Invasion of Privacy: Max Worden, the founding father of bathtisms

Picture this: it’s 11:45 p.m. on a Monday; most students are studying, sleeping, or binge-watching Netflix. This is not the case in Nassau Hall, where a ‘“bathtism” is about to be performed. During this procedure, a group of oddly dressed students parade through the basement of Nassau, some of whom are about to be “enlightened” by the bath. In the front of the pack is Max Worden, first-year theater major, Nassau Hall resident, Southside boy, and “founding father” of bathtisms.

But what exactly is a bathtism? Every week, people can sign up to go to the bathtub room in Nassau’s basement on Monday night at the stroke of midnight, and have Founding Father Worden “cleanse” them by singing the bathtism song, then tapping a bottle of Dove body wash on their shoulders once they are standing in the half-filled bathtub. Then, the bathtizees will be handed a towel, and music will play as they proceed back down the hallway. This week, there were three bathtizees and about twelve onlookers. 

When I asked Worden what inspired him to start bathtizing people, he revealed that it all started with a t-shirt—at the beginning of this past fall semester, Worden found a funny t-shirt that reads “Today is your lucky day. Tuesday is bath day.” After buying the shirt and wearing it every Tuesday, Worden was determined to celebrate more of Bath Day, so he decided to bathtize himself, and, eventually, make it a tradition to bathtize others. The first bathtism was performed on Sep. 20, 2022, and has occurred every week since. During school breaks, bathtizees send pictures from home in their tubs. When Worden was on sabbatical in Israel, he even took Bath Day pictures from his hotel room.

Worden never intended to make bathtisms religious in any sense, although many of his followers express having had divine and supernatural experiences when they were cleansed; followers have described their experiences as “enlightening,” “life-changing,” and “terrifying in a good way.” According to Worden, “this is not Christian or religious related—I am my own being.” Nonetheless, it is undeniable that bathtisms have amassed a cult following of sorts, and the weekly ritual’s popularity and whimsy is only growing. 

Unfortunately, if you have hopes of being bathtized this semester, Worden is already fully booked; but he and his cleansed followers will eventually be migrating to Wyoming Hall, where bathtisms will continue next year. In the meantime, you can check out past and present bathtisms on Instagram, @geneseo_bathday. 

In a pre-bathtism speech, Will Carmen, Worden’s personal assistant and the official bathtism disc jockey, exclaimed that “Bath Day is international. Bath Day is love, life, and the pursuit of happiness.” Worden’s influence and legacy is only growing in the Geneseo community, and his ability to spread joy and awakening to his followers is certainly both unique and awe-inspiring.