A Good Bath is a Private Luxury

Who says a bath is just a tub full of water? Caesar's wife Calpurnia bathed in strawberries and raspberries. To bath is to soak, to be immersed in a world all one's own, a small sea; a good bath is a vital luxury. The bath frees the mind. Whether spartan or prodigious with bubbles, the bath is a private event.

Bathing is synonyms with purity, cleanliness. Ancient Egyptian priests bathed three times daily in water from the Nile; Hindus in India still flock by the thousands to bathe in the sacred water of the Ganges at Benares. Soak and you shall be saved. For all of their decadence, the murals and marble and extended hours in the baths, the Romans were the first to develop a full bathing regimen. To vitalise and improve circulation, exercise and exposure to heat and steam were followed by plunging into cold pools; the libraries, gardens and public socialising that were often part of the more than 900 baths in ancient Rome were supplementary to bathing for health. The northern variation on this theme of extremes is the sauna followed by a bracing tumble in the snow, which dates back to the time of the Vikings.

Some like it hot, others cold. What effect does the temperature of the water actually have? A cold bath is recommended for relief of headaches. The thermal effect concerns the bloodstream and circulatory system; a hot bath will dilate the capillaries and draw blood to the surface of the skin. Moving from balmy to brisk water steps up circulation and boosts the body's lymphatic system.

For all of the benefits of the warm bath, care should be taken, especially at home. "At 104 F degrees, you're expanding 100 percent of your capillaries; always follow a warm soak with a cool rinse, but know that an excess of good hot baths will cause the skin, particularly on the breasts, to lose its elasticity", experts says.

Even the finest natural bath products, whether algae-based or herbal and available in a range of pure colors, from gold to green, will only color the bath and soothe you visually. When overheated, the skin functions as an organ of elimination; it is unable to absorb any of the nourishing extracts you may add to the bath. Keep the bath at body temperature or below, and allow rosemary to stimulate the body, and calm the mind. (the perfect antidote to jet-lag). Basil is an antidepressant that will keep you mentally sharp; lavender is physically calming; and clary sage, which contains a hormone very close to estrogen, works wonders in relieving PMS.

Over-bathing means different things for different skin type; frequency, duration, and water temperature are the most important factors to watch out for, experts say. Dry and sensitive skin should be treated carefully when bathing. Stay away from harsh soaps or loofahs, and moisturize immediately after the bath, when the skin is still moist and more susceptible to hydration. For very dry complexions, adding oil to the bath afterhaving soaked for a while is recommended, giving the skin time to become hydrated.

The bath is what you put into it. Whether it's the installation of pure-gem spigots produced by the grand master of bathroom design, or a pure and natural lavishly foaming bubble bath in peppermint, cucumber, apple or heather, or whether you just take the time to dream, read, or mull over a romance, the bath is no doubt the newest frontier in private luxuriating.