Briefly: Baths are great, actually
Last Friday, I got hit with COVID.
It’s not my first go-around with it - I first contracted it back in December of 2021, an inevitability what with working at a hospital. With this bout, I’m not as sure - there’s been a bug going around at work, I also went to a very unoccupied Denny’s with my girlfriend on the Tuesday before, otherwise I don’t think I’ve been out very much as of recent - but I am at least thankful that it’s “mild”. The worst of it I had to deal with was just drowning in snot, but that happens literally any time I get sick. At the very least, not being able to taste meant the mucus is more of a hindrance rather than an outright torturous experience. Now at almost a week in, I’m mainly just fighting congestion.
Anyway - on day 3 I was fighting the worst of it, going through a whole damn box of tissues just for an inkling of breathability. And everything just fucking hurts, even with the blessing of ibuprofen. There was no situation where I couldn’t be more grateful to have my girlfriend than being sick, especially in this case - even as I’m drowning in snot, she’s still going out of her way to make sure I’m okay. She sees me struggle bussing and she tells me, “Bee, go take a hot epsom salt bath”.
I’m not sure about the actual efficacy of epsom salt baths - they teeter onto the realm of funny holistic pseudoscience to me - but I do know my mother takes them from time to time to help with her arthritis and she’s told me it helps her with relief, especially in the winter months. Some swear by it, others insist it’s a placebo, but as far as I can tell the worst it’ll do is that it might give you a UTI (same way any other bath might - as the meme goes, “go piss girl”) so, sure. I’ll give it a go.
And man - I forgot how nice baths are!
Like, I think I’m as utilitarian as it gets with cleaning myself: 10-15 minute showers are standard for me. Scrub hair, rinse, condition, wash body, rinse, out. Sometimes I moisturize after I get out of the shower if I have the spoons for it. I don’t take baths much simply out of it just being more convenient to jump in and out of the shower.
I’dunno, I guess sometimes a bitch just needs to be put in hot water and go lobstermode for a while. Just kicking back, putting on some half hour video to lose yourself in and just sitting in some human soup. It’s relaxing. Therapeutic even. I definitely want to give bubble baths a go, if nothing else because it seems like fun. Maybe a bath bomb or two? They seem like fun but are way too expensive for comfort.