Everyone bathes in a different way. Most Americans never take a bath. They soap and rinse (冲洗) off under the shower. The English always take a bath. First, they sit in a bathtub full of warm water. Then they soap themselves, and finally they rinse off the soap, all in the same water. The Japanese on the other hand, first wash with soap in the shower. Then they go and sit in a bathtub full of warm water for twenty minutes or more. Later, others in the family use the same water to sit and relax in. The Thai (泰国人) do not get into a shower or a bathtub.

They stand in a room or an area of a house where there is a big jar (罐子) full of water.   With a bowl they pour water from the jar on themselves so that other people do not see their bodies. The Thai always wear a long piece of cloth called a pasin around their bodies. They wear this when they are bathing.

Everyone gets clean in a different way. We know that washing is good and healthy for us.   But this was not true in the past. Up to 1800, most Americans did not bathe because they thought it was bad for them.

Bathing Habits in Different Countries