Source
r/AskReddit•
FlintFireforge

What's up with Americans and baths?

I was born in America, and lived here most (but not all) of my life.

There's one thing I just don't understand about American culture:

Americans don't take baths.

Well, I should say American men don't take baths....for some reason it's considered unmanly or something.

Whenever I mention that I sometimes take baths, I get a weird look.

"You were taking a bath?"

"Yes."

"Not a ..shower?"

"No, a bath"

<weird look>

I can't figure it out....how is taking a bath any less manly than a shower? or swimming?

How come jacuzzis get a free pass? Isn't a bath just the same as a jacuzzi without jets?

How is it a feminine thing to do?

I love a nice hot bath after strenuous exercise. A cool bath is great on a hot day. You can smoke a joint in a bath...

So, what say you Reddit?

Posted Aug 15, 2010, 11:11 PM UTC · edited

259
shockfactor•

jacuzzis don't have soap and cleaning.

When you take a bath to clean yourself you sit in your own filth. Showers are clearly a better choice.

13
FlintFireforgeOP•

Aren't you just sitting "in your own filth" all day though?

At least this way it's in water as opposed to your skin...

Well, that's fair enough...

..but the main thing I don't get is why it's considered feminine.

For what it's worth, I don't generally bathe to clean filth. If I'm covered in mud...I'll take a shower.

A bath is mostly about sweat and light dirt, which is really not a big deal in terms of dirtying the water.

8
ckundo•

We're sitting in our own filth, and our own filth is sitting in us.

2
[deleted]•

It's considered feminine because women generally like to use a lot of bath things...

bath salts, bath powder, bubble bath, bath oil, the list goes on for quite some time.

For some reason, the surplus of smelly-good-things negate the fact that it's still just sitting in a tub of your own filth. Yay double standards!!

1
mikkowus•

this is the reason

2
gzip_this•

You should probably wash yourself more often.

0
Reno_D•

All the proof you need that real men take baths is right here.

6
[deleted]•

thats not any man, thats the dude. he gets a pass

0
agreeswithdouches•

I agree

2
[deleted]•

callin me a douche are ya?

1
[deleted]•

Americans don't take baths? This is news to me. I love taking a really hot bath and reading a good book/drinking wine/joint

3
FlintFireforgeOP•

Are you a woman?

1
[deleted]•

yeah. ok, point understood. the BF isn't a fan of baths, now that i think of it.

1
squish_mitten•

you can't pee while you are taking a bath

3
FlintFireforgeOP•

says who?

4
Llamanaut•

ಠ_ಠ

3
wolfsktaag•

i lived in america all my life and ive never known baths to be unmanly

3
SoundMakesSense•

Baths are the best for relaxing, but I usually turn the shower on and rinse off before getting out.

2
Ken_Breadbox•

Baths to me are a kiddie thing--rubber ducky and cram your dick in the shampoo bottle and all those other things little boys do. As an adult with adult responsibilities, I just don't have the time. I'm in and out of the shower in five or seven minutes...it takes longer than that just to fill the damn tub.

2
FlintFireforgeOP•

cram your dick in the shampoo bottle

huh? That sounds like it would sting.

I think to me the main thing is that a bath is not primarily about getting clean...that's secondary.

It's mostly about relaxing.

The same way you'll sit down with a beer or a cookie or something. They're not mainly about drinking or eating, but they do provide for those needs.

3
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
[deleted]•

I can't even fit in a bath tub if I did want to take a bath, those things aren't made for tall people. I take a shower to stop from smelling bad not to relax, and when I did take a bath it just seemed like I was sitting in my own filth and not actually getting clean.

2
FlintFireforgeOP•

Hah, I have a little trouble fitting in the tub too.

The real problem comes when you try to do that romantic "lets take a bath together" thing with your GF...

2
sushirawk•

I'm American, male, and I take baths exclusively. Nothing more relaxing than a nice long hot bath after work. The solution to the "stewing in your own filth" problem is to take a quick mini shower before you leave the tub to wash your hair/rinse off. 30 min bath + a 2 min rinse. You bath haters are missing out.

2
SplintChesthair•

I'm American & female, and back in the day when I only took baths, I went around saying, "I don't shower" to see people's reactions. Do you do this?

Now I take baths only when I want to drink by myself. It's easier for me to get drunk in a bath & not even notice. It's probably dangerous though...

1
[deleted]•

I for one fucking love baths. Starting up about a month ago, I've actually been taking more baths than showers.

1
FlintFireforgeOP•

I know, they're great right?

I can understand someone not taking baths, what I can't understand is why it is generally considered a feminine thing to do...it makes no sense.

1
[deleted]•

idk man. I think it's because people think of baths like taking a long time cleaning yourself and that's generally associated with women wanting to look their best.

1
mrdickhead•

I'm curious how old you are. I wonder because, when I was younger, I had that impression as well. Now, at 37, I don't have that impression. I don't think my friends see baths as feminine at all. Kinda like going to the spa. When I was younger, that's what girls did. Now, the guys are jealous when one of us get some free time for the spa.

I know I would certainly take more baths if I had the time. Alas, showers are just quicker and easier.

1
FlintFireforgeOP•

I'm in my mid 20's.

I think you're right that people are more open to it as they get older, but I think overall it's still regarded as a feminine thing.

1
chicletgrin•

I dunno, there's something about soaking in one's own filth that I just can't get past.

1
FlintFireforgeOP•

So, walking around in your own filth all day is ok, but soaking in it is unacceptable?

Eh, I suppose. As I said elsewhere a bath is not the best way to go when you're covered in mud.

As long as you're not completely filthy, it's not a big deal as the water is soapy causing the dirt to stay dissolved.

Also, in a lot of the bathing cultures (like in Japan) it's customary to clean yourself before bathing. I myself will often take a quick shower before a bath.

3
asimovs_engineer•

A bath is for cleaning, a jacuzzi is not.

For a bath, i sit in a tub full of water and my own filth. A shower allows a continual stream of fresh water.

I think it's thought of as a feminine thing because men are supposed to be to the point, no frills. A bath is the epitome of losing time in that sense. For a shower, you're in, you're wet, you're lathered, you rinse and you're out.

1
FlintFireforgeOP•

So, you have no problem walking around "in your own filth" all day...but sitting in it for 30 minutes is unacceptable?

Fwiw, a bath is not so much for filth.

If you're really dirty, you either shower before or after the bath, or you clean yourself, drain the tub and fill it with fresh water.

Also, I get what you're saying....but it's like do men never relax?

Are we supposed to eat only high protein kelp cakes, no frills?

Are we supposed to wake up, stare at a wall and go to work all day, no downtime?

To me a bath is like a cookie, you don't eat a cookie for food...you eat it because it tastes good, though it does provide some nutrition.

I don't think many would regard eating a cookie as "unmanly", though I imagine there are some.

5
asimovs_engineer•

Well that's not really the same thing. If I'm trying to get clean I want it gone and away from me. I don't mind it all day because, well, otherwise I'd be showering all day. I don't wash my hand by soaking it in a sink full of water, you see.

And you're last point is exactly what I was saying before, why it's looked at as feminine. If I have to fill the bath twice, it's taking even longer. Or if I have to take a shower, I might as well just shower. That reduces bathing to just the act of soaking in water. I just don't have time for that.

1
FlintFireforgeOP•

Well fair enough on the time thing...but you know all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.

As far as cleaning: the dirt is gone and away from you. The soap dissolves it and causes it to be suspended in the water...it's not gonna stick back to you. The minimal water left is wiped away when you dry off.

For good measure you can just give yourself a quick rinse, it's not like you have to take a full on "shower".

I agree that a shower is better at cleaning, but it's rare that you'll be dirty enough for it to really matter.

1
asimovs_engineer•

Well it's never really worked out so well for me, I always got soap suds or something on me. To each his own.

1
Raerth•

A bath is not for cleaning, you don't want to sit in a tub full of dirty water.

A bath is for relaxing and de-stressing.

1
asimovs_engineer•

And that's fine, I'm not attacking bathing. To say that it's not for cleaning is kind of against the idea for the question he asked. If it was just for stress and not for cleaning then the emphasis should be away from showering, that's what makes me think it's for cleaning. He just asked "why?"

I've got my own ways to do that, I just don't like doing it in a tub of water.

1
[deleted]•

Baths don't make sense from a getting clean perspective. You're sitting in the same water that is carrying the stuff you are trying to wash off. I take quick showers so a bath would also use a lot more water.

1
FlintFireforgeOP•

...well the thing is the water is soapy. This causes the dirt and oil to dissolve which keeps it from sticking to you.

Even if you're really filthy when you get into the tub, as long as you use enough soap you'll be clean, though the bath water will be an unpleasant brown color.

Overall I agree, showers are better at cleaning....but I think most of the time you're not so dirty that it makes a difference.

Also, with a bath cleaning is not the only motivation.

3
[deleted]•

Most modern showers can fill a bath tub in 5 minutes.

1
XanaVanovoVitch•

I'm with you on this baths are also more effective at cleaning than a shower bc of the soaking factor. my so enjoys a bath from time to time.

1
angryboy•

Fuck the haters. Baths are inconvenient because they take long as fuck, and you have to scrub the tub before, and you have to take a shower before or afterwards to get really clean, and they're wasteful, but goddamn me if they're not relaxing as shit.

1
presidentnixon•

OP, all the answers I could possibly come up with are already posted in the thread, but you seem to want to refute every one of them.

Stop trying to 'convert' people into bath-takers, and stop trying to justify your grooming habits to those who don't share them. It doesn't matter to me how you get yourself clean, and I'm sure that most of the people who have made you feel that a bath is inferior to or more feminine than a shower wouldn't have known that you like a good soak if you hadn't brought it up at some point.

As a rule, American men just don't do 'baths'. That's ok, though, it means you can be the exception.

1
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
[deleted]•

Real men do navy showers.

1
grove93•

A good soak in the tub is sometimes necessary. It loosens the accumulated filth/dead skin that a shower simply cannot remove. A quick shower after the tub has drained and you're good to go.

1
Aadarm•

If I want to be clean sitting in water filled with dirt and grease isn't going to work out.

1
randomsample•

I take a bath every time I visit my parents.

I have never taken a bath in any of the apartments in which I've lived.

I will take a bath when I own my own home.

This I believe.

1