There's nothing I love more than a relaxing bath vibe, and my favorite products make it a truly luxurious experience.
If you’re a millennial like me, you may remember the bubble bath that came in a Barbie doll bottle. That was my favorite bubble bath to use as a kid! In high school, I was hooked on all things Lush, and I even used baths to help me focus and study for exams when I was in college. So, basically I’ve always been a relaxing bath girlie.
As an adult, baths have become one of the best ways for me to chill out, quiet my mind, and reduce my anxiety. While I love them, a relaxing bath also tends to be the first thing I’ll cut from a busy day. Instead, I’ll scroll TikTok aimlessly for far too long (and I could do it in the bath) or binge a few episodes of a show and call it a night. That’s where my 2023 resolution to take a nightly bath came from, and I’m looking forward to setting a good rhythm now that February is here.
I know it sounds weird that I didn’t kick off January 1 with this daily relaxing bath goal, but we had a super busy month with travel, guests visiting, and our cat Harper had surgery a week ago. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stick to much of a routine, so instead of irritating my perfectionist self, I decided to kick off most of my 2023 resolutions on February 1. That was such a great idea for me personally, and I spent my January researching bath products I wanted to add to my tub instead of criticizing myself for not following through on my goals.
7 Products for the Most Relaxing Bath
- Ahava Mineral Salts—The Ahava mineral salts are unscented, so I get all the benefits of the salt in my bath, but the scent isn’t competing with my bubble bath of choice. I add 1/2 a cup of the mineral salts to the warm water as soon as I plug the tub. This gives them ample time to mix in and dissolve with the water before I get into the tub.
- Kai Bubble Bath—I love the scent of gardenias and jasmine, and that’s exactly what the Kai bubble bath smells like. It’s a sweet, fragrant bubble bath that isn’t overpowering. The creamy formula also helps nourish and moisturize my skin. Plus, a little goes a long way, and I love a good mountain of bubbles.
- Mustard Bath—Whenever I feel a little under the weather, stressed out, or need a good night’s sleep, I add this mustard bath powder to the tub. It’s full of wintergreen, rosemary, thyme, and eucalyptus, so it’s a pretty powerful smell but the ingredients are meant to aid with stress reduction, congestion, sleeplessness, muscle and joint soreness, skin conditions, and tension. I’ll sprinkle about a 1/4 cup into my bath early on, so I don’t feel the powder against my skin.
- Floating Bath Light—This is absolutely not necessary, but I love adding this little floating light to the tub that I found on Amazon. It has a handful of different light modes, and keeps the space around me lit enough, so I don’t have to turn any overhead lights on (because that’s the opposite of a relaxing bath).
- Whipped Sugar Scrub—I’m addicted to this sugar scrub! It’s made by a small business in western North Carolina, but they ship anywhere in the U.S. I personally love the Wildflower Bergamot and the Revive scents. I’ll soak for a good 10–15 minutes, and then I’ll use the whipped sugar scrub on my arms, legs, chest, and stomach. My skin always feels so silky and smooth afterward.
- Nécessaire Body Wash—I know this is a super-hyped product with many influencers, and that’s actually why I put off trying it for so long. If I see every influencer I follow sharing the same product around the same time, I know it’s a brand’s marketing push and it turns me off a bit. But then I was in search of a good body wash and I saw this one also came in a Sandalwood scent (one of my favorites), so I finally ordered it. And I really do love it. I add about a quarter-size of product to a loofah and use it to rinse off the exfoliating scrub.
- Big Sur after the Rain—No bath is complete without a candle, and I love the earthy, woodsy scent of this one. It’s pricey, but it burns evenly (no tunneling) and I think it’ll last a good while since I just use it during baths.
