poltr1 | Nothing like a good hot soak.....

Tuesday night, I took a warm bath instead of a shower. Usually I only do that when I'm sick or very cold. I happen to have a whirlpool tub (which was one of the selling features when I bought my condo nearly 5 years ago). I was thinking about going to the rec center in the next town to use their sauna or the steam room. But I chose to stay at home and use the whirlpool tub. After all, I didn't have to pay for it. (Jacuzzi is a trademark, and I don't believe mine's a Jacuzzi, so I can't call it one.)

So I got undressed, moved the cat box away from the tub, turned the water on, stepped into the tub, sat down in the tub, and let the tub fill up with me in it. (I usually like my bath water at 40 degrees Celsius -- that's 104 degrees Fahrenheit.) After it filled up, I just lay in the tub for a few minutes before I turned the water on. My tub has two metal knobs -- a push-knob to turn the jets on and off, and a twist-knob to regulate the amount of air in the water jet stream. I kicked the push-knob down with my heel, and instantly was transformed away to a peaceful place.

The first time I was in a whirlpool tub was during a Valentine's Day weekend outing with my wife six years ago. (We were only dating at the time.) We went to Ravenwood Castle, which is a modern-day structure built to resemble a medieval castle. (It's in/near New Plymouth, Ohio, in the Hocking Hills region of southeast Ohio.) The owners did a great job outfitting it with antiques. We were in one of the cottages, and it had a whirlpool tub. So we both got in, fille the tub a little bit, turned on the water jets, and water went everywhere. It turns out that we didn't have enough water in the tub.

I was also reminded of two outings we made to Old Man's Cave Chalets in Logan, Ohio -- also in the Hocking Hills region. There are about 20 A-frame chalets there, with a kitchenette area, a fireplace, a cozy bedroom, a tiny bathroom (with a tiny shower stall), and a Softub hot tub on the decks in the back of each chalet. One night we were out, it was snowing, and we hot-tubbed it anyway. It's an incredible experience -- to be in a hot tub on a cold winter night, with snow falling, and the hair in the back of your head freezing. (I just checked their website; I don't believe the chalets are still there; I think they've been torn down and rebuilt with a larger floorplan to accommodate more people in each cabin.)

If I had the money, I'd get a small Softub and keep it on our fenced-in patio during the winter. (I'd roll it into the garage during the summer.)

I must have stayed in the tub about 20 minutes before I turned the jets off. My fingers pruned up, I was starting to smell of chlorine, and I was ready to get out. But it was good while it lasted. My skin tingled for about an hour afterward.

Next time I take a bath, I probably won't do bubble bath or bath crystals, but I would like something to increase the foaming action. And I'd light some candles. Why should women have all the fun in the tub? :)