Naked Baby Bath

The one custom I'm not accustomed to is the Naked Baby Bath. Few older residences have what we would call a bathroom, but is often a small facility created in the kitchen so it can hook into the water for the kitchen sink. Most of them have a washbasin and a toilet, with a small, hand-held shower nozzle for a quick wet wash. When the family needs to bathe, usually only once a week or once every other week, they go to a public bath-house. There, mothers wash themselves and their children, scrubbing firmly to remove a week's worth, or two week's worth, of grime. They are quite comfortable with this routine -- and I asked the men and they look forward to it like athletes look forward to the locker room.

I, however, have some body issues right now, including the fact that I am easily 50 pounds overweight and sagging in all the wrong places. Did not matter how many times I declined going to the bath: the routine was set and I was part of it, so off we went. I cannot begin to tell you how uncomfortable I was to remove my clothing in a Chinese bath-house!! It's a very nice facility and quite popular, judging by the number of women enjoying their baths, but all eyes were turned my way. Ugh. I had to suck it up and go with the program as there was no way to say "no, thank you, but I'll pass" with a roomful of women watching my every movement. I did not represent well for American women on this age-old tradition.

First, I showered. This is the first step in removing the grime, but just the start. Next, one relaxes in the whirlpool, which is really nice but would be better not naked. Then came my special treat, called the "naked baby" bath, which means someone else vigorously removes all the dead skin and dirt from one's body, beginning at the toes and ending at the top of the head. The abrasion burned like hell on my really delicate skin that is more so since I'm aging, and it brought tears to my eyes. Of course, having someone else "bathe" me just wasn't comfortable for me, but the sooner I sucked it up, the sooner I could get my clothes back, so I just closed my eyes and went with it.

After I was deemed clean enough, I was given some shorts and a matching top and sent off to the meditation room to wait for the massage-giver to come and give me a massage. It was heavenly having my feet and legs done, and then my back, and I actually felt myself relaxing after the humiliation of the naked baby part of the treatment.

I was quite happy to be back in my own clothes and on my way home after my nice, relaxing spa day. But, when Auntie asked me to go with her to the bath before I left for home, I politely declined. Repeatedly. It's the only time she gave into my wishes the whole time I was living with her and boy! was I ever glad she listened. I don't know if I could have survived another naked baby bath!