Sharing a Bath

It's Friday evening and you've both had a difficult week. You are tired but really want to do something enjoyable. Why not order in some food and take a bath together? With a little maneuvering, even a regular-sized tub can fit two regular-sized people.

COST

$3.00 to $50.00 for bath oil, food, drink, candles and soap. It all depends on what you've got and what you need to buy. For instance, you don't need fancy candles. Take little votive candles or other cheap candles and hold a flame under the bottom until some of the wax melts. Then stick them on a funky plate or in a bottle or colored jar. For something to drink, you can run the gamut from sparkling apple cider to expensive champagne.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

• A clean bathroom with a tub.
• At least two clean and fluffy towels. "Clean" being the operative word.
• Robes or pajamas if you like.
• Candles are a must. Kill the overhead light.
• Bath oil.
• A soap whose smell you both like.
• A source of music, but not too loud
• Wine, champagne, apple cider, or anything else you like to drink.

PREPARATION

Clean the bathroom. This may not be a trivial undertaking for some readers. Put out some fresh towels, turn on the music, run the bath water, get out the robes, add the bath oil to the water, pop the cork on the bubbly, light the candles and ease your way in. You can sit facing each other with your legs intertwined or you can try it with one of you resting his or her back against the other's chest. As you sip the wine or whatever you'll start to feel the week's tension melt away.

ALTERNATIVE

If you don't have a bathtub or don't want to clean yours, try renting a hotel room for the night. Call ahead and make sure the rooms have nice-sized tubs. Be sure to make a reservation. Some hotels have rooms with specialty tubs. Some have a jacuzzi, some have extra large or heart-shaped tubs, you might even fi nd one with flocked walls, mirrored ceilings and adult cable. If you go to a hotel, you will probably want dinner. While room service is fun, it can be really expensive and not all hotels offer it. You might find which restaurants in the area deliver and have dinner sent to your room. And don't forget to bring the libation, candles and glasses. If you're really trying to impress your date, set everything up ahead of time.

CAUTION

More than an hour in a tub and your skin will look like you went down with the Titanic. Fortunately, it will recover quickly.