How to Take a Bath in Japan

Taking an Ofuro, or Japanese bath, is more than just a matter of cleaning your body. It's a matter of eliminating all the problems on your mind and enjoying a few minutes to yourself. Japanese baths used to be a public bathing experience, as friends and neighbors would meet and spend time together.

Instructions

1. Take off your clothes and rinse off your body. Spend some time outside the tub lathering your body up and scrubbing the dirt and dead skin off your body.

2. Rinse your body carefully in the shower to remove all the soap and dirt and grime.

3. Remove your mind of all that concerns you. A traditional Japanese bath means forgetting about all your troubles and worries and completely cleansing your system the best you can.

4. Draw a clean hot bath in your private ofuro. In Japan, traditionally neighbors and friends would gather at a public ofuro. But now, you can have a Japanese bath privately in your home. It's important that you full your tub about 2/3 full with clean hot water.

5. Step into your tub and ease yourself into the hot water. Let your body soak into the water and relax and enjoy the sensual pleasure of a Japanese bath.