Bathing is the act of cleaning one's body through immersion in water. While originally and still done for the sake of getting clean, bathing has become seen as a largely recreational activity in the modern day, thanks in no small part to more space and time-efficient showers becoming more and more commonplace.
Originally done in natural bodies of freshwater (namely lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams, and still done by wild animals and native tribes), bathing in modern times has been largely done in manmade structures and facilities. Modern bathing is also done almost entirely indoors, with outdoor bathing of any kind being seen as indecent or more risqué outside of indigenous tribes.
While bathing is normally done alone, some countries do allow communal bathing. Outside of dedicated bathhouses, more than one person bathing at a time (aside from a mother and/or one or more children) is seen as sexually intimate, though in some wealthier families, servants regularly help in bathing those above them.
Although bathing in water is mandatory, it can be done with other substances, namely beverages and condiments, for recreational or health reasons. Animals will also take dust and mud baths, primarily to cool off and/or repel parasites and pests.
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- A number of liminal species tend to require help in thoroughly cleaning themselves while bathing due to their bodies making some spots harder to reach. Centaurs are amongst these species, with Centorea's nature meaning that she shows great embarrassment whenever Kimihito has to wash the rear part of her lower half, as it gives him near-direct access to her genitals.
- Due to them regularly requiring water as a part of their environment, aquatic liminal species such as Mermaids and Fishmen primarily bathe recreationally, only doing so to clean themselves if necessary.
- A common element across many different mediums is a character (such as a pet or someone who hates water or enjoys being messy) refusing to take a bath and greatly showing displeasure when forced to bathe by others.
- While most people generally bathe while nude, anyone helping to wash where the primary bather can't reach can be in various states of dress or undress. Some wear normal clothes with or without an apron, some wear swimsuits or underwear, some wear a towel, or some go in nude. Overwhelmingly, however, outside of a shower or when they have to wash their hair, women with long hair simply soaking in a bath will tie their hair back to keep it from getting wet.
- Bathing with someone else is often considered as a sign of intimacy.