the japanese bathhouse, at home.

Happy Venus day!

Long time readers of this substack will know I am very serious and enthusiastic about bathing, and this has only amplified exponentially since moving to Japan a few years ago.

There is little more I love that a bath (even a shower will do). Inviting the slightest hint of ritual into something we do everyday anyway, can bring a softness and a sparkle back into our lives even when we feel busy, overwhelmed and disconnected completely to our practice, our creativity and ourselves. If you’re having a bad day, trust me when I say even a five minute shower by candlelight can really turn things around.

In the last bathing essay here on the salon, I wrote about local sento or public bath culture instead of the more widely known onsen, as well as sharing some of my favourites in Tokyo. In this letter, I’ll share how we can create the same ritual at home, even if you don’t have a bath (!!) because it’s so much more than just the tub.

As per usual I am flabbergasted as to why the podcast health bros are not onto baths. Because it’s too feminine? Not enough pain? Because good health and pleasure simply could not go hand in hand? It’s wild because taking a hot bath is so good for you. It’s incredible for the nervous system, the immune system and the cardiovascular system. It helps with deeper sleep, reduces swelling, body aches and tight muscles and helps elevate mood because it is genuinely delightful, of course.

I cannot encourage enough purchasing a foot bath. It doesn’t need to be fancy, the cheapest one will do. Trust me it will still give you so many of these benefits, and feels amazing. Especially if you’re someone who runs cold, deals with insomnia, water retention, poor circulation or hormonal issues.

The rest of this article is for paid subscribers, but you can read recent letters open to all here, here and here.