A small piece of Americana has gone down the drain...

[AsahinaKimi]

A few years ago a friend of mine came to visit me from Japan. Amazed that I simply had just a shower, he was shocked to learn that once checking into his motel that the bath tub he had could hold only a little bit of water, that the tub could not be filled up enough to cover ones chest.



In Japan, taking a bath is more then just bathing. It is a chance to sit and soak away all the troubles of the day, and allow the body to relax in a near gravity free warm environment. Bathing in this manner has tremendous health advantages, since most of us are stressed out each day from all the days activities.



How then is that American Bathtubs did not allow for this? And..who can relax standing in a shower? Yes, In Japan they have showers for washing, but the tub is for long, lovely soaking!

When I went on a trip a few years ago to Scotland, and stayed in a hotel I was amazed to find a lovely bathtub that allowed me the same kind of luxury I had as a child when my grandparents owned a lovely antique bathtub. It was so deep, yet wonderful to soak in and absorb the warmth of the water.

However, having visited local Hotels and Motels in San Francisco, the only real pleasure one could find in such a manner was the use of the Hotel's Hot tubs. True enough, San Francisco had many Hot tub places, including a wonderful place in Sausalito, across the bay bridge that now is unfortunately no longer there. It was called Floating World and featured six -two person tub and one four person tub. One would go there for about an hour, be given a towel, a bottle of cold water or juice, and would sit and soak in these lovely deep red wood hot tubs. Many of these places have been closed down, though today some have made a come back.



As stated, the Japanese have known, for years the health benefits of having a nice deep tub, yet one might wonder why Americans have to pay a lot of money just to enjoy this simple pleasure. Its true America has health spas, with deep hot tubs, and there are various hot springs located in certain parts of the United States. Saratoga, New York was known long for its natural spas. There have been places in California where natural hot springs have sprung up for those wanting this luxury.

But, if one goes to Japan, the country has many, many famous Onsens and Rotenburo scattered though out the country. Many tourists to Japan, make it a effort to include these famous places as a part of their tour of Japan.




So why is it that with all the stress Americans have, does the common house hold or apartment have either a shower, or a bathtub (with shower) that only holds enough water to barely cover your knees?

Perhaps this statement will give you a clue:
"Unintentional drowning remains one of the most significant and preventable causes of child mortality, and bathtubs present a significant hazard to infants and young children. Currently, unintentional bathtub drowning accounts for approximately 1 of every 100 deaths of US resident infants aged 6-10 months, with a recent study showing that 55% of the children under the age of 1 year who died from drowning in 1995 drowned in bathtubs. While current national goals emphasize the objective of reducing incidents of childhood drowning, none specifically focus on the prevention of infant bathtub drownings."

source
**http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/450989


While its important that American society protect its children from the possibility of drowning in the bathtub, because of regulations forcing bathtub manufacturers to make all bath tubs safe, the very regulations have robbed all Americans a method of reducing stress in their own homes.

Now its true that Americans waste a tremendous amount of water, however in Japan the very water used in their tubs are recycled and used for other things, such as washing clothes. (Because Japanese, shower and wash before they soak in the tub, the water is generally clean and can be used for such things as washing clothes or even for use in the garden, or for
watering the lawn.)

Its a shame that Americans have to spend a lot of money, to either purchase their own hot tubs, go to a spa, or a local gym just to have, what they once had for free many, years ago in their own homes.

I am not saying we should reverse the laws. I am simply saying we have lost something small and yet valuable. Every one tries to be health conscious these days, exercising, eating healthy foods, doing yoga, and finding ways to reduce stress in their lives. By living in an apartment with just a shower, only thing one can do is buy a water proof plastic chair and sit
under the flow of water.

My friend from Japan, bought himself a roll of duct tape and was able to place it over the holes where the water would leak out. Still even with that, the water was not very deep. Even the size of bathtubs have changed over the years, becoming
much smaller.

I miss my grandfathers old antique tub. I live in a small apartment with just a shower. When staying in hotels I always ask for a bathtub over just a shower. Even that is a bit more expensive. In this economy one can hardly afford such luxuries these days. That in itself is stressful. Its too bad our society has slowly taken this simple pleasure away, one which at one time we all had and could afford.

[Bonobo]

1. I had a Japanese tub put in my house.

About 500 bucks for the ofuro. Imported from Japan by a place in CA. we had to tear out the existing tub, knock down a wall, enlarge the shower stall space. enclose with glass doors and place the tub (plus lots of tiling) It was SO worth it.

[EFerrari]

I used to go to a hot tub place on University Ave with two friends once a week.

The place had lovely saunas, too, but we always went for the hot tub in the garden outside. Heaven. It was like unloading ten ugly years. Can't remember how much it cost but whatever it was, it was too little. :)

[Historic NY]

2. Kohler makes a 2 person soaker...I put a new one in my bath last yr.

[Heddi]

3. A couple of thoughts

1) Tubs were larger in the past because often more than one person would share bath water. My great-grandmother's house had a claw-foot tub, and that is the tub where all 6 of her children would bathe, at the same time, in the same water, from the time they were born until well into puberty. During the depression, water was expensive and modesty was sacrificed to save the few pennies you could by sharing a bath.

2) I think that many hotels do not have tubs because of the risk of tubs overflowing and causing damage to that hotel unit and the ones below it. I don't think it's necessarily because of some nefarious plot. It's just to save on repair costs associated with drunk assholes turning on the tub water and forgetting to turn it off

3) I would venture to guess that the decrease in the size of tubs over the years is probably the same reason that we have low-flow toilets now a days instead of big honkers that use 213092348 gallons per flush.

About 8 years ago, my husband and I lived in a then 140+ year old house in Charleston, SC, that had been converted into 4 apartments. Our bathroom had a large clawfoot tub and I loved loved loved soaking in that tub, with water up to my chin, for hours at a time.

However, I quickly realized that the tub held a considerable amount of water---1 bath used more water than I'd use in 5 showers. It was pure waste.

I was a tub-lover since i was born, and can think of nothing more relaxing (especially if I have a cold or the flu) than sitting in a steamy tub for hours. But the amount of water used even for our normal-sized tub that we have now is digusting, and I cannot in good conscience think of taking a bath knowing how much water is wasted on a scrub in the tub.

[cherokeeprogressive]

4. Well there IS that nasty little fact that some don't have fresh water at all.

I shower in two minutes or less. I brush my teeth using no more than a cup of water. That's all it takes to wet my toothbrush and rinse my mouth.

The town I live in has THOUSANDS of weekend rental properties, being a ski resort town and all. The house behind me gets rented nearly every weekend, and Monday morning you can hear the hottub being drained one more time by the cleaning crew who are making it ready for next weekend's tourists.

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. One of the many things I love about going to Japan - civilized bathing.

It's sooooooo wonderful!

[Hardrada]

6. I might think about that in October. That's the month I usually

take a shower. Maybe I could go to Japan and be civilized however briefly.

[Norrin Radd]

10. Go between June through July. That's the rainy season in Japan.

[SoCalDem]

7. There used to be a resort in Jamaica, called Shibui

and in the center of each individual bungalow were really big, deep tubs..

It's probably long gone by now, but those llittle Japanese bungalows were beautiful and so peaceful:)

[silverojo]

8. Showers are recommended by environmentalists

Baths consume way more water. If every home in America had one of these Japanese bathtubs, imagine how much faster we'd be heading toward Water Shortage City.

I like Japanese culture and all, but some cultural practices are just plain wrong when our environment is in such peril. :(

[AsahinaKimi]

9. I guess you ignored this paragraph or didn't read it..

Now its true that Americans waste a tremendous amount of water, however in Japan the very water used in their tubs are recycled and used for other things, such as washing clothes. (Because Japanese, shower and wash before they soak in the tub, the water is generally clean and can be used for such things as washing clothes or even for use in the garden, or for
watering the lawn.)

But I guess we all know most people are too lazy to do this, right?

[DRoseDARs]

11. My stedad explains it thusly...

"I don't want to soak in my own filth."

That is, essentially, what you are doing when in a tub of standing water: All that oil and dirt and miscellaneous yukkage is still in contact with your body. As you drain the tub, all of that is STILL on your body because most people don't bother rinsing afterward. Why do you think most public and gym pools ask that you shower BEFORE getting in their pools? It's one thing to stew Humans, it's another thing to stew Humans ... in their own broth.

Edit: Good for the Japanese, they shower before soaking. However, most people are not Japanese and probably don't shower before soaking.