It will t-minus four weeks before I can have a bath or go to the public swimming pool. Until then, I do my best to enjoy hot showers. My bathtub is not even a particularly nice tub. It makes me feel like a whale in a fishbowl. We bought this house as a "fixer-up" but never got around to fixing 'er upper. Maybe we'll get a new bath when this one finally falls through to the basement.
One of the reasons I love Japanese culture so much is that they too revel in the joy of a good bath. The Osen is often a hot spring fed communal Japanese bath. Some pipe the hot spring water into private pools for rent others follow the traditional route of a larger communal pool. Some have a partition for a male side and female side, because you go into an Osen naked after you have bathed in the washroom. While now harder to find, some still offer mixed gender communal pools. Last time I was in Japan I went to one of these with my long-time college friends. Here's something you likely didn't know about me, I have two modest tattoos, one is the Japanese Kanji word for "Tiger" because I was born Year of the Tiger. (I spent 8 years learning Japanese history, literature, language and culture y'all! This tattoo is all I've got to show for my love and appreciation of the culture!) The second is a very simple wrap of what look like dots around my left ankle. It was inspired by a pattern from a border fragment on a piece pottery from 400 BCE La Tรจne era. To me it represents a reminder of where my family came from, a small bond to my European ancestry. I would like to get one more tattoo. A nod to my deep connection to this land of my birth.
My favorite bath of all! A private Japanese hot spring bath in an old ryokan (Japanese Inn.) I had the pleasure of such a bath years ago at a ryokan attached to a female Buddhist monastery in Kyoto!
Bath in an old Japanese Inn
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Robert Fuller in the Laramie TV Series (1959-1963)
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I've hoped I've all inspired you all to go take a nice relaxing bath on my behalf! I've always been a simple lass, myself. I appreciate a hot soak in a bath of plain old Epsom salt for sore muscles and smooth healthy skin.
I do love a good bath - and I have been in many an "Osen" naked, surrounded by other apparent bathtime fanatics. Ahem. Watch out for those suds! Jx
ReplyDeleteI figured for our group here "taking a relaxing bath" would be a pretty easy request/assignment! Oh yes, perhaps we'll have to ask some people to keep their hands above the sudsy soap level unless given consent to go foraging for playthings. That's a different bath time experience altogether!
DeleteI've never mastered the art of a good bath - I understand the allure, but they never work out well for me. I blame my height, baths are too long for me - can you get cushions for baths? I need some of them!
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, those French soldiers don't look happy!
Sx
Bathtubs too long? It never occurred to me that there are people that would have such a problem when lounging in the bath as I more often than not have the opposite problem. There are several remedies depending on how fancy you want to get. The simplest is to just use a washcloth or hand towel under your bum to keep from slipping around. I do this now at my age because I find it more comfortable. There are inexpensive suction cup mats you can use to pad your bum and keep from slipping, they come in different styles and thickness. You need to affix the suction on a dry tub before putting the water in to keep it from getting loose and slipping. I used to have a wonderful little inflatable pillow with microfiber cloth to lean my head and neck that was soft, comfortable and dried quickly. Here's a fancy bath pad and pillow all in one! https://www.amazon.com/hawbath-Pillows-Support-Accessories-Relaxing/dp/B0CDWN316C/ref=sr_1_10?crid=27XEG980AIX2L&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.MNhcPP2Nxya15GuXTdjrTxlTMrmX2BrE8Cxh3uTGJYt-PZAPhF8xmd63Lgx7GnW8ptUhTpdJsES1LkS65-xmenWzjhaJvHg2NbqjFIjNHdFNrrChJIqiGdx26uVHG03GdeJcRv-eTiFunXIjezzXS9-YevsEXOQOzg6Gaq4enNgfWAnsHqmISVntmwRHf5AhUpcZ23aCvqj9lsjgG2qQJBBSyY5NVr8o065LyVFn5MuevqTAtQfwEryKwS0iRF13KPpN2kPu_H_t5lChjcMl3UV-MRqXyc2IRmQzMHhWzBe_JPQn-jyrYB4TYgkUfqRdzGxrufQ3V5b5XVeEC2ybeNl9WtzU5FT5D8hfyTLtL-qANUGqicc4hZj0tNXpnfa3o4qnULA7iFPEXwokK_ONKlthWM0P0GKmHFZQsWL2ee-6kJT7cIJLph44cKfjEMFg.ZFd6M-lyGRMXulLY1l67Yx1fyeUOcqxksX7EqY35uHM&dib_tag=se&keywords=bathtub+mat+with+pillow+for+adults&qid=1736552046&sprefix=bathtub+mats+for+adults%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-10
DeleteAs for the soldiers not looking happy, I'm sure their enthusiasm for not having died that day or the previous ones is contained on the inside.
I love love love a good hot bath! Problem is I fall asleep and the water gets cold. Like on Seinfeld.
ReplyDeleteFalling asleep in the bathtub sounds dangerous! I'm going to make a point of heading to Sol Duc Hot Springs this year. I do love it so and last time I was there, maybe eight years ago, the food was excellent!
DeleteNo no no no no no nno QWAY1!!!!!! OMG no way!!!!! Sol Duc is one of our super secret righteous places of the Earth and Venus! We've been going there for over thirty years (they've cleaned the place a couple of times since then) and man, the great memories. So so cool thatyou know about this hidden gem!
ReplyDeleteYes, my family has been going there for just as long! Maybe we sat in the same hot spring at some point! Another good one that was easier for us since we lived in Spokane was/is Ainsworth Hot Springs in Calgary, BC. I haven't been in over 20 years but they had a faux cave system in the water with a few water falls down the sides you could sit in. I always enjoined that part. https://www.ainsworthhotsprings.com/
DeleteBath time for me is an art form!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, darling! If I thought anyone could make an art form out of bathtime you'd be at the top of that list! Perhaps you'll have to do a bathtime inspired mood board!
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