Take a Sitz Bath

Take a Sitz Bath

Find out why sitz baths are such a popular form of hydrotherapy.

Sitz baths are regaining popularity as a low-risk, medicine-free solution for many health issues. Sitz baths are very helpful for a woman after childbirth, whether or not she had an episiotomy. A sitz bath can also be used to treat hemorrhoids, prostate infections, and anal and vaginal fissures, and to ease the discomfort of genital herpes and vaginal or bladder infections.

You may be wondering: What is a sitz bath? A sitz bath is literally what it sounds like—a bath where you sit in warm water that covers the buttocks and hips. This explains why so many people call it a "sits bath." Sitting in warm water allows more blood to reach the affected area, promoting healing and helping with any discomfort. A sitz bath uses the theory of hydrotherapy, or water therapy.

The following steps will guide you through the process of taking a sitz bath. If you’re trying to get rid of a urinary infection rather than just ease its discomfort, you may need more than a sitz bath—I suggest you consider this all-natural cure that gets rid of UTIs in 48 hours without antibiotics. And if you’re looking for a strong, natural cure for hemorrhoids and the bath won’t bring enough relief, I recommend a program that I found on WebMD—Nature’s Method to Cure Hemorrhoids.

1. You’ll need a bathtub, shallow bucket, or a sitz bath. The plastic sitz bath sits over a toilet and is recommended. Many of these plastic sitz baths come with the ability to continuously add warm water to the bath so it doesn’t get cold. The overflow of the water goes into the toilet. You can buy a sitz bath at most drugstores; plastic sitz baths cost around ten to fifteen dollars.
2. Fill up your bathtub, bucket, or sitz bath with warm water. The water should be warm enough to be almost uncomfortable, but not warm enough to burn. The water should be just deep enough to cover your buttocks and hips.
3. In an optional step (some practitioners skip the cold-water step), you can fill up another bathtub, bucket, or sitz bath with cold water. If you’re using the cold-water sitz bath in addition to the warm water, you’ll want to move back and forth between the cold and warm water every few minutes. In her book Herbal Healing for Women, Rosemary Gladstone recommends moving back and forth between the waters five to six times, several times a week.
4. Most practitioners recommend sitting in the water for about 20–30 minutes several times a week to promote healing.
5. When you get out of your sitz bath, make sure you dry the area with a clean cotton towel. You should pat, not rub, dry. Some practitioners recommend letting the area air dry.
6. You can add salts to sitz baths if your doctor recommends it. This can be very helpful for vaginal or perineal discomfort in women (especially after childbirth). The amount of salt depends on the size of your sitz bath. Add enough salt to your sitz bath so that it easily dissolves.
7. Some women have found relief from vaginal yeast infections by adding vinegar to sitz baths. The vinegar makes the vaginal tissues an inhospitable home for the yeast. You should double-check with your doctor before attempting this or any other sitz bath recipe, such as an herbal bath, however.

Caution: Have someone help you stand up if you become dizzy while in the water.