Summer in Japan and hot bath

I can't, but note that luxuriating in a hot tub is popular year round in the U.S.

Apart from the physiological benefits of taking hot baths in hot weather to help you cool down, here's the impressions of a Japanese person.

My Japanese wife says:

"For Japanese people, getting in a hot bath is just a custom like brushing your teeth. We don't even think about it. There are so many benefits to a hot bath, like circulating your blood, helping you relax and get rid of the stress and fatigue of that day, opening your pores and allowing toxins to be released, and so on."

She adds that there is a trend among young people to just take showers on hot days.

Mezzie, do showers work as well as baths? I ask this because I live in a rental unit and as hard as I tried to clean the tub, the grout is icky and I can't lay down without feeling a little crawly.

I dunno. If you have one of those showers with a glass door rather than a curtain, you can get the theraputic sauna effect, which is what we have (we also managed to get our bath-tub clean enough for baths...I've lived in a couple of places where that was impossible!). Otherwise I don't think it's the same as being completely submerged. Any biology experts willing to chime in?