Warm baths can be quite therapeutic

Bliss is a nice, long soak in a warm tub, and it’s not just about getting clean.

Before you apologize for luxuriating in a brand new tub instead of rushing through a no-nonsense shower and on to the next item on your to-do list, consider a bath’s benefits to your physical and emotional health.

“A warm bath dilates your blood vessels and helps circulation,” says Janice Hein, supervisor of the Oasis Spa at Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, Ariz. “It relieves your aches and pains and can be very therapeutic.”

Hydrotherapy – the use of water for its curative powers – dates to ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt, Hein says. In the early 1900s, an herbalist gained fame for treating Winston Churchill and other statesmen with foot baths and hand baths, getting “incredible results,” she says.

Hydrotherapy continues to be used today in both conventional and alternative medicine, with people speeding healing and finding comfort in natural hot springs, whirlpool tubs, mineral baths and their home bathtubs.

Doctors and therapists recommend water therapy for taking weight off achy joints and relaxing sore muscles, says the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health.

For patients who have had hemorrhoid surgery or an episiotomy, doctors often prescribe sitz baths, taken in warm water that covers the hips and buttocks only, to soothe discomfort and aid healing.

People with sports injuries, nasal or bronchial congestion, skin rashes, headaches, back pain and arthritis also report finding relief in warm baths, although hydrotherapy’s benefits for rheumatoid arthritis have not been proved in large studies, NCCAM says.

But it’s probably the relaxation and rejuvenation that matter most for most people.

“A bath is a very health-giving ritual,” says Marjorie Jaffe, co-author of “The Bathtub Yoga & Relaxation Book” (Healthy Living Publications, 2002, $14.95, paperback), “and sometimes it’s the only place where a person can get away from the chaos of our times.

“You forget how to take care of yourself, and this teaches you to take time, meditate and be mindful of your body.”

She and co-author Barbara Isenberg recommend doing nonstrenuous yoga poses and stretches in the bathtub. They’re easier on your body when done in warm water, Jaffe says, and they’ll ease stress and improve flexibility.

Meditating while bathing multiplies the benefits, she says, and soaking in Epsom salts is like swimming in the sea: It can heal scratches and reduce blood pressure while relaxing the muscles.

Jaffe’s favorite bath involves the senses.

“I love an aromatic rose candle and a beautiful vanilla bubble bath and a glass of crystal-clear water,” she says. “I dim the lights, and sometimes I like a little music. Why not make it beautiful?”