I thought my Herman's, Elsa, hated her soaks for no good reason because the water felt nice: very mildly warm TO ME.
But human body temp is 98.6, so anything BELOW that feels cool to us and anything ABOVE that feels warm. A Herman's most comfortable temperature range is 75-85*F. The basking spot is around 95*.
When I measured her bath water, it was right around 100* even though it barely felt warm TO ME!!!!
When I felt water that was 80*, it felt cool to me, but she was relaxed and comfortable: no more frantic scrambling to get out!!!!
Please, PLEASE: MEASURE YOUR WATER TEMPS!!! If it's barely warm to YOU, it's probably too hot to HIM!!
My goodness you were so right. What i considered cool was probably boiling him like a lobster, I feel so so bad!!! He's soaking away quite happily in water that feels cold to me.