Forest Bathing: A Retreat To Nature Can Boost Immunity And Mood
If hiking is about a destination, forest bathing is about an immersion of the senses into the natural world. It's the newest wellness trend, and studies suggest several health benefits.
When my editors asked me to report on forest bathing, I packed a swimsuit. I assumed it must involve a dip in the water.
It turns out, my interpretation was too literal.
I met certified Forest Therapy guide Melanie Choukas-Bradley and several other women who'd come along for the adventure at the footbridge to Theodore Roosevelt Island, a dense jungle of an urban forest along the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.
Here, I began to get it. Forest bathing isn't a bath. We sat on the banks of the river,
