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The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of bathing on thermoregulatory and subjective responses in elderly persons compared to those in young persons. Ten young (20.4 years) and 10 elderly (69.7 years) individuals were asked to bathe for 15 minutes in water at 41 °C. Tympanic temperature (Tty) was measured using a thermometer with a thermistor, sweating rate (SR) was measured by a ventilated capsule method, and skin blood flow (SkBF) was measured by laser Doppler flowmetry to assess thermoregulatory responses. Subjective thermal and comfort sensations were evaluated using a sevenpoint scale. The results showed significant increases in Tty, SR and SkBF in young participants than in elderly participants. In addition, we divided the total bathing period into three time periods and observed later SR and SkBF responses in elderly participants than in young participants. While young participants felt hot and unpleasant during the late time period, elderly participants felt warm and comfortable during the entire duration of bathing. These results demonstrate the thermoregulatory responses due to changes in physical structure and function due to aging during a 15-minute bath at 41 °C in the elderly.

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