Sunday, January 24, 2010

Are Bathtubs a Measure of a Culture?


I do so miss this bathtub. It was in a rental on Jefferson St., Charlottesville. It was long enough to let you stretch out entirely. There was a gas hot water heater, fully adjustable, and also in the apartment. Using this as a morning ritual really helped set a tone for the day.

I don’t like the drift in bath philosophy I see in beach rentals, a shower with a tub as an afterthought. This is a nation with no time for the simple pleasures. You need the simple pleasures as a foundation for the more complex ones.

A few months back, a local builder was showing me pictures of a custom house he was building. The bath was very large and essentially vertical, deeper than an average person’s height. It was designed for a family moving here from Japan, where it is obvious that bath traditions still rule.

4 comments:

Susan's blog said...

This reminds me of a tub I had in Chestertown and another in Towson. Ah ... I agree that bathing set a tone for the day ... you can't rush a bath! And I like your thought that simple pleasures set the foundation for more complex ones. I'm not sure what it means, but I like it!!

Susan's blog said...
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Ed Deasy said...

I think you "caught me out" on that comment. It sounded good. The reality was; the bath was the high point of the day. A hot bath in a big tub was at least one of the reasons I put up with work.

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