Soak Away Your Stress
Soak, breathe, relax. There’s something about sinking into a bathtub or hydrotherapy pool that feels oh-so-good!
Taking some blissful bath-bomb-infused me-time is seriously good for you! There are so many mental health perks and physical benefits to making baths part of your self-care routine, especially with outdoor temperatures getting colder.
Instantly feel your layers of tension melt away and endorphins bubble over – but there’s more. Science indicates that hot water immersion can ease tension, body pain and sore muscles, promote restful sleep and potentially benefit your heart health by regulating and stabilizing your blood pressure.
Baths create the ideal conditions for our minds and bodies to repair and rejuvenate themselves and to take a breather. Stress levels reduce as hot water increases body temperature, which calms the nervous system, releasing feel-good hormones and improving circulation.
Warming up your core body temperature before it cools down naturally in your sleep helps you fall asleep quicker and stay asleep longer. And there’s even a study that shows a connection between physical warmth and social warmth – frequent bathers felt better about themselves and were less lonely.
Sink into the benefits of a bath. Break away from screens and scrolling. Put on a relaxing playlist, light a few candles, add bubbles and grab a good book – even a glass of wine. Emerge pink and peaceful, letting all your stress and worries go down the drain.
Don’t make it too hot. Research shows that an optimum bath temperature is between 104 to 109°F for healthy adults. It’s also the ideal temp for washing away environmental dirt and bacteria and protecting your skin from moisture loss and getting dry, itchy and red. Follow up with a hydrating body lotion to leave skin feeling soft and supple.
If you’re into hot baths, limit soaks to 15 minutes or less and a few times a week. Bathing too often may dry out your skin by stripping away its outer layer oils that help preserve moisture. If you ever feel too hot or dizzy, get out of the tub. You may be dehydrated, or your blood pressure is dropping.
Elevate the experience with all-natural bath products that hydrate and heal dry or irritated skin. Remineralize the body with dreamy salt soaks or use essential oils like lavender, eucalyptus or rose for an added mood boost of aromatherapy. You don’t want essential oils to sit on top of the water, so mix 3 to 12 drops with one tablespoon of carrier oil (like argan, olive or almond oil) and stir into the filled tub.
No relaxing bathtub at home? Seek a tranquil bathing landscape elsewhere – book time away where you can sink into a vintage-footed tub or a therapeutic hydrotherapy pool. Therapeutic body treatments using a hydrotherapy tub with hydro-massage jets target tired muscles and soothe overworked minds, too.
