to think that baths are very overrated?

[AKMD]

Is this a general experience of baths or am I just incompetent at bubbly relaxation?:

• I have to run the bath to near-scalding temperatures. If I run it to a normal temperature, it is too cold within 5 minutes and I burn my feet adding more hot water.

• if I fill the bath to a pleasingly high level, it sloshes into the overflow hole as soon as I get in. This makes me think I'm fat.

• if I attempt to read a book in the bath, it inevitably gets soggy, either from my wet hands or from the steam. If I have no book, I get bored and start reading the back of the shampoo bottles until a decent enough time has passed to have made it worth running a bath in the first place.

• when I try to lie back in the bath, bubbles get up my nose and the edge is hard. A bath pillow feels ridiculous.

• DH decides halfway through that he needs to use the bathroom. Sigh.

• by the end of the non- relaxing bubble bath, I'm all sweaty. Washing in my own filth doesn't appeal so I have to have a shower.

So, baths are pointless AIBU?

Malificence you can join the rest of us dregs of MN society here.

Have never understood when people say that bathing is "lying in your own filth". Just how dirty are you? I for one wash frequently enough to seldom merit that description.

Unless you are steam-cleaned before you jump in, you will have some sort of dirt on you when you have a bath.

I only feel I'm lying in my own filth when I get into the bath aching and muddy. But then I need to bath to loosen mud that's dried on and relax my muscles before I get under the shower to rinse it all away.

Apart from that I'm not that dirty. I don't sweat all that much and bath daily (enjoying it whilst I'm pregnant I realise this can't continue once we have baby). In fact, when I only had a shower in my flat I used to suffer terribly from itchy skin, which does much better if I can have at least 1-2 baths a week. Read in the bath most of the time too: I've perfect the art of one-handed page turning and always have my clothes placed so I can drop the book onto them when I'm about to get out so its not on the damp floor...

AKMD I used to know someone who had two sinks, one for washing and one for rinsing so they didn't waste water. I am like you though, I always rinse under the tap after as things dry faster if they are free of soap suds. And before anyone shouts at me, I start washing up as soon as I start filling the bowl so I'm only using the water I would be using anyway.

Oh my God. Really! Some dirt on me..!

Erm, nah. Really not bothered. But some people are the clean-house-oh-no-there's-some-dirt-hover-over-loo-seats types, and some are more into taking relaxation where they can. At my place the choice is a dribble/trickle shower or a lovely bath. Aaaaaah, my decision is made.

Methinks this thread is getting too serious :)

Wouldn't say I hate baths, but they're not for me, for many reasons. I have terrible circulation in my feet so when I get in it feels scalding hot, but when I sit down, the rest of my body realises it's only barely warm. If I top it up and make it properly hot, it makes me feel short of breath and a bit dizzy, and I end up feeling sweaty and sticky and need to shower afterwards. Can't relax in there, just end up thinking about all the things I need to do, but if I've used fancy bath gubbins I feel obliged to stay in for at least half an hour.

Our bath is quite deep but only short, so I can't lay comfortably in it - when I was pg OH very thoughtfully ran me a bath as I was achy, but when I got in there was more of me out of the water than there was in it.

I was in B&Q recently and saw a few MASSIVE baths which looked lovely, but the overflow was only about half way up - I imagine that if you like baths and purposely buy a huge one, you'd like to be able to fill it up! Am quite impressed with that overflow cover thing posted by ScaredTEECat.

Another bath lover here. My kids tend to get in with me if they are around so I am interested in the talk of extra large baths. I wonder if my shower-loving DH could be convinced...?

I love a bath but can't even get into the bathroom ATM Till we move

Lived in our house since 2000 and I've only had one bath - that was to try and help leg after being kicked by a horse. Otherwise have a shower every morning - eco friendly, quick and get to wash hair effectively as well.

I have a bath every night, it takes ages to run but I use the time to put out my clothes for the next day, get a load of washing on timer for the morning and mumsnet. I like it hotter than hot, so that I come out red. We have a large corian bath with taps in the middle, I always leave the water in for dh (he can't be bothered running his own). I lie back with the iplayer on and relax.

Showers are horrid, though. I only have one to wash my hair twice a week.

My bath time is the only way I have kept my sanity over the past 3 yrs. I have read the whole of the Twilight series in my bath aswell, how sad is that!?

AKMD I am with you. We have just had our bathroom done and it is really fab. Thought I should at least give the bath a go but I genuinely don't see the point. Wait for it to fill. Get in it, quick wash then itching to get out. Lovely shower for me. However DH has a bath before work every morning and still insists it doesn't take any longer. Aargh!

I like a quick shower to get nice and clean or to refresh on a hot day. Or a longer one with lots of singing. But I also love a hot bath after the children are in bed. Bath oil and a book, and then clean pjs and snuggle by the fire to watch some telly - or straight to bed with tea and a film. Am 8 months pregnant with our 4th and the other night DH told the children he was doing stories - we take turns and it was supposed to be my turn - because "Mummy needs to have a relaxing bath". Went in and he'd run the bath with lots of bubbles, and put fresh folded towels, my book and tealights all round the bath. You just can't get that sort of feeling if your partner says "I've turned on the shower for you".

Love a relaxing bath, book, wine/tea combo

Cant beat a nice hot bubble filled soak in the bath. Tis the perfect way for me to relax.

Wine and a nice snack helps as well

I'm with the OP. Baths are a fab idea in my head, but whenever I try to make one reality, I find I get overheated/book gets soggy/neck gets a crick.
Not that I get much chance to have one these days, not with DS2 waking every 45 minutes in the evening. Last bath I had was about 5 days after his birth, to heal my bits. Lavender.

YANBU. As reshape says, the idea of baths is great; the reality, not so great.
I love a decent, powerful, really hot shower. If you can aim the showerhead to hit the parts that hurt, so much the better (I'm thinking small of back, back of neck, etc). And if it's powerful enough, you don't need very long to wash and all the rest of the time can be spend daydreaming/thinking.

i only have baths - love them

Warm bubbly bath, topped up occasionally to maintain optimum temperature. Can happily wallow for an hour given the chance. Bath needs to have right degree of slope so ears out of water. Never had bubbles up nose!

I love baths. It has to be at home (or at my parents' house) though - I can't have a proper relaxing bath in someone else's house/a hotel.

I like it scaldingly hot, and I get in when it's about 3/4 full, so you can get the water level perfect. I take my book or my kindle (in a freezer bag to protect it from the wet), sometimes have my speakers too for music. Always have a towel within reach to keep the reading material safe.

They don't work if you're not in the right frame of mind, though. You have to be able to let your mind go, and just drift off. Even if I finish my book I can often just lie back and enjoy the water for another twenty minutes.

Showers are fine - they get you clean, and it's lovely to be clean quickly, but baths are for a relaxing experience.

See, periodically I think I like baths. I imagine "relaxing" and "pampering" and I eagerly run the bath, grab glass of wine and book.

But the water always ends up too hot, and I get all red and sweaty. But I know it will cool down (quickly) so I try to stick it out.

Five minutes later I feel like I am going to pass out and am tomato red. I have to get out and add some cold. Back in. Perfect temperature. Ahh.

Then the shower starts dripping. It drips cold water down the back of my neck. Drip drip drip. Have to get up and try to sort shower. finally get it so that although I can still hear the drip, drip, drip, it is no longer down the back of my neck.

Lie back again, but realise bath water now feels bit chilly. Try to convince self it is NOT chilly. No more room for more water, after having to add cold previously. Pull plug, now hands wet (again), can't read book without drying hands. Read 3 sentences of book, but trying to watch water level. Put plug back in, add more hot. Dry hands again. Turn hot tap off, bath now too hot again. Shower dripping into wine.

Give up, get out. Wrinkled like a prune. Remember why I love showers.

I love baths.
My mum's house where I grew up wasn't a good bathing environment - the bathroom was large, white, tiled and draughty, most unrelaxing.

But in our house now, our bathroom is TINY - no loo (next door), just bath and basin and enough room to open the door - so it steams up quickly and nicely and stays roasty toasty. The pipes run under the floor and warm it up too. I lock myself in for a good hour when baby in bed, its just blissful. No book, no music - just me and my thoughts.

We had a shower fitted last year which I do use a bit, but still much prefer a bath. DH has a combined bath/shower - calls it a bower

I love a bath. I might read a magazine or I might just lay back and remember all my past conquests ahem... loves. Showers have their place too, but an uniterrupted bath is a thing of joy!