One of the most widespread therapeutic approaches used around the world involves the bathtub as a healing device to treat certain ailments. Using this mode of treatment achieves a number of therapeutic benefits. Bathtubs permit external remedies to achieve a significant amount of contact with the skin surface. Users gain additional benefits from exposure to the warm water in treatment. Moreover, the treatment can be applied at home without the patient's need to leave, thereby eliminating the difficulties associated with out-of-home treatments. This advantage can be especially important in cases of severe pain; indeed, using a bathtub can be considered a form of household medicine.

In the contemporary world, the term ‘therapeutic tourism’ has emerged, based mainly on the principles of a bathtub approach to therapy. Many specialized clinics have emerged around the world to advance this type of treatment, especially for older people or those suffering from certain movement disabilities, articulated pains, or other conditions. One of the most famous tourist destinations in this regard is Turkey, where many centres can be found in Istanbul and other cities. This is not surprising considering that Ottoman medicine relied heavily on home-based processing using the bathtub. Indeed, visitors to Istanbul can visit a museum that specializes in the culture of Ottoman-era baths and the medical treatment methods used.