Eureka!

The title of this post is the transliteration of the Greek for "I found it!" Legend has it that Archimedes expressed this interjection as he sat in the bath and discovered the physical law of buoyancy, or displacement.

I am a big fan of the bath. Though I must admit that during my countless hours of bathing, I have never had such an enlightening epiphany. Despite this lack of gnosis, taking a bath is one of my favorite pleasures. For relaxation of the mind and the muscles, nothing surpasses a salubrious soak.

Sitting in a tub filled with hot, steamy water mixed with epsom salts, or oatmeal, or lavender, or just Mr. Bubbles, partaking in some herbal relaxation and listening to some cool jazz truly takes me away from life's trials and tribulations.

Not only cleansing the mind and spirit, the bath is the best way to clean your body. I know this because of college. After expulsion from my first attempt at higher education and a multiple year hiatus, I enrolled in Rutgers to complete my matriculation.

Rutgers is known for its parsimonious acceptance of credits from other schools. I left Siena College with about 121. To my amazement, the university accepted 93. I had underestimated the caliber of the education at that small, Franciscan college.

What has this got to do with bathing? Patience my dear reader!

Siena required either credits in math or science for a liberal arts degree. Rutgers required both, so I needed to take a science course. Never a strong point, the idea of a class in that discipline was daunting. I sat with my advisor looking for the right fit to complete said prerequisite. We found a class with no lab that seemed perfect. It was only a two-credit course, but credits were not the issue. I just needed a science class. Thus I enrolled in "Consumer Chemistry."

Despite being a filler, the class was fascinating. We learned the chemical difference between ales, stouts and lagers, why yeast makes bread rise, why Swiss cheese has holes and...here it comes...the chemistry and physics involved in bathing.

Humans perspire. Dirt and grime combine with sweat and attach to the body's oils secreted through the skins pores. Bacteria feed on this noxious mixture. That creates body odor. To rid us of this, we use water, but water and oil don't mix. So an emulsifier is needed. Soap breaks down the oil/sweat/dirt mixture which is removed by water. Ah, then a shower is better because you are not soaking in your detritus...not so...

Standing in the shower causes surface tension on your skin. That tension keeps your pores closed, so the entrapped dirt and grime is never completely removed. Soaking in a hot tub for 30-40 minutes, relaxes the skin, opens the pores and allows for a cleansing.

Ah, but the skeptic's argument is not without merit. Water also has surface tension. The soap scum with all the dirt, oils, etc., sits on the water. Getting out of the tub, this adheres to your skin. The final step in a complete cleaning involves rinsing under a warm shower once your bath has finished. The scum has not had time to enter your pores. The shower removes it, and you are now unsullied.

So, the next time this worrisome world bears down on you take to the waters and wash those earthly cares from your mind. As ever - BB

“There must be quite a few things a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them." Sylvia Plath