Stillwell stated that there is no basis for the widely held belief that wet heat is more effective than dry heat.1 The body temperature at one cm below the skin should be exactly the same whether the superfi-cial heating medium is wet or dry, provided that the skin was raised to the same temperature by both agents. An incorrect conclusion regarding the effec-tiveness of dry versus wet heat is reached if one considers only the temperature of the water or air, not of the skin. Because stagnant air is an effective insu-lator, there is always an appreciable temperature drop between the air and the skin. Thus, skin temperature is not the same as air temperature. Water, on the other hand, is a very good conductor, so skin temper-ature is within one degree of bath temperature, if the water is mildly agitated to eliminate temperature gradients.