Indulging in an occasional ‘wallow’ while you still can…
28 Jun 2025
Dear LPG readers,
I recently read an article in the Daily Mail published in March of this year. The article stated that we British don’t use our baths as much as we used to, which made me think about how my bathing hygiene habits have changed.
As I read, I realised that my hygiene habits reflect what the article was saying. When I was still at school we did not live in a world where every second house had a shower and baths were the thing, even though an average ‘two up two down’ in the 1960s was considered luxurious if there were two bathrooms in it, and an ‘On suite’ was a concept that most of us had no idea of. But have you noticed how many newer homes are built with showers and not baths these days? Doubtless, space-saving and water-saving reasons exist for this aspect of building evolution.
I remember the Saturdays when I would make sure that the rest of my family rearranged their routines so that I could spend at least two hours in the soak each week. What I took with me also evolved as I got older. When I was young, I shared with my brother and rubber ducks. As I became a secondary school student, the duck was swapped for anything I needed to memorise for school and, by the time I started working, I would enter the bathroom armed with my nail varnish, transistor radio, pen and paper in case I had a thought which needed recording and, at times, a snack.
I would have the most inspiring thoughts and ideas and make plans for all the projects I was involved in. By the time I was a full-time worker, I liked nothing better than sinking into a tub of hot, bubbly, scented water to relax and rejuvenate both body and soul. I admit to doing some of my best thinking in the bath.
We are told that showers are the best way to save water and time, but there has to be more to life than always saving things. When one retires and can afford to choose their routine timings again, the practicalities of getting into and out of the bath often come with complications.
I have also heard that you soak dirt off your skin only to leave with a certain amount stuck. But a bath is more than a way to get clean. It is the ultimate way to unwind and forget the real world.
Showers are more straightforward, quicker, and water efficient, but occasionally, life has to be about more than getting clean as quickly and cheaply as possible.
So, while a relaxing bath involves a lot more water, if you can still get in and out safely and yours has not been replaced with a shower, take a bath occasionally.
SN Croydon.
SN shares the online inspiration behind her message today…