Bathing is the immersion of the body, wholly or partially, usually in water, but often in another medium such as hot air. It is most commonly practised as part of personal cleansing, and less frequently for relaxation or as a leisure activity. Cleansing the body may be solely a component of personal hygiene , but is also a spiritual part of some religious rituals.
Bathing is also sometimes used medically or therapeutically, as in hydrotherapy , ice baths , or the mud bath. People bathe in water at temperatures ranging from very cold to very hot, or in appropriately heated air, according to custom or purpose. Where indoor heated water is available, people bathe more or less daily, at comfortable temperatures, in a private bathtub or shower.
Ritual religious bathing is sometimes referred to as immersion. This can be required after sexual intercourse or menstruation Islam and Judaism , or as baptism Christianity. By analogy, the term "bathing" is also applied to relaxing activities in which the participant "bathes" in the rays of the sun sunbathing or in outdoor bodies of water , such as in sea bathing or wild swimming.
Although there is sometimes overlap, as in sea bathing, most bathing is usually treated as distinct from more active recreations like swimming. An accountable daily ritual of bathing can be traced to the ancient Indians. These are recorded in the works called grihya sutras which date back to BCE and are in practice today in some communities. Ancient Greece utilized small bathtubs, wash basins, and foot baths for personal cleanliness.
The earliest findings of baths date from the mid-2nd millennium BC in the palace complex at Knossos , Crete, and the luxurious alabaster bathtubs excavated in Akrotiri , Santorini.
