Water has been used in restorative rituals for centuries and it’s no wonder. The curative effects of a wonderful, warm bath can be felt almost immediately. It not only helps you to unwind from a hard day, it can even help soothe aches and pains associated with ailments like overexertion, sleep ailments, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and more. Add to the scented warm water some mindfulness, meditation, and a beauty routine and you’ll soon be glowing from the in- and outside!
Here are our six essentials of a perfect bath ritual for self-care, beauty and relaxation!
Make the time
A warm bath of even just 30 minutes at the end of the day a few times a week (if not every day) can do wonders for the soul. There’s no need to book a whole spa weekend to get away from it all; let your bathroom be the spa.
Look and your schedule and see where you can cut time to rather spend on your bath ritual. Perhaps you can cut down on the amount of television — or streaming videos — you watch. If you’re very lucky, you can change your commuting times slightly and carve out an extra twenty or thirty minutes there. And, if all else fails, put that pesky phone down and don’t stare at social media before bed.
Get some scents
Besides having the time for a bath ritual, the right scent is also important. Epsom salts is always good for sore muscles, but you can scent the water with essential oils, herbs, and flowers. If you want to, you can also buy or make bath fizzers to scent the water. There are countless recipes for different bath scents on Pinterest, but we quite like to go for simple scents when you take a bath before bed.
Lavender and rose essential oils (remember you only need a drop or two!) are a winner and so are chamomile, jasmine, and patchouli. For a more energizing bath, try ginger, grapefruit, rosemary or pepperment. If your muscles are very sore after a long day or a long gym session, a few drops of arnica, lavender, and rosemary essential oils definitely won’t go amiss!
Set the scene
If you want to relax, it’s a good idea to rather opt for a few candles than a bright overhead light. This is especially true if you’re taking the bath just before you go to bed. The dimmed light will already put you in a calmer, more relaxed mood and will tell your brain that it’s almost time to go to bed.
If you’re not a big fan of water that’s scented with essential oils and would rather go for some luxurious bubble bath, choosing some scented candles is definitely the way to go. Look for scents that are either relaxing (lavender and chamomile) or invigorating (ginger, grapefruit or lemon).
Gather some favourite beauty products
These can include masks, leave-in conditioner (because your hair needs some love too), and sugar or salt scrubs. If you are going to use a mask that you need to rinse off after a specific number of minutes, either keep a (silent) timer in the bathroom, or only apply the mask halfway through the bath ritual.
If you want to go the DIY route, make your own masks and scrubs from scratch. This gives that extra day-at-the-spa feel as well. Do this once a week over the weekend when you have some more time on your hands. And remember that you can’t keep the freshly-made products as long as the bought products.
Some tea — or champagne
Okay, okay, not every bath can have a glass of bubbly added to the routine! But some teas — specifically herbal teas and teas like rooibos that doesn’t contain caffeine — is perfect to sip on during your bath ritual.
You can even go to some specialist tea shops if there is one in your area and see which blends of teas they have available. Of course, chamomile and rooibos (or rooibos and vanilla) is always a winner before bedtime, but something to get you going in the morning is lemon and ginger or even ginger and cinnamon.
Silence is golden … sometimes
It’s up to you to decide whether you want some silence during your bath ritual or whether you rather want some relaxing music — or even an audiobook. When it comes to music, there are so many different types to choose from, not to mention the amount of different white noise that is available.
Some of our favorite music to listen to is medieval polyphonic singing and gregorian or other chant music. (Rather leave the metal for another day!) You can also turn your bathroom into a wonder-world of waterfalls, birdsong, and much more through ASMR. There are lots of great channels to be found on YouTube with top class audio.
If you’d rather take your bath ritual time to meditate, you can take your phone or tablet with you and use a guided meditation app if you don’t feel like you can work through a meditation on your own yet.
All you need to do then is to soak in the goodness and healing properties of the bath ritual. Once you get out of the bath, pat your skin dry and moisturize with your favourite lotion. Leave the music or ASMR on while you rinse your hair if you had a deep conditioner on it, wash your face, etc. and feel the sense of peace, calm, and relaxation wash over you.
Now, don’t you feel ready to take on the world again?
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