Bodies

The Art of the Bath

Words by Louise Miller

Photography by Lauren Leggatt

Baths are an amazing way to dive a little deeper, release tension, and fill your cup back up. It can be a bit of an art, so here are some tips to get you started—that is, if you are not already a regular bathing beauty.

Play with temperature

The water doesn’t necessarily have to be hot. If your body temperature is already high, opt for a lukewarm bath, and soak as a way to cool down and regulate. Adjust as needed.

Switch up your scent for the season

We love using brighter, more floral scents in the bath for the warmer months, like Geranium, Sweet Orange, Grapefruit, or Ylang Ylang essential oils. Or hey, all of them together works well, too. Just add a total of 15 to 20 drops into bath water and you’re set.

Live your Pinterest dreams

You’ve seen them before—the baths that have bits of nature floating in them that look incredibly beautiful, yet highly impractical. Alas, impractical doesn’t mean impossible, so why not just try it? Obviously this isn’t your average weeknight bath, but pick a day when you have a little extra time and make it happen: cut up some citrus and soak in your glorious, fruit-filled tub. You can even use flower petals from bouquets that you’d be throwing out soon anyways—just to get one last use out of them.

Have a cold beverage on hand

We don’t know about you, but to us, sipping bubbly while in a bath is one of the most indulgent, glorious treats we can think of. We love this light and refreshing Lillet Spritz recipe from Goop as our current drink of choice (move over, Aperol).

Multitask

Sometimes, a bath is just a bath. Other times, you can really use it as a quiet space to get some other things checked off your list. A few ideas for maximizing your time in the tub:

So next time you want to do something that feels really good for yourself, try a soak—because bathing really is a year-round ritual.