Shower vs. Tub

The best thing after a stressful day or an intense workout is a long, hot shower…. or is it? What about drawing up a nice bath? We forget about this luxurious way to get clean, often feeling it takes too much time. It doesn’t have to though.

Let’s talk: shower versus bath.

Do you save baths for solo nights with a book or  your significant other? Yeah, we answered yes, too! But here’s the thing, we don’t have to reserve baths for “special occasions” and they don’t have to take hours. Taking a bath doesn’t have to involve soaking with candles and bubbles, you can get in, get clean, and get out. It would go something like this: hop in the tub, lather up, shave, rinse down, and hop out. You can even add a few minutes of soak-time if  need be. But why the switch, you may ask. There’s something about a bath that is therapeutic. Even if you’re not soaking for hours, it just feels luxurious. That feeling can carry through your day and you may find yourself less stressed throughout your day simply because of the way you started it. If you’re ending your day with a bath, well, that’s a great way to unwind and ease into your evening.

A common complaint is the time it takes to fill the tub up. Easy fix: run the bath and use that time to do other things like brush your teeth, lay out your clothes, tidy up…we know there’s something around your house to do!

Now, we’re not saying ditch your daily shower. The shower is always a great, efficient way to scrub clean. There’s nothing wrong with a good ‘ol standard shower, in fact, there is something soothing about tilting your head back and letting the water run down your face. It does feel renewing to imagine your worries and stress wash away with the running water. And, we have to admit that washing your hair is way easier in the shower.

For those of you wondering about which uses less water, let’s take a quick look. Most tubs hold about 50 gallons of water. An average shower head uses about 10 gallons per minute. So if you fill your tub up with 30 – 40 gallons of water (you don’t want it overflowing!), that would be equivalent to a super quick 3 to 4 minute shower. A ten-minute shower would then use 100 gallons of water.  In this case, the bath would use less water.  However, there are low-flow shower heads that can use only a few gallons of water per minute.

If you’re not worried about using too much water, you can always take your bath first, then have a quick shower. You know, to rinse your hair and tilt your face into that calming stream of water. Bottom line: just try replacing your shower with a bath. It may become your favorite way to get clean. Maybe mix it up, shower when you have absolutely no time, and take a bath when you have an extra ten minutes. Don’t forget to have a nice soak with some candles and bubbles every now and then, too!