Preparing for cold showers?

January 13, 2009 8:43 AM

How can I prepare for a month long of cold, non-heated water showers? I'll be in a place (India) where my relatives have no hot-water heaters, so I'll be taking very cold showers. Usually I just try to take baths, and infrequently (2-3 times a week). This time I intend to work out regularly, so I'll have to get clean more often.
posted by sandmanwv to Health & Fitness (25 answers total)

Are the baths usually cold as well? If not can you get hold of one of those rubbery shower connections that slip on bath taps and give you a basic shower?

What will the outdoor conditions be like? is there any potential for camping showers like these?
posted by biffa at 8:53 AM on January 13, 2009

I used to take cold showers at summer camp. Maybe kids are more resilient, but I don't recall it being all that bad. You just get in, get clean and get out. No more than two minutes, tops.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 9:00 AM on January 13, 2009

Get used to it in advance. In tests for reactions to having a bucket of cold water thrown over people, butchers reacted the least; this seems to be a result of them walking in and out of cold stores a lot and getting used to rapid temperature drops.

Start showering daily now and drop the temperature a little each day, you will start to have less of an OMFG reaction.
posted by mandal at 9:01 AM on January 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

Also, navy shower.
posted by mandal at 9:02 AM on January 13, 2009

When we lose hot water in the dorms, I aim the shower straight down and go fast. And I don't put my whole body under the water, just the part that currently needs the water.
posted by theichibun at 9:02 AM on January 13, 2009

Best answer: I went for a year, in my teenage ronin phase, of only taking cold showers. It really wasn't a hard transition and it was more difficult mentally than physically. Basically, your showers will be shorter. Wash the head (which was most sensitive for me) last. Turn away from the water and only face it when necessary for hygienic purposes. I would recommend that two weeks before you leave that you progressively decrease the temperature of your hot showers to luke warm. The few days before you leave, lower the temperature to "below comfortable" and see how you fair. I bet that (a) within two weeks of being there you will be completely fine with a cold shower, and (b) you'll never be so happy to have a hot shower when you return.
posted by mrmojoflying at 9:03 AM on January 13, 2009

Best answer: Cold showers aren't that bad. The trick is to turn the water on, step under it and saturate your body. Then turn off the water and soap up. Then turn the water back on and rinse off the soap. Total time under the water amounts to maybe a minute or two.
posted by 517 at 9:04 AM on January 13, 2009

Which would, apparently, be a navy shower.
posted by 517 at 9:09 AM on January 13, 2009

If you are staying in a hot place, a cool shower can feel kind of nice and refreshing. In India, you are going to sweating like crazy. Based on my own experiences traveling, I'm going to guess that the shower water is not going to be ice cold, like it would be in the States, but rather cool or tepid.
posted by pluckysparrow at 9:11 AM on January 13, 2009

You can get used to cold showers - just start now and reduce the temperature over the next couple of weeks (I think it builds up a fat layer under the skin). You can also develop a washing technique that reduces the time 'soaking' under the running water. The running water is only needed to rinse off the soap - doesn't have to take more than 30 seconds to rinse. Wash hair far far less often.
posted by Xhris at 9:12 AM on January 13, 2009

I withstood a month of cold showers in Jamaica in the summer. The first few days were pretty miserable, since I'm one of those people who likes to take a really hot shower and stay in long after I am clean, letting the water massage my neck. So it was more like giving up a luxury than a necessity.

I did make sure to close any windows so a cold breeze wouldn't make me shiver, and I had a towel on the floor so I didn't have to stand on a cold wet floor. I also learned to shower and dry off very quickly. After the first few days, I have no memory of being unpleasant.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 9:20 AM on January 13, 2009

Have you actually ever taken showers there before? If not, I'm with pluckysparrow. I went three months in India without a cold shower and never missed it. The water will not be ice-cold, it'll be the same temp as the ground, ie lukewarm. Of course, if your family is in Northern India and you're going soon, then it might be more difficult.
posted by lunasol at 9:29 AM on January 13, 2009

In Ghana (where I've been cold-showering for a year), a lot of people have black water tanks on their roofs. If your relatives have this, then take your showers in the afternoons and you'll get water that is warmish, or at least not icy cold. If they come from underground pipes and don't spend time in a tank, then time of day probably doesn't matter.

Unlike mrmojoflying, I find that my back is the most sensitive part of me to cold, so I do front, neck down first, arms (which, if you're doing bucket showers like me, will wet your back a little after warming the water on your body) then back last, and I wash my hair a completely separate times, because I get too cold if I have an all-over cold shower, even when it's hot out. The trick, as others have said, is to get wet quickly, turn off the tap, soap up, rinse quickly and then dry off as fast as possible.

I absolutely hate cold showers, and if I have the opportunity to, I will take a bucket-shower warmed with boiled water over a cold pipe shower any day of the week.
posted by carmen at 9:34 AM on January 13, 2009

You could prepare for taking cold showers by reading up on the benefits of cold showers. Apparently there are many!

I wouldn't stop taking hot showers now, I would enjoy the hot showers until the day you leave. Things will be different enough in India.

I've taken cold showers for up to a week, and after your body warms up, it does feel good, invigorating. Plus, if you´re going to be exercising, I suspect after the cold shower you will feel positively incredible. All that blood circulating and everything.
posted by Locochona at 9:42 AM on January 13, 2009

You could also look into using dry shampoo (or baby powder or cornstarch - which both work pretty well) instead of plunking your head under the water every time you take a shower. When I went traveling around Europe, I stayed in many hostels that didn't have reliable hot water. I used baby powder to absorb the grease and whatnot in my hair and then just did a quick rinse, soap and rinse of my body to minimize the coldness of the water.
posted by sutel at 9:52 AM on January 13, 2009

It just depends on the climate really I'd suppose. In some places I've taken 'cold' showers for months on end. When I moved to Kiev and tried it...just no. The ice water is too great of a sustained shock and God help you rinse if you manage to ever build a lather... best to heat a pot of water and just wash the pits and bits.
Gosh I love Hollywood showers.
posted by dawson at 10:26 AM on January 13, 2009

2nd the warm bucket technique. Facecloth, bar of soap and a small jug to wet and rinse yourself. You'll be surprised to find that you don't need to use 50 gallons of water to get clean. Getting your hair cut short will minimize the amount of rinsing you'll need. Whenever I'm on a really long flight or train trip, I'll strip down in the bathroom with facecloth and soap and give myself the once over. It's revitalizing.
posted by bonobothegreat at 11:01 AM on January 13, 2009

When I'm in India, I have someone heat up a kettle of water and then I pour that over my head for a shower.
posted by goethean at 12:06 PM on January 13, 2009

Wait wait wait. All you need is a stove, a big pot, and two buckets - one massive, one about the size of one of those 28-oz cans of tomatoes, with a handle. These are used for toileting in places like Indonesia and are everywhere. I guarantee you that your relatives will have buckets of all shapes and sizes. You could even just use part of a tiffin container.

1) Boil water on stove. Say, a pasta-pot full.
2) Add boiling water to massive bucket. 5 gallons/20 liters is a good size.
3) Add cold water from tap/scooped from tank to fill bucket.
4) Scoop now-nicely warm water over self with small bucket. Use slightly less soap than normal. Rinse.
5) Yay!

I did this every day for a year in Indonesia and looked spic-and-span for morning classes. And it does get cold enough sometimes that if it's the morning and you're off to work, you need to get the night's sweat off you without agonizing over the temperature of the water.

You might also enjoy the novelty of using single-serve shampoo packets (available at kiosks and little shops all over the place) - always a surprise in the morning!
posted by mdonley at 1:18 PM on January 13, 2009

If you can, do the shower right after excercising. it really helps. If you cant, i find it still helps to jump around a minute or do something physically exhausting (pushups in my case) right before jumping in. it seems to make the difference between "cold shower" and "my skin is turning blue"

If you are really struggling with it. You might consider washing your body and hair seperately, body in the shower for just a quick wash off, and hair in the sink or a bucket. Having your body not be freezing while you take the time to wash your hair can make a big comfort difference.
posted by nzydarkxj at 1:44 PM on January 13, 2009

Nthing "you'll get used to it."

I did a charity bike ride from the Atlantic to the Pacific one summer. We were a fairly large group and staying in smallish churches and YMCAs. I was not a particularly fast biker. Ergo, by the time I got to our destination, all the hot water would be long gone. At first it was total torture, but then I got used to it. Incidentally, an ice-cold shower is now my preferred way to wake up when I don't feel like hitting the coffee.

As for preparation, I wouldn't bother. It's going to suck at first no matter what; might as well have it suck when you're in India and have a lot going on (relatives, novelty, etc).
posted by charmcityblues at 5:58 PM on January 13, 2009

Depending on where you are in India, it can be really hot. You'd be surprised how nice a cold shower is after sweating all day and night. I took four or five cold showers a day when I first moved to Malaysia. Now I'm down to two. I really only miss warm showers during the rainy season (which is right now).
posted by BinGregory at 8:57 PM on January 13, 2009

Bah, humbug to the cold shower thing. Lived in India and go back from time to time... If you're just there for a while.... use a face-washer/flannel/baby wipes and a towel to do your armpits and groin and use an element to warm some water to wash your hair.

My last night in India, I usually stay in a reasonable hotel (pre-bambinos it was a five star) and have a long hot shower there.

You won't die if you don''t have a shower in one month. What will annoy you will be the lack of clothes washing facilities, the fact that you have to wash in cold water and you hands will freeze and that your undies will never dry.

And if you''re in the himalayan region, the water will be bloody freezing.

And the baby wipes(unscented), which we took in huge quantities, are great for wiping hands before eating if you haven't had an opportunity to wash them... and are great for wiping everything when travelling. Get ye some baby wipes. And have a fabbo time possum.
posted by taff at 9:39 PM on January 13, 2009

mdonley and goethean get it right.

Don't take showers. Take baths out of a bucket. That way you can heat water on a stove and bathe yourself.

You need a bucket that can hold about 5 or 10 gallons of water and a large cup. Learn to pour the water over your body to get it wet. Soap yourself down. Then rinse. It helps to have a small step stool to sit on or learn how to squat.

If you insist on showering, good luck. Hopefully you're not going somewhere with water shortages.
posted by abdulf at 6:02 AM on January 14, 2009

I was living in a country last year with frequent power cuts and little water pressure in the summer. We kept huge lidded buckets in each bathroom, filled up frantically whenever there was water pressure. "Showering" from that, using a plastic jug, while standing in the showertray was fine for me. Room temperature water, particularly in a warm country is not shocking like cold tap water is. And when the weather is hot and you are sweaty it feels great.
posted by alicegoldie at 5:00 AM on January 15, 2009