Certainly, it’s tempting: taking a long hot soak at day’s end feels like just the kind of relaxing activity that many of us need after the challenges we’ve faced this past year or the new anxieties we confront as we head back into the world. We know from previous agebuzz posts that not only are baths relaxing but they also result in positive health benefits such as better sleep. And while the pandemic may have disrupted the bath and shower habits of many (Why obsess over cleanliness or waste the water on a daily basis when you’re not seeing anyone?), the reality is that most of us, whether we need it or not, will continue to shower or bathe on a daily basis.

Now comes word that the long hot soak (ideally in a hot tub) may be an acceptable health-promoting substitute for an athletic activity like running or biking- at least occasionally. In a recently published study in The Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers at the University of Coventry discovered that regular bathing in a hot tub (or time spent in a sauna) can provide the type of heat therapy that can not only be pleasurable but can improve your cardiovascular health comparable to bouts of exercise. Realizing that adherence to exercise routines is often poor (due to time and motivation) and that not everyone can engage in the kind of rigorous exercise valuable for reducing health risks, these researchers found that a long hot soak (for an hour ideally, at a temperature of 104% F) can produce pleasurable, practical and potent benefits for improving health. Multiple cultures have embraced this sort of passive heat therapy for generations (the Japanese come to mind) so perhaps we should as well. Of course, a long soak does little to help you build muscles or lose weight the way an intense cardio workout would, but for many of us, a long run in no way produces the same pleasure that a luxurious soak does- and if it’s also good for our health, all the better. To find out more, grab your bottle of bubble bath, consult your physician, and click here.

And speaking of tubs, fun fact: Do you know why virtually no one can comfortably lay down in a conventional tub? In other words, why are conventional bathtubs as small as they are? There’s a long history of tub development you need to know, including the expense and weight of early tubs when indoor plumbing became more common in the late 19th century- and the fact that people were generally smaller – as were bathrooms- in previous generations. So tub manufacturers standardized a size they could sell in volumes and the rest is (uncomfortable) history. To find out more, squeeze yourself down into the tub and read here.