bathing vs recreation

bathing and recreation both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
bathing	Yes	No	No	No
recreation	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, recreation is a hypernym of bathing; that is, recreation is a word with a broader meaning than bathing:

Other hypernyms of bathing include diversion.

bathing (noun)	recreation (noun)
immersing the body in water or sunshine	an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates
the act of washing yourself (or another person)	activity that refreshes and recreates; activity that renews your health and spirits by enjoyment and relaxation