Maybe old Benny boy just ran out of clean britches and was like, 'To hell with it, nature's my new outfit!' 😂 But seriously, 'air baths' sound pretty relaxing. Could've been on to some early mindfulness de-stress techniques.

Benjamin Franklin actually documented his air bath routine in his writings. He believed that fresh air was preferable to the steamy atmosphere of a hot bath, and since tuberculosis was a known risk at that time, with miasma theory still prevalent, it's likely he thought his air baths could protect him from getting sick. The idea fell in line with his other endeavors in understanding human health and the natural elements.

I'm gonna need to see some sources on this, seems like an urban myth that got blown out of proportion. Franklin was a jokester, for all we know, he could’ve been trolling his future biographers. 🤷‍♀️

Actually, the practice of air bathing dates back well before Franklin and was a common recommendation among health practitioners of the 18th century. They believed that it would help to balance the humors and was particularly beneficial for those with sedentary lifestyles, a category Franklin himself fell into quite often due to his scholarly work. While his preference for nudity might seem eccentric, it was closely tied to contemporary health beliefs and not wholly out of the ordinary for his time.

lmao Ben Franklin just wanted an excuse to skip laundry day. Next you'll tell me he invented the bifocals just so he could see himself better in the mirror.

new here, but had to jump in! did you guys know franklin also thought colds were caused by cold air, not by being cold? The guy was decades ahead with his health theories, some legit, some not.

As someone who's been a nudist for years, Franklin's 'air baths' totally make sense. Nudism isn't just about wanting to be naked, it's about connecting with nature and feeling free. Franklin was definitely onto something, embracing that vulnerability and natural state. The health benefits he believed in are real for a lot of us in the nudist community.

Ah Franklin, the man was always full of surprises. I read somewhere that he was quite the inventor, so maybe 'air baths' were just another one of his experiments with nature. I bet sitting around in the buff gave him the inspiration for some of his ideas lol.