After a long hard working day, we all crave for a nice hot bubble bath with the soothing fragrance of essential oils and the warmth from the heat. These baths soothe our muscles and relax all the strains in our body. In the Philippines, the Filipinos have a special way of experiencing these bubble baths. They call them their very own Kawa baths. There is just one major difference between a normal bath and a Kawa bath. In a kawa bath you are cooked alive in a huge cauldron of boiling water. In this article, we are going to dig a little bit deeper into the phenomenon of the Kawa baths!
What is a Kawa bath?
The Kawa is a traditional dish in ancient Filipino culture which is a huge cauldron that was traditionally used for sugar mixing. It is specifically used in the process of molasses. These giant cauldrons were used before the technological revolution and advancements came along. These traditions were soon replaced by sugar mills and factories. Once these big cauldrons lost their jobs they were originally intended to do, they lost much usage in the day to day lives of the Filipino people.
This was the case until the residents of the Philippines decided to use the Kawa cauldrons for kawa baths. It was a perfect way to refresh oneself and get cooked. But hey! Do not worry, It is just a euphemism for your experience while taking a kawa bath. The cauldron is made in such a way that they only ensure the water is heated and don’t take the heat of the fire to be felt by you.
How do Kawa baths work?
It usually takes at least 45 minutes to one hour before anyone can take a Kawa bath. The kawa baths are usually taken care of by the personnel in the resorts where these are most commonly found and experienced. The Kawa baths are heated using fire with pieces of wood and dry bamboo. As the water slowly rises in temperature, the herbs, fragrant leaves, essential oils and flowers will be added to the mix of the Kawa bath. As the temperature increases and the steam from the water rises, it gives a wonderful aroma soothing the mind even before the bath.
The Kawa baths are going to be quite hot once they are ready to be jumped into. I would suggest you to slowly get accustomed to the temperature and then fully get into the bath once your body is comfortable in the heat. The Kawa baths usually provide relief to muscles aches and stress.
Where to take a Kawa bath?
The most famous places where you can get to experience authentic Kawa baths are at Tibiao in Antique province. This province is part of Panay Island in the Visayan Region. There are also a couple of authentic places near manila that you can go to experience these Kawa baths.
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