Between the hustle and bustle of work, travel and endless holiday preparations and parties, you may find it difficult to find yourself some down time. On top of that, your next visit to the spa may seem light years away. Luckily you can enjoy muscle and mental relaxation in the comfort of your own bathroom! Here are our top tips for creating the perfect, de-stressing bath experience:
Bath Water Temperature
A warm bath is key to relaxing the body. The best water temperature for a warm bath is around 33°C. For a detoxifying, tension relieving muscle soak, bath water should be between 39°C and 42°C as this temperature helps to improves circulation and helps open pores to allow the release of toxins. No matter which temperature you choose, be sure to test the water on your wrist instead of your hand. Your wrist is a much better gauge of your level of comfort.
Mood Alterning Candles
Bright lights are far from relaxing. Instead, light a few aromatic candles and place them around the room.Choose scents that are soothing and pleasant, but not over powering and certainly not synthetic as this may cause irritation and trigger headaches
We recommend: LAFCO New York Rosemary Eucalyptus Candle for a fresh and invigorating bath experience, or MALIN+GOETZ Vetiver Candle which is known for its known for its tranquil and restorative energy, vetiver is a clean, fresh and comfortable scent.
Upgrade With Bath Oil
Add a luxurious bath oils to the tub when the bath is halfway full so they disperse evenly throughout the water. Most bath oils contain beautifully scented essential oils, so be sure to choose one that is pleasing to your palate. Floral scents like lavender, jasmine, iris and rose are associated with relaxation and can help to ease you into a relaxing state of mind in no time.
Body Scrub Massage
Body scrubbing helps to stimulate circulation, lymphatic flow, and massages the skin and muscles. It just plain feels good! Take your bath to the next level by massaging your body with a scrub that will buff away dryness and leaves your skin smooth, supple and moist!
We recommend: Consonant Skin Perfecting Body Scrub. Rather than just one kind of exfoliating ‘grain’, this scrub combines sugar and salt together. The two grains have different shapes and sizes which provides a more complete exfolation. The particles are suspended in a highly moisturizing glycerin base. This also helps to improve the adherence of the grains to skin and leaves a beautiful velvety finish.
Make the most of your bath time by treating yourself a face and hair treatment! The pores of the skin and hair follicles open due to the steam from the bath, allowing any treatment to work its magic much more efficiently. Apply a detoxifying mask to your face and a conditioning treatment mask to your hair. Cover your hair with a shower cap to lock in the treatment.
We recommend: GlamGlow YouthMud Mask to smooth, soften, exfoliate and illuminate the skin and 100% natural Rahua Omega 9 Hair Mask to rejuvenate damaged, dull hair.
End Your Bath With Tea
Ease back in to reality with a calming, soothing and relaxing herbal tea such as Chamomile, Linden, Passionflower, Motherwort or Valerian. Not only will this help maintain and slowly stabilize your body temperature without jolting it, these teas also have been proven to help calm the nervous system . Have your tea ready on stand-by so that you do not have to leave the bathroom just yet. Wrap yourself in a cosy plush terry cloth robe or soft fluffy towels that allow you to feel warm and comfortable.
Final Tip For Restless Minds
For some, it’s difficult to just stop everything. You may be able to sit in a tub surrounded by calming candles and steamy suds, but can you quiet your mind? Find something that will distract you from the millions of thoughts running through your brain and whisk you away to another place and time. A good book can do just the trick. Enjoy!
