To bathe, or not to bathe... that is the question

What’s your fancy? A nice hot bath, in which you can luxuriate and indulge yourself in the evening before bed, or a bracing, wide-awakening shower in the morning? Sometimes I can’t decide...
Shakespeare himself was fascinated by where a good bath could take him. In Macbeth, he describes sleep as “labour’s bath, the balm of hurt minds,” while in his Sonnets 153/4, he refers to Cupid’s “Seething bath,” as being to “cure strange maladies.” Modernity perhaps tells us showers, apparently, are contemporarily better, whether hot or cold, reflecting our mood, our personality, stimulating the nervous system, being time-efficient, offering ‘eco-friendly’ cleaning, and being more practical in terms of maintaining a routine. Otherwise, baths are infinitely more relaxing, curative, ease chronic ailments, muscle pain, improve sleep factors, and offer better skincare responses, according to Loreal et al.
A 2024 study by Buije et al (2016) in Japan found a higher metabolic factor among bathtub users, which supported weight-loss imperatives more effectively, but pointed out that showers produce much more steam, which cleans deeper, eradicating toxins. Their study also advocated hot-to-cold or cold-to-hot showers being remarkably invigorating and health-supportive, with users reporting far fewer ‘sick days.’ And speaking of Japan, to ‘muddy the water’ of this debate even further, Matan Shelomi writes, “Typical Asian baths require a shower first, with soap, completely rinsing off grime and soap. Then you get into the bath and soak. This is apparently ultra-relaxing and has health benefits depending on the additives - whether bubbly, hot, cold, or herbal - then you shower or sauna, and bathe again, and do it as many times as you like.” I might try it someday!
Showers are significantly better in terms of hygiene, as dirt is washed away, whereas in a bath, you may be sitting in dirty water for some time. It is also anecdotally obvious that a shower’s action on the skin, the pressure element, can wake the nervous system and release endorphins, increasing the feel-good factor, so the debate probably comes down to whether you would rather, metaphorically speaking, bathe under a jungle waterfall, where you most probably shower, with your focus on reinvigoration. On the other hand, fantasising about the romance of bathing in the pool of a desert oasis almost certainly implies a focus on wellbeing and relaxation. Which sounds very much like me! That ‘grande dame’ of romantic tragedy, American poet and author Sylvia Plath, was noted for her confessional poetry and several books, including ‘The Bell Jar,’ published shortly before her suicide in 1963. In that - her last book - Plath noted, 'There must be quite a few things a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them.' She continued... “I never feel so much of myself as when I’m in the bath,” concluding that she found her bath healing, calming, restorative, and providing the peace she clearly sought, and sadly for her, so rarely found.
Mae West was an extraordinary talent, but with a far greater appreciation of self. She was a personality who raucously defined what America was at the time. I loved that sense of humour! Showers use much less water, usually 75 litres for a five-minute shower, and given the technological advances, becoming greater all the time compared to a full bath, which will top out at between 100-150+ litres, making them better than a bath for both saving water and saving on energy costs. My bath may be all very decadent and wasteful, but it is so, so luxurious, with oils, aromatherapy, and bath bombs reeking of bathtub decadence. Me... in my element! And which is best? Who cares, shower or bathe... but enjoy!