A ryokan bath appreciation

A deep oblong cedar tub sat against one wall, next to an open window, from which one could gaze out at the mountaintops without being seen, along with an adjacent area in which to wash oneself prior to soaking in the tub. There were a small wooden stool, a scrub brush, a wooden bucket, and a high-powered-spray shower attachment. The idea was to squat on the wooden stool, soap up, brush oneself down with the hard bristle brush, pausing to rinse now and again with buckets of hot or cold water, as one liked, then shower. The whole floor, tiled in black granite, tilted conveniently into recessed troughs and drains. After one's outer layers of skin have been scrubbed off, one slid gracefully into the waiting tub, soaking for a long, long time, the window open up just enough for a cooling breeze, a view of ripe oranges dropping from the trees in the outer garden.