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| Hokkaido, Japan, 1984. Leonard Koren |
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| Paiute Reservation, Nevada, 1977 |
I picked up a copy of Undesigning the Bath, by Leonard Koren, at the library. It's a strange and charming thing, and seems like it would be a product of the 70s but came out in 1996. The book is about great bathing experiences, and includes some thoughts on what makes a great bathe and loosely about how different cultures in different times have approached bathing. I am really taken by the images, which channel a bit of the pleasure of a great soak. It's the time of year when I really start craving a warm soak, especially a warm soak with friends and a view. I have a file of images of outdoor hot tubs--basically, a cabin porn file for perfect bathes, and one of my favorite parts about my trip to Japan was experiencing the sentos and onsens--public bath houses and hot springs. There is a rich culture in the sentos, as neighbors gather to chat and bathe together, that I would love to have more ready and affordable access to here.
Below, an amazing hanging soak situation along the coast of Japan in the 70s.
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| Wakayama, Japan, circa 1970. Leonard Koren |
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| Wakayama, Japan, circa 1970. Leonard Koren |
