Ah the age old bath vs shower debate. There’s usually a pretty clear division; you’re either a bath person or a shower person, am I right? Okay, so there’s the odd few who dabble in both (like myself) but typically there are two camps, and you don’t want to stroll into the opposite camp with a negative opinion (well that’s if you want to live). Why? Well I’ll get to that bit later.

You wouldn’t believe the amount of customers who ask us this very question every week (it’s in the hundreds). On that basis we thought this topic deserved its own very own spotlight this week to help answer this question once and for all. Ready? Ok then, come with me…

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of each option I urge to keep an open mind…what do you say? Don’t be hating on my facts, you might be pleasantly surprised. Ok, let’s get down to business!

A bath

A bath definitely falls into the category of luxurious delights that we don’t have time to indulge in everyday (some people hate them altogether) but for the rest, a bath offers some serious ‘me’ time. You get to read a book in peace, relax after a hard day or take some time to desperately cling to your sanity (lock the door if you want to have any chance of achieving this). Taking a bath at least once a week will help you to de-compress from everyday stress.

In addition to keeping you calm and collected, there are a number of proven health benefits to choosing a bath over a shower:

• It helps to maintain good circulation
• It can help to relieve pain
• It can help to condition the skin (if you add bath oil and the water isn’t too hot)
• It helps you to relax and de-stress

A bath is the healthiest option for your skin, as it’s only in a bath that you are able to soak which sheds dead skin cells. However, this can be very damaging to the skin if it is repeated daily especially if you use harsh soaps and excessively hot water (once a week is our recommendation to maintain happy skin).

The bit I was getting to…

Some folk are a bit sensitive when it comes to this topic and usually there’s no middle ground. Who, you ask? Well purely as a case study we’ll use my aunt (I’ll probably get a slap for this). Stubborn as an old mule, she has a bath every day and is totally against a shower (says it’s unnatural, I know). So as a result her skin is like a sheet of sandpaper and has hair like candy floss, we’ve told her countless times but what do we know? The subject is just best avoided these days (mention it and you get the death stare).  

How can this be solved? You’ll find out in the next bit, cool?  

A shower  

Showers are fast, efficient and probably the most convenient option today. By the time you run a bath you can be in and out of the shower; an obvious choice for most. A shower can be a refreshing alternative after a session at the gym, or on a hot day. I know quite a few folk who hate the bath, they get too hot and end up feeling sweaty and uncomfortable, so they just opt out.

In addition to being fast and morning-friendly, there are a number of benefits to choosing a shower over a bath:

• It can help to save water (unless you indulge in a 50 minute shower every day)
• It can feel like a relaxing massage with the right shower head
• A cold shower will wake you up, boost mood, can boost immunity, stimulate weight loss and increase speed of muscle recovery

What’s the verdict?

Ultimately it depends on what you prefer and what you have time for, but for health reasons you should do both. While only having strictly a shower or a bath is fine, it’s best to utilise both methods to ensure your body and mind sees every benefit.  Try showering through the week for convenience, and indulging in a relaxing soak at the weekend to keep your skin (and your sanity) in tip top condition. If you (like some) still insist on having a bath every day, choose soaps that are gentle on the skin and remember to make sure the water isn't too hot. Don’t forget about those health boosting cold showers too, I’m sure (if you’re anything like me) you’ll really enjoy them (*scoff).