Luxurify my bath
August 17, 2019 9:57 PM Subscribe
Looking for ways, big or small, to upgrade my bath experience.
I like taking baths but I have the time for such indulgence less often. I wanna make up for it by making the experience, when I do have it, more decadent. Share with me your upgrades! (My current bath method is just fill a tub with hot water and soak.)
(immediately pre and post bath upgrades also relevant as part of the "bath experience" eg I got a very soft thick mat for my feet stepping out of bath, it is nice)
I like taking baths but I have the time for such indulgence less often. I wanna make up for it by making the experience, when I do have it, more decadent. Share with me your upgrades! (My current bath method is just fill a tub with hot water and soak.)
(immediately pre and post bath upgrades also relevant as part of the "bath experience" eg I got a very soft thick mat for my feet stepping out of bath, it is nice)
Best answer: I love me some bath bombs! I’m not crazy about the heavily colored ones that change the water color but I just like the aroma and feeling pleasantly moisturized when I’m done.
posted by skycrashesdown at 10:02 PM on August 17, 2019
posted by skycrashesdown at 10:02 PM on August 17, 2019
Best answer: These towels are the best! They have a great nubby texture.
I love lavender Epsom salts in my bath.
posted by easy, lucky, free at 10:10 PM on August 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
I love lavender Epsom salts in my bath.
posted by easy, lucky, free at 10:10 PM on August 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I make myself a little dress of a towel around my boobs and a towel around my shoulders so that my back doesn't feel cold and I don't feel like I'm sitting on hard plastic.
Epsom salt is a must.
I keep a bunch of washcloths on a little table next to the tub so I can soak my face and dry my hands as needed.
Bluetooth speaker and put on some music or a podcast.
posted by bleep at 10:13 PM on August 17, 2019
Epsom salt is a must.
I keep a bunch of washcloths on a little table next to the tub so I can soak my face and dry my hands as needed.
Bluetooth speaker and put on some music or a podcast.
posted by bleep at 10:13 PM on August 17, 2019
Oh and your favorite body wash or shampoo in the water for bubbles to keep the surface warm (your downstairs situation mileage my vary on that one but I've never had a problem)
posted by bleep at 10:16 PM on August 17, 2019
posted by bleep at 10:16 PM on August 17, 2019
Bath bench to go across the bathtub. I made mine out of spare wood but you can purchase them pretty easily too. Game changer if you read books in the bath.
posted by Marinara at 10:29 PM on August 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Marinara at 10:29 PM on August 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
It is amazing and disgusting how much dead skin these scrubby bath mitts remove. Use at the end of your bath after you’ve soaked for at least 20 minutes, but before you get out!
posted by stellaluna at 10:30 PM on August 17, 2019
posted by stellaluna at 10:30 PM on August 17, 2019
Best answer: * pulls up chair and sits down *
I know of about umpty-squillion DIY ways to juj up your bath experience. The fact that you're just doing water in the tub and that's it means that you have SO much ahead of you that you could do.
* Probably the biggest thing I'm going to suggest is - smell. This is your chance to envelop yourself in whatever smell you want - floral will make you feel like you're a nymph bathing in a meadow, pine will make you feel like either a forest maiden or you're in a 19th century Japanese bathhouse. There are many many things you can add to your bath, but I'm going to encourage you to pick the smell for those things you like best.
* You can add smell simply by adding a few drops of essential oil. Don't go too crazy with the quantity - some essential oils can be a little irritating to the skin, and a few drops are all you'll need anyway because the essential oils can be pretty strong. But this is an easy way to add a scent to your bath.
* Or get a scented bubble bath. Or if you find a scent you super-like, then get an unscented bottle of liquid castile soap and add the scent to it, and use THAT for a bubble bath. There's some soaping-cleaning element to a bubble bath, but really it's just fun.
* Or use that scent in some bath salts. You can totally DIY bath salts by combining plain epsom salt with baking soda, and maybe a little almond oil so it's also moisturizig. Stir in some perfume oil or essential oil.
* If your skin tends to be dry, they make things called "bath melts" which are basically solid lotion that melts from the heat of your bathwater, and that lotion gets onto your skin that way. This of course would smell nice too.
* If you're looking for a more DIY approach - if you can get your hands on any herbs you particularly like, try making a "tub tea". You can do this by either a) getting a piece of cheesecloth, making a little sachet by piling some herbs in the center of the cheesecloth and then tying it into a little bag and throwing that bag into your bath with you, or b) boiling a pot of water and throwing the herbs into that, then taking it off the heat and letting it sit for a half hour, then straining the herbs out and dumping the water into your bath.
* Adding powdered milk to a bath is good for your skin too. Or add a can of coconut milk and pretend you're in Tahiti (all the better if you can eat a mango or drink pineapple juice while you soak).
I'm drawing blanks only because it's like 2 am. I'll come back.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:48 PM on August 17, 2019 [9 favorites]
I know of about umpty-squillion DIY ways to juj up your bath experience. The fact that you're just doing water in the tub and that's it means that you have SO much ahead of you that you could do.
* Probably the biggest thing I'm going to suggest is - smell. This is your chance to envelop yourself in whatever smell you want - floral will make you feel like you're a nymph bathing in a meadow, pine will make you feel like either a forest maiden or you're in a 19th century Japanese bathhouse. There are many many things you can add to your bath, but I'm going to encourage you to pick the smell for those things you like best.
* You can add smell simply by adding a few drops of essential oil. Don't go too crazy with the quantity - some essential oils can be a little irritating to the skin, and a few drops are all you'll need anyway because the essential oils can be pretty strong. But this is an easy way to add a scent to your bath.
* Or get a scented bubble bath. Or if you find a scent you super-like, then get an unscented bottle of liquid castile soap and add the scent to it, and use THAT for a bubble bath. There's some soaping-cleaning element to a bubble bath, but really it's just fun.
* Or use that scent in some bath salts. You can totally DIY bath salts by combining plain epsom salt with baking soda, and maybe a little almond oil so it's also moisturizig. Stir in some perfume oil or essential oil.
* If your skin tends to be dry, they make things called "bath melts" which are basically solid lotion that melts from the heat of your bathwater, and that lotion gets onto your skin that way. This of course would smell nice too.
* If you're looking for a more DIY approach - if you can get your hands on any herbs you particularly like, try making a "tub tea". You can do this by either a) getting a piece of cheesecloth, making a little sachet by piling some herbs in the center of the cheesecloth and then tying it into a little bag and throwing that bag into your bath with you, or b) boiling a pot of water and throwing the herbs into that, then taking it off the heat and letting it sit for a half hour, then straining the herbs out and dumping the water into your bath.
* Adding powdered milk to a bath is good for your skin too. Or add a can of coconut milk and pretend you're in Tahiti (all the better if you can eat a mango or drink pineapple juice while you soak).
I'm drawing blanks only because it's like 2 am. I'll come back.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:48 PM on August 17, 2019 [9 favorites]
Best answer: ooooh, I love this question! I'm a big fan of baths as a stress-relieving ritual. This is a list I wrote for a previous AskMe question a long time ago about my bathtime components:
-I treat myself to a bath bomb or bath melt from Lush (they really have great quality, but I've also found decent enough bath bombs, scented soaps, bubble baths, or bath melts at co-ops)
-make a relaxing playlist (ambient/chillout music, opera, classical, jazz, blues, or acoustic guitar are all awesome here)
-dim the lights and light a few nice smelling candles
-pour myself a nice cold favorite-drink and maybe set out a few chocolates to indulge in
-lay out a bathrobe and/or get my bed all set to just climb into beforehand so I don't lose my "relaxed vibe" afterwards
-sometimes i read in the tub, sometimes i just let my mind wander.
-i also bought a $7 drain extender so my tub is deeper (but be careful because it allows the tub to overflow).
-get coconut oil and sea salt and exfoliate my legs/arms while i'm soaking
I have since also put a small space heater in my bathroom for the winter months so I don't get out of the tub into a cold bathroom. I also put a face mask on sometimes if I feel like rinsing my face before I get out, just to add to the pampered feeling. The key is to consider all your senses - dimmed lights/candlelight for your eyes, scents for your nose, music for your ears, etc. Happy bathing! :)
posted by carlypennylane at 11:53 PM on August 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
-I treat myself to a bath bomb or bath melt from Lush (they really have great quality, but I've also found decent enough bath bombs, scented soaps, bubble baths, or bath melts at co-ops)
-make a relaxing playlist (ambient/chillout music, opera, classical, jazz, blues, or acoustic guitar are all awesome here)
-dim the lights and light a few nice smelling candles
-pour myself a nice cold favorite-drink and maybe set out a few chocolates to indulge in
-lay out a bathrobe and/or get my bed all set to just climb into beforehand so I don't lose my "relaxed vibe" afterwards
-sometimes i read in the tub, sometimes i just let my mind wander.
-i also bought a $7 drain extender so my tub is deeper (but be careful because it allows the tub to overflow).
-get coconut oil and sea salt and exfoliate my legs/arms while i'm soaking
I have since also put a small space heater in my bathroom for the winter months so I don't get out of the tub into a cold bathroom. I also put a face mask on sometimes if I feel like rinsing my face before I get out, just to add to the pampered feeling. The key is to consider all your senses - dimmed lights/candlelight for your eyes, scents for your nose, music for your ears, etc. Happy bathing! :)
posted by carlypennylane at 11:53 PM on August 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Buy a bottle of Monoi Tiare Tahiti and rub it into your damp skin when you come out of the bath.
posted by whitelotus at 11:59 PM on August 17, 2019
posted by whitelotus at 11:59 PM on August 17, 2019
My favorite luxurious bath adaptation (especially in winter) is to add a few drops of essential oils to a teaspoon or two of olive oil and mix it into the water. The essential oils can have lovely relaxing effects, the the olive oil lightly coats your skin, making it soft and moisturized.
posted by hannahelastic at 12:37 AM on August 18, 2019
posted by hannahelastic at 12:37 AM on August 18, 2019
Best answer: Relaxing lighting really adds a nice upgrade. No overhead light and lots of candles (or in my case battery operated candles) really do the trick for me. Bonus that drawing a bath and lighting candles signals my brain “time to get my relax on.”
posted by Pretty Good Talker at 12:59 AM on August 18, 2019
posted by Pretty Good Talker at 12:59 AM on August 18, 2019
If you want to upgrade your post-bath experience my top recommendation is to get yourself a bath sheet. Unless you’re very petite you just can’t get the same kind of enveloping comfort from a regular sized towel.
posted by cali at 1:01 AM on August 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by cali at 1:01 AM on August 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Bath time? This is where I’m a Viking! Listen and learn. What I do is dim the lights, light a scented candle and get one of those bath benches that go across the tub. Mine has a place holder for a glass of wine or champagne and a stand for a book, plus a spot for chocolates or snacks. Utilise all of these.
If you don’t want to read a book, I have a seperate stand where I put my iPad (don’t put it over the bath, that’s how I had to buy a new iPad!). Watch your guiltiest pleasure movies at this point. If you feel like it, use the time to exfoliate your feet or if your bath is also a spa, put the jets on. Have a drink. Pop a bath bomb in the bath. Eat some chocolate. Use some of the chocolate to bribe the tiny humans trying to barge into the bathroom to go away. Once you get out, scented body oil or moisturiser and bed. Enjoy!
posted by Jubey at 4:00 AM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
If you don’t want to read a book, I have a seperate stand where I put my iPad (don’t put it over the bath, that’s how I had to buy a new iPad!). Watch your guiltiest pleasure movies at this point. If you feel like it, use the time to exfoliate your feet or if your bath is also a spa, put the jets on. Have a drink. Pop a bath bomb in the bath. Eat some chocolate. Use some of the chocolate to bribe the tiny humans trying to barge into the bathroom to go away. Once you get out, scented body oil or moisturiser and bed. Enjoy!
posted by Jubey at 4:00 AM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Advice from a different angle: declutter your bathroom and make your tub space lovely. Here's what worked for me: I did the Marie Kondo thing a few years ago and found that lack of visual clutter does indeed make a huge difference in my mental/emotional state at home. No more bunches of product crowded onto the corners of the tub. I also found that product labels with a wordy, busy design bug me, so sometimes I decant shampoo/conditioner into plain bottles. I put my bath gear on a really nice tub caddy (Simplehuman brand, the kind that goes from tub to ceiling in the corner with a few shelves and stuff) and, since there is a small south facing window in my bathroom, have a couple of small potted plants on the top shelf. I have a nice but not excessively fancy shower curtain that goes great with the rest of the bathroom decor.
Most of the time my interaction with my bathtub is looking at it from the outside, and being really happy my tub space in general, goes a long way toward being really happy with enjoying it when I soak, which is not all that often.
Also--not sure it's mentioned here yet--a little pillow that suction cups to the side of the tub makes laying back much more comfy.
posted by Sublimity at 4:00 AM on August 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
Most of the time my interaction with my bathtub is looking at it from the outside, and being really happy my tub space in general, goes a long way toward being really happy with enjoying it when I soak, which is not all that often.
Also--not sure it's mentioned here yet--a little pillow that suction cups to the side of the tub makes laying back much more comfy.
posted by Sublimity at 4:00 AM on August 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
Pro tip; if you’re going to buy bath bombs, don’t get ones with glitter! You will be scrubbing your bath and yourself for WEEKS trying to get rid of it. Lush, I’m looking at you...
posted by Jubey at 4:09 AM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Jubey at 4:09 AM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
Best answer: A bath pillow - I am unable to relax when laying against a hard surface and a rolled up towel gets wet easily. You can probably find one for under $20 at a discount store. Most of the cheaper ones inflate and have a few suction cups to keep them in place.
posted by soelo at 6:35 AM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by soelo at 6:35 AM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
Check out the hardware on the little overflow thing under the faucet. If it's the kind that is solid with the opening on the bottom, with 2 minutes and a screwdriver you can flip it upside down and you get a couple more inches of water to soak in.
posted by August Fury at 6:49 AM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by August Fury at 6:49 AM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
Shower radios, or waterproof speakers, are the best.
posted by mippy at 8:28 AM on August 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by mippy at 8:28 AM on August 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
get rid of the hellish overhead bathroom lighting and have a small lamp or whatever that will be both warm and low-lying. sometimes i just turn off the light completely and leave the door cracked. also you can get a plastic suction cup thingy to cover the overflow drain and fill the tub higher.
posted by poffin boffin at 10:00 AM on August 18, 2019
posted by poffin boffin at 10:00 AM on August 18, 2019
Long ago the special bath time treat would be: Calgon, take me away!
These IMHO are more fun than candles. You give them a whack to turn them on and let them float around in the tub with you.
Multi Color Light-Up LED Ice Cubes
But you can probably find cheap ones at a dollar store, these are pretty fancy.
posted by zengargoyle at 12:17 PM on August 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
These IMHO are more fun than candles. You give them a whack to turn them on and let them float around in the tub with you.
Multi Color Light-Up LED Ice Cubes
But you can probably find cheap ones at a dollar store, these are pretty fancy.
posted by zengargoyle at 12:17 PM on August 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
They are oddly hard to find these days, but I can't sing the praises of bath beads enough. Little oil packets, in fun shapes and colours. You drop them in and they slowly release oil and make your skin feel WONDERFUL.
posted by Canageek at 2:42 PM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Canageek at 2:42 PM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
Oatmeal baths are good for helping eczema and dry skin, but I think they're also great for relaxing in. Buying colloidal oatmeal is pricey for what it is so I just grind up oats in a food processor myself, and add whatever else I want (like lavender) to the sachets. It makes your bathwater feel milky and smooth, and makes me think of Cleopatra's milk baths.
posted by bruschetta_cat at 5:24 PM on August 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by bruschetta_cat at 5:24 PM on August 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
I love leaning back on a bath pillow (also great how it's warm even when the tub is cold).
posted by Margalo Epps at 2:34 PM on August 19, 2019
posted by Margalo Epps at 2:34 PM on August 19, 2019
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