Way back when in high school, I was a member of the debating society. We had the usual formal debates, plus some rather informal ones where nonsense motions were debated, usually to screams of laughter and much applause. They were a lot of fun.
I was reminded of one of them by an e-mail from an old friend yesterday. He reminded me of a debate in which I participated, the topic of which was: "Should one sit face-to-face, or back-to-back, or facing in the same direction, when sharing a bath?" Bathing etiquette (if there is such a thing) came in for heavy discussion, as did many innuendos about avoiding the plughole, what to do with the hot and cold faucets, and so on. I argued for the face-to-face side, but I don't recall whether my team won or not. (In my defense, it was more than 50 years ago!) I seem to remember that biology, zoology, theology, philosophy and anatomy all featured in the arguments.
Please note that sex did not rear its ugly head, so to speak. This was, after all, a long time ago in a much more straight-laced country than the USA. It was all theoretical, so to speak - not prudish, but definitely not down and dirty. (Well, being in a bath, the latter was unlikely, but you know what I mean!) The only chemistry discussed was of the soap-bubble variety.
So, on a whim, I thought I'd throw open the subject to my readers. Should one sit face-to-face, or back-to-back, or facing in the same direction, when sharing a bath? You tell us in Comments (keeping it clean, of course, at least in the figurative sense!), and we'll respond as we feel appropriate (or not, as the case may be). Have at it!
Peter
25 comments:
What about the shower people, huh?!? Youre discriminating and infringing on their rights!
I demand equal discussion time for non-bath users, as well as anyone identifying as a bather. We must enact some common sense bath reforms or something somewhere will happen to children! Its about protecting our democracy!!!!
Can we do one about climate change requiring us to use solar heating only, too?
I mean it as a joke of course, but it is a reflection of our reality today... Order a cheeseburger and you gotta hear the cashier tell you to 'free palestine'.
Stop the world, I want to get off.
Never works like in movies. Awkward. Prefer solo, lots of bubbles and a good book.
I suggest you take a shower. Positioning is not so critical and item it needs to be discussed.
hahahaha. I don't share a bath.
We are such a spoiled nation. We all think we deserve a private bathing experience.
In a Japanese public bath you usually sit side by side
Unless you have a very large tub, the same direction seems unfeasible. The same for back to back (and why is that even necessary since you are both already naked). To me, facing each other is the only logical option.
In all honesty, it depends on the size of the tub.
Mike in Canada
Reminds me of an episode of Rumpole of the Bailey. Though I recall never having such discussions in school. America being different back then.
Too many unknowns. With whom am I bathing? How old are we? Do we have any tub toys?
A shower avoids all of the above issues.
Harl
I would argue the same direction. This is predicated of course on the use of an oblong tub and not a number 2 wash tub. The ability to "nest" the lower limbs would have to be assumed as well. I would require occupants having dissimilar anatomy. The female would be located behind the male. This would protect her from drafts, errant drain creatures and the terror inducing overflow. The male would be responsible for the water temperature and depth, giving the female ample opportunity to critique without control. The male, usually more muscular than the female (other assumptions may be inserted here) can have his back scrubbed before breaking it to afford the warm water and soap. Muscle bound humans have a difficult time reaching their entire back. He would be responsible for cleaning the feet that will walk on him through out the coming week. This is the ideal position for a premarital bath, as all elements of a marriage relationship are on display to include intimacy without in-ur-endo...
Back to back they faced each other. Then they sudsd up and shot each other, Woody
Who the hell takes a bath these days?
For smaller tubs with a faucet at one end it should be same direction, facing the faucet. The front person has to be shorter or their legs end up folded with their knees out of the water.
If you have access to a tub with a side faucet, then facing each other. Each person can lean back, your facing for conversation, no one has a faucet in the back and your feet end up beside your partner.
Exile1981
Depends entirely on the shape of the tub. And bathers.
Great-grandpa had a tub where the only workable arrangement would've been facing the same direction, side by side.
As long as you loudly proclaim "no homo" does it matter?
The advantage of joint bathing is having someone to wash your back. While face to face is ideal for conversation, at some time one should the back to the other for washing, and then both turn 180 degrees to reciprocate.
@Observer: Reciprocal bathing? Or reciprocating? The two are not the same . . . :-)
Back to back wouldn't work for adults because of all the space the legs take up, not to mention you can't check on the other person, scrub their back, or easily get the shampoo or conditioner handed over.
On the other hand, if trying to get two obstinate, high-energy small male children clean at the same time, that very inability to check on the other person or interact with them limits shenanigans, so this is a benefit. Since their legs are short (and often kicking when you haul them up to the bathroom), the drawback is negated.
Face to face works great for small female children, because then you get the sibling pressure of "You missed this spot" to get them both mostly clean with minimal supervision (but be on hand for instant problem resolution over the ownership of any any every item in the bath, or there will be tears.)
(It can work with small male children. After all, the one that *hates* washing his hair will, given a sibling audience, suddenly be all-in for scrubbing shampoo bubbles until he has a foam mohawk to show off...)
For adults? I propose nested works better, just based on trying to fit four legs, four aching knees, four elbows, and two stiff and aching lower backs inside the confines of the tub without gaining more bruises. The next time we're on vacation with a hotel that has a large enough tub, we should test this hypothesis, love.
Assuming this involves consenting adults, the answer must be determined by individuals in the privacy of their own bathroom. And "don't ask, don't tell" rules apply. :-)
Regardless of the seating arrangement, a shared bath is not a good place for debating regardless of skill level. Amateur debating or master debating, neither are a good fit there.
The old illustrated kids’ book, “King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub” has some great pictorial suggestions, as various members of the court try to persuade the king to leave the bath and instead get invited in to conduct whatever business they used as an excuse to get him out.
@Anonymous at 1:49AM: Thanks for mentioning that book. I see it's still in print, even though it was first published in 1985 - that's a sure sign of its popularity - and it's very reasonably priced. I've just ordered a copy from Amazon for my own amusement. The link to the book is:
https://amzn.to/3PeqQUz
It would depend entirely upon who you were bathing with and whether or not he/she were attractive. If, however it were a relative closer than a first cousin, careful thought would need to be applied.
Replaced my tub-shower, with a walkin tile shower, recently. All ready had a shower in the other bathroom. No bathtubs in the house now.
Could not have been a better choice. To that end, my take on your question:
Baths with siblings as a child were side by side, and only every other day, until we were old enough to take showers by ourselves.
Bear in Indy
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