The best self-care? 8 great ways to sink into a warm bath for a much-needed break
The pandemic has forced many to slow down their daily routines and connect to simpler processes. Remember the popularity of baking sourdough bread? Well, just as that required a recipe, there’s a method for elevating a simple bath to a healing experience, according to Deborah Hanekamp,author of the book “Ritual Baths: Be Your Own Healer.”
“In a world where we are constantly bombarded with external stimuli, it’s easy to look outside of ourselves for the comfort, peace and healing we need,” she said. "But true healing and inner peace come from within, so rather than looking outwards, we need to turn inwards. A bath is a perfect way to relieve depression, stress, and soothe because it’s a way of being our own healer that we are already familiar with. Just adding a bit of intention to it, what you are cleansing beyond just your physical body will do just that!”
Here are several products that will help you formulate your own recipe for creating a space for reflecting and recharging after a hard day of Zoom calls and remote learning.
The long soak: Milk + Honey Bath Soak N 1/4 u00ba 08
Milk+Honey’s No. 8 soak is prime for creating calm. Let the day’s stress fade away. Inhale and exhale to take in the smells of organic lavender and eucalyptus oils to calm your day. The scents set a scene for a peaceful state of mind, so lounge at length. $28, milkandhoney.com
The detox: Pursoma Apr 1/4 u00e8s Savasana Soak
With essential oils that include juniper berry, ho wood and frankincense resin, this treatment (blended with kelp and green algae) removes toxins and relieves muscle tension with aromatherapy. $20, pursoma.com
The luxe bubble bath: Lalicious Sugar Coconut Bubble Bath
Need quick stress relief? Try a bubble bath. The light smell of coconut takes a relaxing bath and moisturizing to lush levels. A soak with Lalicious leaves your skin hydrated and delicately fragranced. $28, lalicious.com.
The ultimate chill-out: Lord Jones High CBD Formula Bath Salts
These bath salts bring out the mellow in you while soaking, thanks to ingredients like hemp-derived cannabidiol, pink Himalayan salt, arnica, magnesium-rich Epsom salts, calendula petals, and a blend of terpenes and essential oils for relaxation.$65, neimanmarcus.com
The mood-setter: Diptyque Feu de Bois (wood fire) Candle
Can’t get out for a jaunt to commune with nature? Run a warm bath, dim the lights and let the nostalgic scent of Diptyque’s woodsy smelling Feu de Bois candle wash over you. $36-$68, nordstrom.com
The tried and true soak: Dr. Singha’s Mustard Bath, Therapeutic Bath Salts
A combination of oils and salts designed to soothe and hydrate while it relaxes, the alkaline bath salts with certified organic mustard powder help to open, purify and soothe the entire body. A perfect addition to your home spa. $10.59, amazon.com
The dry skin solution: Bastide Huile d’Aix Bath Oil
When this oil from Provence is put in the bath, the scent blossoms to soothe your senses. It makes the water rich in vitamin E and antioxidants to pamper skin and soften dry patches. $48, bastide.com
The transition to reality: Zara Home terry cloth slippers and bathrobe
Step out of your cocoon of warmth into 100% cotton terry cloth slippers and a premium bathrobe, and hold on to your blissful, relaxed state as long as you can. $29.90, $89.90, zarahome.com
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