upstairs for [[bagel]]s, [[cream cheese]] and [[borscht]].<ref>http://www.cyberbohemia.com/Pages/russianbaniaspreading.htm</ref> Many homeless shelters, and almost all prisons have an [[intake facility]] or intake process that includes a supervised [[shower]] with change of clothes to ensure that no contraband or contamination enters the facility.
Bathing is usually done in a bath (i.e. a place designed for bathing), but may also be done in places not specifically designed for the purpose, such as [[roof]]tops ([[sunbathing]]), a [[lake]] or [[river]].
One town known for its baths is [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] (known during [[ancient Roman]] times as ''[[Aquae Sulis]]''), a Roman city in [[England]] famous for healing [[hydrothermal springs]]. It was a popular resort town for the wealthy from Elizabethan to Georgian times.
==History of Bathing==
Before the late 19th Century BCE, water to individual places of residence was rare.<ref>The Western Heritage, Eighth Edition, Copyright 2004 by Prentice Hall Books. Donald Kagan, Steven Ozment, and Frank M. Turner</ref> Droughts would bring difficult times to people, and water usage was prioritized according to necessity, i.e., for personal consumption, agriculture, and other industrial endeavors such as hydro-power for mills, in the cloth and dye trades, and for livestock.
Cultural attitudes also determined the use of water. In the [[middle ages]], public bathhouses were common in larger villages and cities. The appearance of the body - of cleanliness - was believed to reflect one's soul (i.e., the common phrase 'Cleanliness is next to Godliness') and most of the townspeople and aristocrats bathed frequently. This, however, required public nudity, which was frowned upon by liturgical factions of the period. The public baths were also havens for prostitution, thus much opposition to the public baths was to be found. Additionally, during the [[Renaissance]] and [[Protestant Reformation]], the quality and condition of the clothing (as opposed to the actual cleanliness of the body itself) were thought to reflect the soul of an individual. Clean clothing also reflected one's social status; clothes made the man or woman. This fact still is reflected today in the industry of [[fashion]].
Additionally, from the late [[Middle Ages]] through the end of the eighteenth century, etiquette and medical manuals advised people to only wash the parts of the body that were visible to the public; for example, the ears, hands, feet, and face and neck. This did away with the public baths and left the cleaning of oneself to the privacy of one's home.
The switch from woolen to linen clothing by the sixteenth century also accompanied the decline in bathing. Linen clothing is much easier to clean and maintain - and such clothing was becoming commonplace at the time in Western Europe. Clean linen shirts or blouses allowed people who hadn't bathed to appear clean and well groomed. The possession of a large quantity of clean linen clothing was a sign of social status. Thus, appearance became more important than personal hygiene. Medical opinion supported this claim. Physicians of the period believed that odors, or [[miasma]], such as that which would be found in soiled linens, caused disease. A person could therefore change one's shirt every few days, but avoid baths - which might let the 'bad air' into the body through the pores. Consequently, in an age in which there were very few personal bathtubs, laundry was an important and weekly chore which were commonly undertaken by [[laundresses]] of the time.
Public opinion about bathing only began to shift in the middle and late eighteenth century, when writers argued that frequent bathing might lead to better health. Large public baths, such as those found in the ancient world and were a common fixture of the [[Ottoman Empire]], would revive during the nineteenth century, and the [[germ theory]] of disease would eventually lead health authorities globally to urge people to bathe regularly, to rid the body of harmful [[germs]]. The great water projects of the nineteenth century thus had a lot to owe to the assurance of vast quantities of water obtained for the general health.
==Kinds of baths==
[[Image:Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas 046.jpg|thumb|right|In the 1880s [[Edgar Degas]], drew a number of pastel studies of women bathing.]]
There are various kinds of baths, which include:
* [[Bathtub|Private baths]]
* [[Public bathing|Public baths]]
* [[Turkish bath]]s
* [[Whirlpool]] baths - similar to a [[hot tub]]
* Public [[swimming pool]]s (also known as swimming baths)
* [[Steam shower]] baths
* [[Sauna]] or [[infrared sauna]] baths
* [[Decontamination]] baths
* [[Sponge (product)|Sponge]] baths (usually when water is in short supply)
* Hot baths
* Cold baths
===Bathtub and shower===
{{Main|Bathtub|Shower}}
Bathtub and shower are most commonly used for bathing both in private houses and hotels.
==Bathwear / nudity==
Bathing usually involves the removal of at least some clothing; normally in private baths all clothing is removed. The amount of clothing removed depends on circumstance, custom, and willingness of bathers to reveal themselves. A [[swimsuit]], swimming costume, or bathing suit is a garment designed for swimming or bathing. Typically a men's suit consists of shorts or briefs. A women's suit often consists of two pieces that cover the [[breast]]s and [[intimate part|pubic region]], or of one piece that resembles the combination of briefs and a tank top joined together.
==Bathing Babies==
Babies can be bathed in a [[kitchen sink]] or a small plastic [[baby bath]], instead of using a standard bath, which offers less control of the infant's movements and requires the parent to lean awkwardly or kneel.<ref>[http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/dailycare/bathingyourbaby/ Bathing your baby<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==Frequency and time of the day==
In Western culture, it is typical for people to bathe in the morning before starting the activities of the day or meeting with others outside the home. Arriving at work without having showered may be seen as a sign of unprofessionalism or slovenliness. In contrast, people in [[East Asia]] customarily bathe twice a day{{Fact|date=January 2008}} especially during the evening or the night, the rationale being that after a day's work one should remove sweat and dirt, in order to be comfortable and clean, thus keeping the bed clean.
==Hazards of bathing==
*[[Drowning]] is one possible danger of bathing. Drowning has been known to occur in a shower, though the risks are less than in an immersion bath.
*[[Hyperthermia|Heatstroke]] can also result from the use of sauna baths or other hot baths.
*[[Hypothermia]] from using cool baths and not being sensitive to the cold, as a result of falling asleep for example.
*[[Otitis media|Ear infections]], also known as [[swimmer's ear]] can result from water building up and the resulting increase in bacteria.
*[[Injury|Impact injuries]] are also possible from landing inappropriately in a bath, from an elevation, or from collision with other bathers, or with the sides of the bath.
*[[Irritation]] caused by bathing solutions or other cosmetic products.
*[[Infection]] caused by sharing dirty bathwater or bathing with others.
*[[Fainting|Collapsing]] when getting out of the bath because of the sudden change in blood pressure can occur, particularly when the bath is hot. Fainting can lead to accidents (including drowning if one falls back into the bath).
*The wet surface of the floor is a hazard and can lead to falling. Therefore, it is advisable for people with less dexterity or balance be seated during bathing.<ref>[http://www.elderstribune.com/health-lifestyle/safety-ideas-we-can-learn-japanese-bathing-method Safety ideas we can learn from Japanese bathing method]</ref>
*With advanced [[ageing|age]], some people experience a diminished ability to [[sense]] [[temperature]], and must use extra care to avoid accidentally [[Burn (injury)|scalding]] themselves while bathing. This is also true of individuals of any age with [[sensory nerve]] damage. Caution is needed with [[children]] as well, as their body is much more sensitive to temperature and pain and they are more vulnerable to changes in temperature; this is particularly the case with infants.
*Bathing [[infant]]s too often has been linked to the development of [[asthma]] or severe [[eczema]] according to some researchers, including Michael Welch, chair of the [[American Academy of Pediatrics]]' section on allergy and immunology{{Fact|date=July 2008}}<!--Broken link: <ref>[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb230/is_200302/ai_n5956653]</ref>-->.
*Tap water often used for bathing most likely contains chlorine that may have negative effects on skin.
==See also==
* [[Sea bathing]]
* [[Balneotherapy]]
* [[Bathing machine]]
* [[Spa]]s
* [[destination spa|Destination Spa]]
* [[Nudity]]
* [[Shower]]
* [[Navy shower]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{Wiktionarypar|bathing|bathe}}
* [http://www.cyberbohemia.com/Pages/russianbaniaspreading.htm Russian baths (with reference to bathing as a way of ensuring participants are not carrying weapons)]
* [http://willypuchner.com/de/diereise/japan%201/japan_index.htm Japanese Bath]- Photographs of [[Willy Puchner]]
* [http://www.driftwood.ie/kanji.html The Japanese bathing ritual]
* [http://www.konyoku.com/ Konyoku] Japanese Konyoku mixed-gender bathing
* [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/041217.html The Straight Dope: Is good personal hygiene a recent invention?]
* [http://pediatrics.about.com/od/newborntips/a/04_bath_baby.htm Bathing Your Baby]
* [http://www.cleaning101.com/cleaning/history/ History of soap and bathing], [
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