Nothing shower: The bizarre new Gen Z self-care obsession taking over TikTok

Ice baths, sure.

There’s some good science behind those.

But the “nothing shower”?

Welcome to the new trend among Gen Z that has taken over the internet.

Oh, and wave goodbye to the “everything shower” - yesterday’s news.

For those who have forgotten, that was all about thoroughly cleaning the entire body in order to feel squeaky clean and it swept TikTok earlier in the year.

Right now, though, Gen Z is proudly declaring they are having showers and washing “absolutely nothing”.

According to TikTok users, the purpose of this new trend is to relax under a stream of hot water while you’re surrounded by steam to meditate and relax before you start the day.

While it’s not a very environmentally friendly way to kick off a morning, they’re claiming the unique bathing ritual provides benefits including a boost to mental wellbeing.

All this doing nothing in the shower seems to be gaining in popularity worldwide.

“Boutta take a nothing shower (standing in boiling water just to feel something),” TikToker @thottypeashooter captioned a video that has earned 1.6 million views, according to the New York Post.

It prompted other people to come clean (more a dirty little secret really) and admit to turning on the hot water and standing under it without doing anything.

“I love an ‘everything shower’ don’t get me wrong. But someone pointed out the bliss of ‘the nothing shower’ aka your second shower of the day where you just stand there for a spiritual cleansing of the day. Truly amazing,” @__mull explained in another TikTok video reflecting on the subject.

“Nothing showers” are being used to warm up on a cold day, meditate, procrastinate in or cry in before people - mostly women, it seems - continue on with their day.

“We all know about everything showers but I’m all about nothing showers. Turn on the water, sit down in the sub, and wash absolutely nothing. Excellent for migraine management, muffling sobs, and hiding from responsibilities,” creator @alexandra.r.simpson said.

“Will I be clean after? No. Will I take a proper shower after? Probably not, since I already used all the hot water.”

Another user said that during their “nothing” shower, they “absently stare at the grout on the tile” and ponder the “meaninglessness of existence”.

Cinanamontoastcrunch commented: “Sometimes I do nothing showers with the lights off and pretend I’m in one of the sensory deprivation pods.”

While many health experts swear by the benefits of cold showers, from increasing energy levels to improving mental health, is is not clear what the health benefits of standing in a hot shower are other than perhaps being more enjoyable.

According to the Sleep Foundation, some scientists believe that immersing the body in warm (not boiling hot) water before bed improves sleep. The phenomenon has been dubbed ‘the warm bath effect.’

Where a cold shower may help reduce pain, inflammation, and swelling, a hot shower may boost cardiovascular health and improve sleep.

Certainly, doctors sometimes recommend heat or cold therapy for people with muscle or bone injuries.

However, it is not yet clear whether or not a cold or hot shower has the same benefits as applying an ice or heating pad.