bathing culture: guest post by tara of to the bath

This guest post is courtesy my friend Tara, who I'm pretty sure has the most refined and delicate taste of anyone that I know. Having a conversation with her can teach me so much! Tara maintains a Tumblr about the art of bathing called to the bath, and I asked if she could write a post about the topic since it's something I would never think to do on my own. I'm so pleased she did. -Anabela

Short bits of travel have introduced me to the many ways I can experience a culture. The ways in which people eat, shop, get themselves around, build their houses and organize their cities are propositions on a way of life. I can read about it, get sore feet from wandering around, or spend money at restaurants. I want, and will do, all of those things, but increasingly my travel dreams are focused on those countries that take their bathing very, very seriously.

Ryokan Musouen's outdoor hot spring bath, in Yufu, Japan (via yasuhiro)

For me, the bath and its accompanying routine lets me 'read,' through the body, more cerebral cultural differences –- historical advancements in infrastructure, the individual within a larger group, and notions of personal shame (or lack of!). I don't always speak the language or know all of the social codes, but I would like to think that immersing myself in a culture's bathing tradition is a way to begin to feel the culture itself.

I love that similarities emerge. Heat, water, shadows, and a view usually make my perfect bath.

Mambukal Mountain Resort's sulfur springs, in Murcia, Philippines (via farl)

Alemanys 5 holiday apartments in Girona, Spain, by architect Anna Noguera (via Dezeen)

Therme Vals hotel and bath, in Vals, Switzerland, by architect Peter Zumthor (via dod)

Dunton Hot Springs Resort, near Telluride, Colorado