Bathing Bathing Boston accent Category="Hygiene"[image] Bathing is the immersion of the body in fluid, usually Water, or an aqueous solution, such as the asses' milk favored by Cleopatra VII of Egypt. Some spa facilities provide bathing in various other liquids such as Chocolate or MUD, and there have been examples of bathing in champagne. Additionally, exposing the body to open air is sometimes considered bathing, for example, in sunbathing or moonbathing.

Reasons for bathing

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Bathing serves several purposes:

Bathing is usually done in a bath (i.e. a place designed for bathing), but may also be done in places not specifically intended for bathing, such as Rooftops (sunbathing and windbathing), a Lake, River, or Sprinkler connected to a garden hose.

One town known for its baths is Bath (Aquae Sulis), a Roman city in England famous for healing hydrothermal springs, and most recently for the Bath Spa Project consisting of a rooftop pool overlooking the city of Bath, as well as four circular clear glass steam baths.

Kinds of baths

There are various kinds of baths, which include:

A private bath is usually a Bathtub for one person, often found in the privacy of one's own Bathroom. A public bath, such as a municipal swimming bath (e.g. the Roman Thermae), may be used for recreational bathing. Some municipal swimming baths also have steam baths located near the main swimming bath.

A shower bath is a system that pours water down onto a bather from above, rather than having the bather lower himself, or herself into the water. It has the advantages of being more space and water efficient.

A steam bath is a hot room where bathers sit and where hot steam at a temperature of approximately 49°C (120°F) is pumped into the room.

A sauna bath is a bath of dry heat, and thus not really a bath according to the definition of bathing, other than the fact that sometimes water is thrown on the rocks that form the thermal ballast of the sauna heater. This results in a steam bath effect.

Bathwear

Bathing usually involves the removal of at least some clothing (except in private baths, in which 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 breasts and pubic region, or of one piece that resembles the combination of briefs and a tank top joined together.

Some European waterparks require bathers to be completely naked and baths are usually not separated by gender. Most of the newer Japanese baths are gender-segregated, whereas the older Japanese baths in the countryside are mixed gender. In both cases (mixed or segregated) public bathing in Japan is done in total nudity.

Hazards of bathing

Drowning is one possible danger of bathing. In a shower bath drowning has been known to occur, even though the risks are less than in an immersion bath. Baths that have standing water involve a higher risk of drowning.

Heatstroke can also result from the use of sauna baths or other hot baths. Ear infections, known as swimmer's ear can also occur.

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.

Sharing dirty bathwater can result in infection or the spread of disease. Some bathing solutions can irritate certain individuals. Certain people are more sensitive to chlorine, or bath salts.

Bathing infants 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's section on allergy and immunology .

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