@MushyMushy I figure it's just a distinction that gets lost in the translation, they probably have some idea of cleaning themselves off with water but don't think to sit+soak in water like an actual bath.
@MushyMushy in the old days people usually bathed (?not sure this is grammatically correct anyhow) in a barrel or in gentle river/streams, baths or even bathhouses(onsen) were more for rich people unless you were a Roman/Greek I guess