There is nothing quite like reaching home after a long day’s work and drawing a hot bath – you just know that the stress is going to melt away. However, upping the stakes with a spa-like experience in your own home with your Hansel Stone bath will take the relaxation possibilities to a whole new level. Using the tips below means that bathing will be transformed from the mundane to the luxurious. You’ll never want to step out of your bathroom again.
1. Bath in the Morning
Taking a bath in the morning refreshes the body and both clams and sharpens the mind. It’s a natural and effective way to get ready to face the day. Most people still adhere to the idea that taking a bath in the evening is the natural way of doing things. It helps you relax and unwind from your stressful day. But having that bath in the morning has some wonderful benefits, for both body and mind. It boosts your energy levels, and it quickly gets rid of that muzzy ‘just woke up’ feeling. After a morning bath, you will feel refreshed and ready to tackle another day in the cut-throat world of commerce. Take a bath in the morning, you’ll be glad you did.
2. Embrace the Warmth
Many people believe in baths that are almost scalding – but, a warm bath is far better when it comes to relaxing. If you set your bath temperature to warm (around 100 degrees Fahrenheit) you will enjoy a spa-like experience that is both relaxing and invigorating for the grey matter and the muscles. An added bonus is that water that is not too hot, but just above warm is fabulous for opening and cleaning your pores. If the water is at the right temperature it can act as an incredible pain reliever – and it also helps to get those internal organs operating at their peak. In short, a bath that is at the right temperature is enormously rejuvenating and cleansing.
3. Bath Salts and Crystals are Essential
The authentic home spa experience would not be the same without the addition of some wonderful bath salt or crystals. Epsom salts and crystals are a cut above the competition and will allow you to reach that next plateau in bathing relaxation. Not only are they wonderful on the skin, but they also have a variety of therapeutic benefits for the user. They can help to alleviate the symptoms of fibromyalgia, and muscle pain, help you get to sleep, and aid in the healing of sprains and bruises. Adding Epsom salts and crystals to the bath is also a great way to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis. Just let these salts or Epsom crystals gently dissolve in your warm bath water. The salts which dissolve in the steam transport one to the edge of the ocean – so the process of relaxation begins even prior to getting in the tub. Sink in and be transported to a place where the sounds of the surf urge you to set aside your worries.
4. Take your Time
To get the most out of your home bathroom psa you are going to have to let go of your everyday worries and frustrations. Set aside your mental ‘to-do’ list. This is made far easier in a warm bath, with the slats and crystals doing their business, but you are going to have to stay in that bath for at least 15 minutes to enjoy the full benefits of the experience. Forget about getting chores done for an hour (treat yourself), simply lie there, in the warm, crystal and salt-laden waters and let the worries of the world recede
5. Create the Right Atmosphere
Take that extra small step and put some candles in the bathroom, light some of your favorite incense, and cue that carefully put-together playlist of relaxing music. These three additions to that bath experience will make your home spa feel just as good, if not better than that supplied by an expensive spa. Your bath experience will have all the right elements. Aromatherapy, soft and comforting lighting, and relaxing soothing music. Your phone and a small Bluetooth speaker are the keys to enhancing that perfect home spa experience to levels that must be experienced to be believed.
6. Body Massage
An effective in-bath massage is possible using just your sponge. Of course, the addition of a significant other makes the process even more enjoyable – but it’s not essential. The smooth but firm application of a sponge can melt away stress as the tension leaves your muscles. It also calms the mind, as problems recede into the distance. A body scrub is highly recommended, it accomplishes the dual purposes of exfoliating and cleansing the skin as it moistens and nourishes the skin.
7. Don’t Forget the Cold Compress
That sounds a bit ominous, but the reality is that using a cold compress on your forehead just after stepping out of the warm-to-hot bath is incredibly refreshing – it helps you achieve that much sought-after pinnacle of stress-free relaxation.
8. Be Comfy in your Clothes
Once you have (reluctantly) left the bath, it’s time to either get into your everyday clothes (for morning bathers) or get ready for bed (for those who choose to bathe at night). Whatever you wear after your bath, make sure that the clothing is comfortable and snug. This allows you to prolong that wonderful feeling that you will have immediately after your relaxing bath. Avoid tight or uncomfortable clothes, or fabrics that can be scratchy. Wearing that sort of apparel is just going to cause you to tense up again – and when that happens, all the mental challenges of stress are sure to start dominating your thoughts. So here’s the plan. If it’s in the evening, put on your softest, coziest flannel PJs. If you are heading out the door make sure that your clothes are loose enough to be comfortable. Dress to suit the weather. Try not to be too hot or too cold. After dressing you should feel like the porridge in Goldilocks – just right. Taking care of what you wear is a fabulous way to extend that wonderful post spa bath feeling.