The Joy of a Bath: Recovery, Slow Living, and Weekly Rituals

A good bath feels almost defiant in a world that keeps telling us to hurry.

I’ve made it a weekly habit, especially after my lifting day. When muscles are worked and everything feels a little tight, a hot bath does what nothing else quite can. I add a scoop of rosin salt and settle in, staying until the water cools, about 45 minutes. This habit has become part of my recovery, right alongside the work itself. I’ve written more about the training side here, but the bath is the quiet companion to that effort. Strength is built in the gym. Longevity is protected in moments like this.

This idea isn’t new, and it isn’t uniquely mine. Bathhouses have long been part of Korean culture, where jjimjilbang are treated not as luxuries but as upkeep. You go to soak, to sweat, to rest. You eat something simple. You linger. The body is worked, then warmed, then cared for. Recovery is not optional. It’s assumed.

Even Winston Churchill understood the power of simple comforts. He once listed life’s essentials as hot baths, cold champagne, new peas, and old brandy. Not extravagance—just attention to what restores you.

A bath fits perfectly into slow living. It doesn’t optimize you. It restores you.

In a busy life, it’s not a luxury.

It’s maintenance.