Prevent catching a chill after bathing, and prevent getting cold while sleeping. That happy moment of climbing into bed all warmed up.

These days, we find ourselves hunching our shoulders against the biting north wind, enduring it as we make our way home.

The cold itself isn't the only enemy this season—layering multiple garments and then adding a coat, along with accessories like scarves, piles weight onto the body, making shoulders, necks, and arms prone to stiffness. Amid all this, stepping into a warm bath and feeling the cold, tense body loosen up is truly special. This time, with an eye toward "preventing chills after bathing and while sleeping," we're picking up on things to keep in mind from the moment you take your evening bath until you drift off to sleep.

A post-bath chill refers to a state in which the body's mechanisms work to bring an overly elevated body temperature back down—through sweating and dilating blood vessels to release heat—but this heat release becomes excessive, causing body temperature to keep dropping further and further.

For a smooth transition into sleep after a bath, it's ideal for body temperature to gradually decrease on its own. So preventing a sudden drop in body temperature from a post-bath chill matters not only for warding off colds but also for getting quality sleep.

There are many points to keep in mind for a bath that's less likely to leave you chilled afterward.

When you first step into the bathroom, massaging your body with a dry body brush is said to improve circulation and help the warmth from your bath last longer. At the same time, it promotes lymphatic flow, which is said to make it easier for waste products to be expelled and to remove old, dead skin cells for smoother skin.

The body brush from iris hantverk uses relatively soft horsehair, making it an easy brush to try even for first-timers. It works well as a massage brush, and of course, you can also use it with body soap to wash yourself.

This is a handmade brush with bristles individually attached and woven in by hand, one by one. Because it's made by hand, the bristles are less likely to fall out and it lasts a long time. The bundle of bristles is about the size of a palm, and since each bristle has some thickness, it feels pleasant against the skin. With a handle of just the right length attached, you can wash everywhere from your toes to your back with this single brush.

We recommend adding a warming bath additive or bath salt to your tub. It's curious, but the body seems to crave that time of relaxing both mind and body in the bath even more in winter than in summer.

The Emollient Bath Salt from THERMAE DI SALSOMAGGIORE uses the power of salt to promote sweating and enhance its warming effect. Add plenty to your bathtub and rest your body slowly, and after your bath you'll feel warmed through to the core. It also has a strong moisturizing effect, leaving skin feeling soft and hydrated, which makes it especially recommended during the winter months.

In Italy, TERME (hot springs) have been used as part of daily life since the days of ancient Rome. THERMAE DI SALSOMAGGIORE translates literally to "the hot spring of the finest salt." Located in a famous hot spring resort area in northern Italy, it uses completely pure, untouched natural spring water. The mineral-rich water forms as rain falling to the ground passes through layers accumulated in rock, and since it's drawn from strata some 2,000 meters underground dating back 20 million years, it can be said to be entirely free from environmental pollution.

On a cold winter day, plunging straight into the bathtub causes your blood pressure to shoot up and down due to the temperature difference, which isn't good for the body. It's best to develop the habit of pouring hot water over yourself first ("kakeyu") to let your body get used to the water's temperature before getting in. Pour the water starting from your toes—the part of the body farthest from the heart—and finish by pouring it over your shoulders.

It's easy enough to do this with a shower, but since you're at it, why not enjoy the happiness of bathing in the scent of wood? Yamaichi's sawara (Japanese cypress) hand-held wooden bucket looks just like something out of an Edo-period ukiyo-e print, and simply having it in your bathroom fills the space with atmosphere.

The sawara used here is an evergreen conifer of the Hinoki family. It has a distinctive reddish tint and is a wood rich in acid and water resistance, widely used for bathroom buckets, stools, and rice tubs. Timber from the Kiso region, grown slowly over time in a harsh climate, is extremely durable, with qualities built into the wood itself that make it suited for long-term use.

Yamaichi uses carefully selected Kiso sawara, taken only from the heartwood at the center of trees over 100 years old. It's a brand that pursues the things that are wonderful precisely because they're made of wood—things only wood can achieve.

And then, when it's about time to get out of the bath—pouring cold water over your feet and hands helps prevent your body temperature from dropping afterward. Pouring cold water for about 10 seconds will make your extremities feel cold, and you might think this would only make you colder. But in fact, only the surface temperature of your body drops, and it won't fall any further than that, which ultimately helps maintain your overall body temperature.

To prevent chills after bathing, something to keep in mind once you get out is to wipe away moisture right away. If you leave your skin wet because you feel too hot to dry off immediately, the heat of evaporation will draw warmth from your body, and before you know it, you may find yourself suddenly chilled. Be sure to dry both your body and your hair with a bath towel right away.

The "Flax Line Bath Towel" from kontex has a double-layer construction combining patterned gauze fabric with soft pile fabric. The gauze fabric is woven from threads of different colors twisted together, creating a heather-like, mélange striped pattern. Meanwhile, the pile fabric thoroughly wipes away moisture. With excellent water absorbency and quick-drying properties, it's a towel you can enjoy using comfortably every day.

It is woven slowly on old-fashioned low-speed looms and then given a finishing wash, which brings out the natural softness of the cotton. The result is a gentle finish with a soft touch, and the more you use it, the more character and softness it develops—it's a towel you'll find yourself hooked on.

After drying off with a towel, use a body cream to moisturize and retain warmth. Moisturizing essentially means preventing water from evaporating, so this too helps prevent your body temperature from dropping due to evaporative cooling. Gently applying cream also improves blood circulation, helping that cozy warmth last longer.

One we'd recommend is the body milk from Lolivier, a French brand. It's made with organic olive oil, shea butter, and herbal extracts such as mandarin, lemon, geranium, and lavender, filling the air with a relaxing, pleasant scent.

Being a pump-type bottle also makes it easy to use after a bath, making it simple to keep up as a daily habit.

▲Not just body milk—there's also a massage oil.

Lolivier is a line of body care products made with organic olive oil from the 300-year-old Marius Fabre company. 95% to 100% of the ingredients are natural or naturally derived, using plant-based materials such as essential oils, extracts, vegetable oils, vegetable fats, and plant waxes. The products are rich in oleic acid, a natural moisturizing ingredient, leaving your skin soft and hydrated.

No matter how warm and cozy you feel after a bath, just a few steps across a cold floor can leave your toes tingling with cold. When your feet get cold, blood circulation throughout your whole body worsens, and as a result your entire body ends up feeling cold. Instead of thin socks meant for going outside, wear warm room socks or room shoes to keep your feet from getting cold.

These are SforT cable socks, knitted with a loose, chunky texture using yak and cotton yarn. The cable pattern evokes the warmth of winter, making them a joy just to put on. Being generously sized room socks, they give you the feeling of being protected from the cold all the way from your toes to your calves.

SHOKAY is a brand well known to ZUTTO regulars, but while its lineup mostly consists of wear and stoles, items like these meant for use around the house are relatively rare. Since the brand is known for its warmth and pleasant texture, these plush room socks—comfortable enough to wear against bare feet—are sure to become something you can't do without.

SHOKAY supports stable employment and sustainable livelihoods by purchasing yak wool directly from the Tibetan herders who raise the animals. The rich texture and depth of character in SHOKAY knits reflect both the makers' care and the irreplaceable beauty of nature.

You've put on your pajamas and room socks, and now you're ready to step out of the changing room and enjoy some relaxing time before bed. But this is the season when wandering around a cold hallway or kitchen in just your pajamas, or dozing off on the sofa, can quickly lead to catching a cold. It's handy to have something you can casually throw on over your pajamas.

Throwing on a cardigan is one option, but if your pajamas have a loose, roomy fit, a cardigan can sometimes feel tight around the arms and shoulders. A large shawl is a more comfortable alternative. Draping a thick, blanket-like stole over your shoulders wraps your back and arms snugly, keeping your upper body warm.

The nice thing about the LAPUAN KANKURIT pocket shawl is that when you drape it on, the collar naturally stands up, so even with collarless pajamas your neck doesn't feel cold. It also has pockets on both sides, so when moving from the living room to the bedroom before sleep, you can slip your smartphone into a pocket while carrying a drink or a book in your hands, making the move smooth and easy. Keep it by the side of your bed, and you'll have something to throw on right away when you get up in the morning before leaving the bed.

Compared to wool sweaters or cashmere, it has a slightly rougher texture, but this thick, loosely woven feel is exactly what gives the LAPUAN KANKURIT pocket shawl its everyday practicality, durability, and enhanced warmth and insulation.

Towel blankets and blankets are usually meant to be "put over" you, but do try the warmth of "laying them down" as well. It takes some courage to slip into cold sheets, but all you need to do is lay a towel blanket or similar over the sheets beforehand.

Of course, wool blankets are wonderfully warm, but some people find the scratchy texture bothersome. That's why we recommend a towel blanket made of gauze—the "gauze blanket."

Gauze tends to be thought of as a material for staying cool in summer, but layers of air form between each of the five layers of gauze, keeping you comfortably warm in winter as well. Gauze is also known for its excellent absorbency. Even in winter, cold as it is, people still sweat while sleeping, and if that sweat cools, it can lead to feeling cold all over. Gauze, which absorbs sweat as soon as you produce it, is therefore a material that offers two benefits at once.

ichiori gauze, based in Mikawa, Aichi Prefecture, draws on more than 50 years of accumulated skill and experience to create gauze products suited to modern life. While typical gauze blankets are simply made by layering and stitching together the same gauze fabric, ichiori gauze goes to the trouble of weaving together five distinct layers of fabric made with several different types of thread, all woven in together.

Many of you probably rely on a down comforter during this cold season, but how you use a blanket together with it is the key to even greater warmth.

The down inside a comforter is said to fluff up and gain thickness from your body heat, which increases its insulating effect. In other words, it's important that the down comforter be placed so it touches your body directly. When using a blanket together with it, be sure to place the blanket on top of the down comforter rather than underneath it. A wool blanket helps prevent heat from escaping, so placing it on top allows both the down comforter and the blanket to work at their fullest effect.

▲Place a thin blanket over the down comforter

One thing to watch out for is the weight of the blanket. If you place a heavy blanket on top of a down comforter, it will crush the down and lessen its effect. That's why KLIPPAN throws and Silkeborg Plaids blankets are so well suited for this purpose—they're made of thin, high-quality wool.

Both come in a size of approximately 200cm x 130cm, which is plenty large for a single bed. On a double bed, there won't be much overhang on either side, but it will still work just fine. Made of 100% wool, they are soft and fluffy, with the firm resilience characteristic of wool, yet without much of the itchy, scratchy feeling one might expect. Best of all, the lovely patterns look wonderful when draped over a down comforter.

KLIPPAN has become a winter staple at ZUTTO. It's a long-established Swedish textile maker with over 130 years of history, and it maintains an uncompromising level of quality by handling every step—from spinning and weaving to dyeing and final production—at its own factory.

Silkeborg Plaids is a brand representative of Denmark. Using natural colors without any dye, the brand carefully varies its wool by region of origin—black from Gotland sheep, white from Scandinavian sheep, and brown from Icelandic sheep—reflecting a meticulous approach to craftsmanship.

▼Bathroom Category