How to have the perfect spa bath at home!

In terms of personal hygiene, you’ve mastered the shower (and undoubtedly the three-minute shower). After all, it’s quick, simple and just the easiest way to get squeaky clean without too much effort. However, after a loooonggg day at work, the mere thought of spending another second standing can seem like too much. Hence, the appeal of sliding into a bath instead. There is just nothing more relaxing than the thought of climbing into a nice hot bath with some candles and maybe even some soft music. Am I right?

Now taking a bath is pretty straight forward, right? Water, some soap and any other bath products you might feel like using. Essentially, that’s right but doesn’t precisely scream lavish relaxation or like a home-version of the spa. So, before you try to burn yourself in scalding water, follow these tips for a truly relaxing bath experience. Having a long, relaxing bath with just the right amount of products and the perfect ambience can melt away stress like you cannot believe. These tips will take you from an ordinary bath to having the ultimate home-spa experience. So get your bubbles ready and pour yourself a drink because it’s time to get your spa-bathing on!

Have a quick shower

This is an optional first step because, for some, a bath is not really the space for washing, cleansing and cleaning but more for rest and relaxation. So, if you prefer, take a quick shower before you start your spa-bath preparations. That gives you a chance to cleanse your skin and wash your hair and get off all the grime of the day so that when you slide into your bath, you don’t feel like you’re soaking in a day’s worth of dirt. Once that’s done, step out, dry off and start prepping for the next step.

Make sure the temperature is right

When having a bath, the temperature is crucial. You don’t want the water to be scalding hot because not only does that make it unpleasant to get in, but you also run the risk of overheating, or feeling dizzy once you’re in the water. Plus, scalding hot water has zero benefits for your skin so if you’re not sure what the ideal starting temperature for your bath is, aim for lukewarm or a bit hotter. You can always keep topping up with hot water as you feel the bath start to cool down (because who wants to start shivering while trying to relax?). Hot baths have so many benefits, like reducing cramps, headaches, easing muscle stiffness and just decreasing stress. Still, hot doesn’t mean surface of the sun, lava level hot so keep the water at a manageable warm/hot temperature and your experience will be so much better.

Essential Oils

While your bath is running, it is time to start adding some of that smell-good stuff. Otherwise known as essential oils, and essential is undoubtedly the correct term when it comes to having a spa bath. As the water is running, add in 10-15 drops of your favourite essential oils to provide that soothing scent, to help put both your mind and body at ease. Not only are these oils good for your skin, but the different scents have many known health claims associated with them so your mood and how you want to feel after your bath will affect your choices. My favourite scents are peppermint (which is known to boost/restore your energy), lavender (famous for being a stress-relieving scent), sandalwood (which is used to calm nerves and improve focus) and rose (another anxiety reducer but also helps improve mood).

Drop-in something else

After your scents have been added, it’s time to start thinking about what fun stuff you’d like to add to your bath. That’s right. Now is the time to add bubbles, bath salts, bath bombs, or whatever else you want to add to your bath that makes it feel like a more special, relaxing and lavish experience. If you’d like to add more than one, I’d suggest not mixing bath bombs and bubbles because then you don’t get all the fun out of them. What I tend to do is have bubbles with some bath salts, or just a bath bomb. My current favourite bath bombs are from Lush because not only are they gentle on sensitive skin, but they are also so fun and colourful (and glittery! All baths are made better with glitter).

Set the mood, and the stage

Your bath is run, the scents are in the air (and in the water), and your tub is starting to look like one in a spa commercial, but something isn’t quite right yet. The ambience. To fully reap all the benefits of your relaxing bath, you need to set the mood. Light some scented candles, switch off the bathroom lights, and why not play some smooth jazz or other mellow music softly in the background. Just like in a spa, those small details make such a difference in getting that extra bit of stress to melt away into the water. Lastly, before you step in, you need to set the stage. Nothing ruins a soak more than realising halfway through you forgot some of your face products, or your beverage, on the other side of the bathroom. So, before you slide in, make sure that you have everything you need for your bath within easy reach. Have fluffy towels ready for your exit, your gown hanging within reach, and all the products or ‘accessories’ you need on the bath ledge. That way, you don’t have to break the magical relaxation spell when it is time to put on your facial.

Soothing facial    

Speaking of facials, there is no better time to do one than in the bath. The biggest excuses for never using face masks at home, or doing home facials is because there isn’t time, but drawing yourself a bath is allocating that time, plus it can only add to your relaxing. Tie your hair up in a messy bun (it’s so much easier than fighting with some strands getting wet or caught up in your face products) and because you have the time, put on a soothing facial to treat your skin while you soak. Clay masks are always great, but sheet masks are also convenient (and easy to use). So, by the end of your bath, not only will you feel relaxed, but your skin will feel rejuvenated and fabulous.

Grab a book (or your laptop)

One of the best ways to pass the time in the tub, if you don’t like just sitting with your eyes closed and breathing, is to grab a book. It can be so peaceful to sit in your hot bath of bubbles and unwind with a book in your hand, because the only thing more relaxing than a bath, or reading, is reading in the bath. Or, if you aren’t much of a reader, you could even watch a movie on your phone or laptop. The way my bathroom is designed, I have a small shelf-like wall between my bath and toilet, which serves as a perfect laptop stand for if I ever feel like watching a movie in the tub. It is far enough away so that I never have to risk water damage, yet close enough that I can still see the screen perfectly when I lie back. As tempting as it may be to grab your phone and have it nearby, I’d highly recommend you don’t. Let yourself unplug entirely and only do peaceful things while in the bath (like soaking, or reading, or both).

Pour a beverage

Last but not least, to top the experience and make it the perfect at-home spa bath, you need to pour yourself a drink. Not only will this make you feel nice and fancy, but there are actual benefits to having some hydration while in the bath. The hot water can often leave you feeling a little dehydrated if you soak for more than 20 minutes so grab either a refreshing glass of water, a cup of tea (my preference) or even a glass of wine (not for minors!!) so that you have something to sip on and refresh you while you soak away your stress.

Moisturise

When you’re finally ready to leave your bubbly, scented relaxation palace, hop out the bath and grab your body lotion. Why? I didn’t know this until I was doing a little research for this blog, but apparently, moisturising after a bath is the best time to moisturise. Pat your body dry and then apply a full body moisturiser. Not only does this do the obvious of making your skin soft and well-moisturised, but by doing it straight after your bath, it keeps your skin hydrated (because it traps water in the surface cells). This way, you get to end off your at-home spa experience feeling relaxed, refreshed and with silky soft skin.

And so there you have it! Life is stressful no matter how far down the road you are, and sometimes a hot shower just isn’t enough to wash away the stresses of the day. That’s why a bath can be such a rejuvenating experience, and I hope that with these tips, it can help you wash away your stresses and leave you feeling pampered and relaxed without having to spend tons of money at the spa. Please note though that baths aren’t exactly gentle on water-usage so as great as baths can be, try to limit yourself and not have one every night or every two nights.

By the way, do you have any tips for the perfect spa bath that you’d like to share? Anything that helps you relax that little bit extra?

As always, thank you all so much for reading today’s blog post. This one is part of my goals to focus on self-care, and I think a relaxing spa-bath is on the right track, huh? Please don’t forget to like this post if you enjoyed it and subscribe so that you don’t miss out on future blog posts. But, that’s all the relaxing tips I have for you guys today! If you have any other how-to ideas, or blog posts in general that you want me to write, please don’t forget to leave them in the comments section. Until Saturday everyone 🙂

Lots of Love

Blondey on a Mission xxx