Can’t make it to the spa? Just fill up the tub. Photograph: Posed by model; Olga Pankova/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Can’t make it to the spa? Just fill up the tub. Photograph: Posed by model; Olga Pankova/Getty Images Health & wellbeing Yes, saunas are great – but have you heard of this amazing thing called a bath? Ever since the ancient Greeks, we’ve suspected that soaking in hot water is good for your health. Now science has proved it
Lucy Knight Sat 7 Nov 2026 06.00 CET Last modified on Sat 7 Nov 2026 06.02 CET Share Prefer the Guardian on Google A t a time when many of us feel overwhelmed, overstretched and over-reliant on screens, it’s unsurprising that the wellness industry is booming, with spa facilities – saunas in particular – becoming increasingly popular places to rest the body and mind.
But if a trip to the spa seems like too much effort or money, then good news! An alternative could be waiting for you right behind your bathroom door: hot baths. Though washing habits have shifted towards showers in recent years, the majority of UK homes are still fitted with bathtubs. Not only is bathing less expensive than a sauna session; it may be more effective at lowering blood pressure and boosting the immune system, according to research from the University of Oregon .
Other studies have suggested that a bath’s benefits could be comparable to aerobic exercise , and that it may reduce blood sugar levels . Now, scientists at Manchester Metropolitan University, with funding from the British Heart Foundation, are exploring whether immersion in hot water can relieve the symptoms of peripheral artery disease (PAD), a common circulatory disease that usually affects arteries in the lower legs, making walking painful.
View image in fullscreen Bathing can lower blood pressure and boost the immune system, according to research from the University of Oregon. Photograph: Posed by model; Chris Windsor/Getty Images Stockport-based Ken Heywood, 75, took part in an eight-week heat-therapy trial after the symptoms of PAD, first diagnosed when he was 38, worsened. He was monitored as he attended hot-tub sessions three times a week, with the water heated to 40C (a few degrees warmer than hot tubs are generally set).
By the end of the trial, “my blood pressure had got better, certainly my walking had got better”, says the retired engineering manager. He surpassed his aim of completing his daily dog walks without having to stop at every bench, and managed to climb to the top of the hill in his local park, an incline that previously would have “terrified” him, he says. Since the trial ended, Heywood has kept to three baths a week at home, alongside physiotherapy and exercise – and he’s still noticing positive results.
Bathing in hot water improves blood circulation “because our core temperature rises, and that will drive the blood to the skin, away from organs”, says William Carey, one of the academics running the trial. This process is particularly helpful for someone like Heywood, whose body is not sending blood to his legs as efficiently as it should be, but it is likely to be good for most people’s cardiovascular health, says Carey. (He caveats this with a recommendation to consult your GP, particularly if you have low blood pressure.) Since his involvement in the research project, “I tend to take a hot bath every so often,” he adds.
The idea of baths being good for your health is generally associated with the ancient Greeks and Romans…