Editing Bathing (section)

==Purpose==
One purpose of bathing is for [[personal hygiene]]. It is a means of achieving [[cleanliness]] by washing away dead skin cells, dirt, and soil and as a preventative measure to reduce the incidence and spread of disease. It also may reduce [[body odor]]s, however, some people note that may not be so necessary as commonly thought.<ref name="theguardian.com"/>

Bathing creates a feeling of well-being and the physical appearance of cleanliness.

Bathing may also be practised for religious [[ritual]] or therapeutic purposes<ref>{{Cite book
 |last=Shove |first=Elizabeth |year=2004
 |title=Comfort, Cleanliness and Convenience The Social Organization of Normality (New Technologies/New Cultures)
 |location=New York |publisher=Berg |isbn=978-1-85973-630-2 
}}</ref> or as a recreational activity. Bathing may be used to cool or to warm the body of an individual.

Therapeutic use of bathing includes [[hydrotherapy]], healing, rehabilitation from injury or addiction, and relaxation.

The use of a bath in religious ritual or ceremonial [[Ritual#Water rites|rite]]s include immersion during [[baptism]] in Christianity and to achieve a state of ritual cleanliness in a ''[[mikvah]]'' in Judaism. It is referred to as ''[[Ghusl]]'' in Arabic to attain ceremonial purity (''Taahir'') in Islam. All major religions place an emphasis on ceremonial purity, and bathing is one of the primary means of attaining outward purity. In Hindu households, any acts of defilement are countered by undergoing a bath and Hindus also immerse in Sarovar as part of religious rites. In the Sikh religion, there is a place at [[Harmandir Sahib|Golden Temple]] where the leprosy of [[Rajni]]'s husband was cured by immersion into the holy sacred pool, and many pilgrims bathe in the sacred pool believing it will cure their illness as well.