Young women in Tokyo like relaxing in the bath a little bit longer than their counterparts in New York and Paris, according to a survey by Johnson & Johnson’s Japan unit.
The Internet survey, which questioned a total of 300 single working women in their 20s and 30s, broke down the three cities by their “beauty type.” Parisians practice a “refined beauty,” with 45% using their bathing time for scrubbing and massage, while the “greedy beauty” style in Tokyo means women use a wider variety of beauty products, according to J&J.
Some 82% of Tokyo women said they would change to a new product if they felt it was an improvement, compared to around 55% in Paris and New York. J&J says women in New York are more into “multitasking beauty,” with 36.5% of women listening to music as they bathe.
Most strikingly, 88.5% of Tokyo women surveyed spent more than 15 minutes in the bath, compared to 57% in New York and 37% in Paris. Taking a long bath is a common pastime world-wide, but the enduring popularity of hot springs and other bathing spots in Japan may help explain the difference in numbers.
The survey suggests Japanese may like bathing better than sleeping. Figures from the maker of a digitized wristband suggested people in Tokyo got the least sleep among world cities.
Unfortunately for those “greedy for beauty,” one Japanese beauty advice site recommends against long baths, warning of pore problems from sweating too much.