Different Bathing Practices

The sauna was originally built as an unheated addition to the house. Although there was an outside door to the sauna, the main access was through a portal cut through the log walls above the bathtub. In winter sitting in the tub was often a refreshing event with a cold wind drawing steam from the pitiful 8" of water in the tub. Only after the Japanese bath experience did I begin to query the modern western tradition of sitting in an expensive dirty puddle. Japanese people were astounded that we would even consider such a bizarre practice. And a morning shower? It left the soul uncleansed and made our Japanese hosts discretely curious over the state of our beds.