Hand over the bathing headcanons and no one gets hurt....
Be warned. I have a lot to say.
ok ok so basics: Lance likes to take showers and then baths afterward- the showers are to get clean, the baths are to relax.
Balan will do either or, depending on how he’s feeling. Usually not both.
More in depth collectively;
-Both of them will always bathe after finishing up with guests- one, it helps cap off the session and mark it complete in their minds, two… humans bring in so many different kinds of dirt with them. (It’s like a cat licking itself after being pet, ehe.)
-Both of their showers are big even taking in their massive size for account. Balan 100% has a shower chair, Lance is 50/50 on if he uses one.
-Due to maestrii having a short coat of fur, getting clean takes a while. Soap has to be massaged into their coat and then fully washed out. Usually they’ll do a quick rinse to get themselves wet enough for the soap to work, cut the water while soaping up, then turn it back on to rinse out all the soap taking that dirt with them.
-Lance gets filthy very quickly thanks to his tendrils being greasy by nature. Even in the Vanillance state there’s a big patch of oily fur on his back.
-Balan and Lance have very different needs for their actual hair, given the different textures, but they’re familiar enough with what the other needs in case they need to help each other.
(When Balan’s pain acts up, it’s MUCH harder to actually get in the shower. For Lance… sometimes his depression stagnates him, and he struggles to acknowledge time passing.)
-Lance has to use much more aggressive soaps/shampoos to clean his head-tendrils properly/gwt to the hair inside them, while Balan’s hair would suffer greatly from that treatment/ needs nourishment without aggressive chemicals
-Both of them enjoy the modern convenience of hair dryers, having long/thick hair that tends to trap moisture. Usually they’ll use towels for their body and hair dryers for the head.
(For canon-style hatless Balan, He’d still be gentler with shampoos than Lance, since his hair isn’t trapped within tendrils. Mostly he has shorter, thinner hair like that.)
-Lance’s ritual usually uses some sort of bath oil, alongside Lavender is a primary scent he uses, but other florals are enjoyed as well. Usually will spray his hair with some sort of oil near the roots and let that soak in all nice. Flowers, candles, absolutely goes all out in the mood. Bubble baths if he’s fancying it, a bath toy or two to indulge being silly… It’s all to relax himself and make himself smell good. He’ll soak in there for hours if he can, even falling asleep in there. Afterwards he’ll slowly towel himself off before cuddling up in bed.
You are NOT getting a freshly bathed Lance to do any work.
-Balan usually will bathe to relax sore muscles, so he’s running that hot as he can handle. Keeps his hair tied back so it’s only gonna get moist from the steam.
-Both of them find bath bombs fun- and heck, they’re oftentimes nourishing for their skin. Usually they need to pour some clean water to get the residue out of their fur afterwards, but it’s worth it.
