1,113. Being Discreet

162:10 A woman should be discreet about her immersion and not publicize the night she goes to the mikvah. She should not go publicly so that people won't recognize her. Regarding one who doesn't act in this manner, we metaphorically apply the verse "cursed be the one who lies with any sort of beast" (Deuteronomy 27:21). Furthermore, when she leaves the mikvah, she should meet a female friend who will touch her so that she won't be touched first by something unclean like a dog, a donkey, a pig, etc. If she should happen to encounter something impure first, a pious woman will return and immerse again. It's a bad sign if a man meets a woman coming out of the mikvah. If he does, he should twice recite the verses "He pours contempt upon nobles and causes them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no path" (Psalms 107:40) and "He pours contempt upon princes and loosens the belt of the mighty" (Job 12:21).

162:11 Some authorities prohibit heating the water of the mikvah, while others permit it. The practice has spread in many places to permit it but in a place where this isn't the practice, one should not act leniently. In a place where they do permit it, care must be taken to ensure that when one immerses on Friday nights, the water is warm but not hot.