Why Take a Sitz Bath?
What Is a Sitz Bath?
A sitz bath is when you sit in warm water to cleanse or ease pain around your bottom or private parts.
Your doctor might suggest one if you have hemorrhoids, an anal fissure, or if you've just had a baby. You can easily draw one in your own bathtub.
The word sitz comes from the German word “sitzen,” which means “to sit.”
Benefits of a Sitz Bath
Soaking in water at a mild temperature can speed up the healing process by boosting blood flow. It won't cure your condition, but it will soothe irritation.
A sitz bath is typically used as a home treatment for the following:
- An anal fissure, or small tear in the skin lining the opening of the anus
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Hemorrhoids
- A condition that affects the prostate gland called prostatitis
- After a vaginal delivery
- After surgery on your anus or vaginal area
- A Bartholin cyst, which forms on the outside of your vagina
A sitz bath can offer relief from soreness, itching, burning, and inflammation, but you may need other treatments as well.
A pediatrician may suggest a sitz bath for a child with uncomfortable bowel movements, a skin reaction, or an injury in the genital area.
Sitz Bath Instructions
There are a couple of ways to take a sitz bath. You can take one in your bathtub, or you can buy a basin that lets you take one while sitting on the toilet. Some basins come in kits that help keep the water at a steady temperature.
Whichever type you use, the water should be lukewarm and comfortable to the touch. You'll soak up to three times a day for 10 to 20 minutes. Depending on your condition, a doctor may suggest more.
Sitz bath in the bathtub
If you’re making a sitz bath in your tub:
- Fill the bathtub with about 3 to 4 inches of warm water.
- Soak in the tub for up to 20 minutes, making sure your private area is covered with water, and adding more water as needed to keep it warm.
- Don't add shower gel, bubble bath, or any type of soap.
- Don't scrub or rub the area.