As Hot as You Can Stand It (And Then Subtract a Bit)

I love a really hot shower in the morning. And I stress the temperature, because a shower is just a means to stay clean. A really hot shower is much more. It's a stress reliever, a muscle relaxant, a decongestant, and an exfoliate, depending on just how hot you can stand it.

For me, on a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being absolute zero Kelvin, or −459.67° Fahrenheit, and 10 being the temperature of a star at supernova, or three billion degrees Fahrenheit, my preferred shower temp would fall right around 1.2. Doesn't sound very impressive, I know, and points to a possible flaw in my scale selection. Trust me though...it's a scalder.

It's not quite hot enough to braise a chicken, but it's close. I often have major knots in my neck and spine when I wake up, and a hot shower is the only thing that adequately loosens up my muscles and melts the tension. Plus the steam opens up your airways and soothes a cough, if you have one. And the shock of nearly burning away your outer layer of skin does a nice job of waking you up.

I don't take it that hot. That was just for effect.