The Water Cure: The Japanese Bathing Ritual

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

West meets East

A space devoted to leisurely bathing may seem out of step in Western countries, where the morning shower rules, yet those who have tried bathing Japanese-style are soon seduced by this sensuous, restorative ritual. And gradually, the concept of the deep soaking tub has captured the attention of Western bath designers. Custom and mass-produced soaking tubs are now available in many luxury materials, from the traditional Hinoki wood to stainless steel, copper, and porcelain. Prices are steep, however, and can easily run into the mid-four figures for tub and installation alone.

So if creating a separate bathing room seems somewhat out of reach at the moment, many elements of the Eastern bathing experience can be captured in a traditional Western setting—without spending a fortune or tearing up a perfectly good set of fixtures.

Simple moments

Nikos Kazantzakis, the acclaimed author of Zorba the Greek and other twentieth-century classics, found his first experience with a traditional Japanese bath so memorable that he recorded it in the journals he kept of his voyages to the Far East in 1935 and 1957. Immersed neck-deep in steaming water, in the traditional wooden tub, he surveys the view to nature and a group of passing pilgrims in the distance. The cares of the day drift away. In Japan, China (Simon & Schuster, 1963), Kazantzakis wrote:

“I feel unsurpassed happiness.... I have overcome impatience, nervousness, haste. I enjoy every single second of these simple moments I spend. Happiness, I think, is a simple everyday miracle, like water, and we are not aware of it.”

Consider a few basic strategies:

Create a ritual
Collect your bathing needs—sponges, loofah, brushes, skin products—in a decorative tote or basket. This will make everything easy to find and remove the clutter from the tub edge or windowsill. Carry your bathing equipment from its stored location to and from the bath.

If you want to invest in a little luxury, get a real yukata, a traditional cotton bathing kimono (see “Resources,” page 47). It is not an expensive garment, and every time you put it on, it will make your bath or shower more special.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print