Bath Time
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Friday again. Time for my weekly update on the Happy Headache (a.k.a. the untimely-given-this-recession-gut-reno of our new place). This week, as you might have guessed from the above glorious pic, I’m talking tubs.
I’ve never been a big bath person. I’ve always been a loyal fan of the quick and efficient shower. We’ve been in our current apartment for five years and I think I’ve taken all of one bath. Pretty pathetic. These days, we have a good excuse though. We are parents now. Busy people. Baths, like so many other things, seem like indulgences, time sucks. Plus, our one tub is currently filled with a rainbow medley of baby bath toys, foam letters, empty bottles of bubble bath. On one end, there’s a little bath ring suctioned to the basin, so little Baby won’t topple over. In our home, bath time is for the girls.
But now. We are afforded that fabled fresh start. We are knee-deep in creating a new home for ourselves. And maybe a new way of doing things? Yesterday, Husband and I attended our weekly meeting at the job site. We plowed through the week’s list of tiny, but vital, details. We chatted about carbon monoxide detectors. We debated gas vs. electric. We bantered about HVAC. And then we did our walk-through.
We walked into the area that will one day be the master bath. In the center of the soon-to-be room was a massive cardboard box. Husband and I took a peek. There it was. Our tub. Sleek and white and very adult. Not the kind of tub you’d toss kids or rubber duckies into. Our tub. (Yes, the beautiful one up there!) I studied it. Its sleek lines and quiet promise. And it wasn’t hard to imagine it fixed to our floor, standing freely, waiting for human contact. And, again, this was a moment that made this all wonderfully real. There is a tub, a real tub, in our new place!
But I wonder whether we will use it. Whether I will. Whether, after years of efficiency and bath toys and bubbles, I will press that proverbial pause button, soak it all up, and savor bath time once more?
Are you a bath person or shower person? Why? Have you always been this way?
I am definitely a shower person. In theory, taking a bath always sounds like it would be a good idea — lighting some candles, listening to music, soaking in the pleasant and aromatic aromas of bubbles and bath salts. But when I actually attempt to make this into a reality, it never goes according to how I imagined it would be. Taking a bath requires first cleaning my tub with scrub and bubble to remove the soap scum from my daily morning shower. Followed by letting the water run thoroughly to remove the smell of clorox. And when I do actually feel that my tub is completely pristine, I always feel the need to shower *before* I bathe — I hate the idea of soaking in water after a day of trudging through NYC exhaust fumes and humidity.
I enjoy taking baths when I travel. Best bath tubs I’ve used so far (with photo links!)–
1) The whirlpool tub in our suite at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai
2) The outdoor jacuzzi tub on our patio of the Gran Melia in Tenerife
3) The bathtub in our room at the Park Hyatt in Tokyo
There is nothing like a bath to help jet lag. But here in my every day NYC life? I like showers.
I wish you all the best and hope you will actually find time and will to make use of it, cause it looks fab.
I have had tubs in all of my houses/apartments to date and I have not enjoyed a tub for the past 10 years or so…
(occasional outside whirlpool excluded)
As Sarah says, this is just too inconvenient, although it’s such a luxury…it’s much easier to enjoy it at a hotel, where someone will prepare it and, more importantly, clean it for you afterwards.
Hmmm, does this mean that whoever does not take an occasional bath, cannot find time for deep relaxation? Since taking a shower is a daily routine, while you take a bath for other reasons. I think it always looks so good in the movies, but can never actually get myself to invest enough effort to pull it through. Sadly. I always think I have more important things to do with my time…
This post is so funny because we went through our own reno last year and we too installed a beautiful, grown-up bath tub and….I use it ALL the time. I used to joke with friends that I spent extra time ‘using the bathroom’ or pretending to use the bathroom as it was the only time I was left alone. Now, I may not make to to get a massage or facial but I bathe. It’s just me (and Jo Mallone wild fig and cassis) and for 3, 5 sometimes even 7 minutes I have my calgon-esque escape and I love it. Use that tub and enjoy!
I am a tub girl all the way. My current house has a large Roman bath in the master, so it makes a great wading pool for the boys and not a great tub for me, and I miss a tub so much! Enjoy it — it looks awesome!
Sarah – you raise the important home/vacation distinction when it comes to the bath/shower question… Interesting indeed. Thank you for the fabulous photos. Worth thinking about: what if we injected a tiny bit of “vacation mentality” – i.e. pampering, taking the time to daydream – into our home life. Would we be happier? Probably… might warrant its own post. What if each of us took a vacation day or few hours once in a while?
P.J. – Interesting thought re: those of us who can’t find the time for a luxurious bath being those of us who can’t figure out how to relax. I suspect that this might be the case. Maybe taking baths will help me learn how to relax? Might be an experiment in the making…
Lauren – You have inspired me to try the bath route. You are right to point out that taking a bath is actually a deserved escape and one that does not require leaving the house. Might also have to try Jo Mallone wild fig and cassis as well!
Mama – love the image of three little boys wading in your master bathroom. Precious! Probably exactly how you imagined you’d be using your oh-so-adult large Roman bath?