The Water Cure: The Japanese Bathing Ritual

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Part of the appeal of the Japanese bathing room is its spare simplicity. If the kids, your spouse, and the dog have all used the bath and shower ahead of you, take a few minutes to clear the clutter before starting your own cleansing routine.

Beautify your bathing space
If the bathroom has a window with a private view to a natural setting, take advantage of this lovely feature, and let the sun shine in. If there’s a view but privacy is an issue, use a translucent or bamboo shade so a hint of nature can still permeate the bath.

Make sure there’s a robe hook on the back of the door, a bar or pegs for towels; little else is needed to capture the spare look of a Japanese bath.

Instead of a plastic shower curtain, use one made of organic canvas or hemp; unless the bathroom is constantly damp, these natural fibers air dry well and are so much nicer to the touch than synthetic material.

Borrow from tradition
If your bathroom has an adjoining shower and tub, you’re sufficiently equipped to try the Eastern method. All you need is a shower stall with a flat floor, a small stool, and a bucket (a wooden one is nice; many Japanese specialty shops sell these). Then, you can sit and scrub, rinse off, and step cleanly into the steamy tub, just as the citizens of Tokyo or Kyoto might. (It’s fun, once you get used to the stool!)

Try making your daily ablution in the evening. It’s hard to break the morning shower habit, but you may find that a hot bath or shower in the early evening makes you feel happily invigorated. In their book The Japanese Bath (Gibbs Smith, Publisher, 2001), authors Bruce Smith and Yoshiko Yamamoto note that a hot water bath or shower will stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, accelerating the secretion of adrenaline. If you are bathing just before bed, lukewarm water is more relaxing.

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