We’ve all wondered about it.
Is a bath or a shower better for you?
On one hand, a bath is relaxing.
How could sitting in a nice hot bath, filled with bubbles and bath salts, not be good for you?
But a shower stimulates the skin, helping to open up the pores and scrub off the dirt.
Is there a healthier option, or are they both equal?
In this post, we’re going to dig into the question and answer it for good.
The Basics: The Difference Between Baths And Showers
First off, it’s important to understand that showers tend to get you a bit cleaner than baths do.
For this reason, if cleanliness is the priority, showers are the ‘superior’ method for lathering up and rinsing off.
With that being said, both showers and baths boast a few basic upsides.
And as it turns out, choosing a winner may depend almost entirely upon the context of the moment.
Advantages Of A Shower
We’ve already talked about how showers tend to get you cleaner.
This is the main advantage that showers have over baths.
When you’re in the shower, water can rinse the dirt, grease, mud, or anything else from your body, and quickly carry it down the drain.
When soaking in a bath, on the other hand, all of that dirt and grease will stay in the water with you.
Hot showers also have the potential to help you soothe sore muscles and release toxins, while cold (or cooler) showers can actually provide a boost to your immune system and help you to burn fat.
Advantages Of A Bath
Baths may not be quite as clean as showers are… but that doesn’t mean that they don’t boast a few benefits of their own.
For one, a bath is great for relaxing the muscles.
Secondly, baths are known to be able to relieve stress, fatigue, and depression.
We can probably all agree that soaking in a hot bath is a pleasurable experience.
And so, that’s actually no small upside.
Oatmeal baths can also be used to relieve the symptoms of skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema.
The fact that you’re ‘soaking’ in water, in such cases, actually works for you instead of against you.
Which Should You Take – A Shower, Or A Bath?
At the end of the day, the answer to this question totally depends on the context of your situation.
Are you looking to get clean quicker, faster, and more efficiently?
If so, then a shower is probably the better bet.
Are you looking to relax your muscles and submerge yourself into hot, bubbly water for a while while you unwind after a long day at work?
If so, then a bath is obviously going to be a better choice.
If you’re like most people, you probably alternate between the two—enjoying the different benefits as they fit your context and situation better.
And honestly, that’s not a bad strategy.
Just remember not to bathe or shower so often that you dry out your skin, and you should be just fine to go with whichever option serves you better in the moment.