6 Simple Ways to Transform Your Next Soak In the Tub Into a Healing Bath Ritual

We all know that soaking in a hot tub after a long day feels good, but did you know that relaxing in a warm bath can actually improve your focus, decrease stress, and lower your blood pressure? Healing bath rituals are an ancient tradition in many cultures including Japan, Russia, and Norway – well-known for their incomparable therapeutic benefits.

Luckily, though, you don’t need to travel across the world to reap the rewards of an ancient bath ritual. In fact, you can perform this sacred tradition wherever and whenever you want, even if it’s just from the comfort of your own bathroom. “​A sacred bath ritual is a great way to create space to recenter,” says Paulette Sherman, author of ​The Book of Sacred Baths: 52 Bath Rituals to Revitalize Your Spirit​. “There are bath rituals for every area of your life, including health, relationships, goals, career, self-love, and guidance. You take 20 minutes to take a bath and let negative thoughts and feelings go down the drain.”

Although healing bath rituals have been around for thousands of years, they’ve recently seen a resurgence in popularity. According to Pinterest, searches for “spiritual cleansing bath” rose 180 percent last year, along with a 60 percent increase in “bath tea recipes” and a 145 percent increase for “deep soaking tubs.”

This may, in large part, be due to the fact that so many people are staying home now, due to the restrictions for the pandemic. So, rather than booking their usual spa treatments, they’re looking at social media for ways to help relieve stress and anxiety. “COVID has been a time of loneliness, fear and uncertainty for many,” says Sherman. “It has caused stress and most people are living in fight-or-flight mode, which is not good for our immune system. These baths help them shift into their relaxed nervous system, to let go of worry and negative thinking and return to the present.”

Here, Sherman shares her top six tips for performing a healing bath ritual at home.

1. Add essential oils

“Essential oils reach your amygdala and limbic system and can shift your mood and emotions. You can mix them with Epsom salt to detoxify during your bath ritual. Using lavender essential oil can be relaxing and orange essential oil can lift your mood. By calling in your Higher Self during the bath ritual, you can access wisdom about situations from a higher consciousness and gain a broader, more loving perspective.”

2. Incorporate natural elements

“The five elements and five senses can be incorporated into your bath ritual. Earth, air, fire, water, and Spirit are represented. The water in the tub is water, the fire from a candle is fire, the air from burning incense is air, a crystal can be earth and your Spirit can be prayer. The senses are all engaged through smell with the oils, touch with the water, hearing through music, and taste through a tea ritual following the bath while you journal. This can balance the elements in your bath and delight your senses. It creates an overall sense of balance and centeredness.”

3. Create a sacred space

“To prepare your bath, first create a sacred space. Clean the bathtub and the bathroom area. Light a candle and incense, if you wish. Play calming music. Have your bath ingredients on hand like Epsom salt, essential oils, a whisk to mix the bathwater, a bath drain, and a nice towel to wrap yourself in once you emerge.”

4. Enjoy the solitude

“Before climbing in, begin with a brief prayer or meditation where you surround yourself with light and love so only the highest good will come through. You can invoke the five elements and ask that they be balanced for you and in your bath. You can look at your eyes in the mirror before climbing in and send yourself love and gratitude.”

5. Set an intention

“You would fill the bath with water and put in a cup of Epsom salt mixed with two drops of orange essential oil to lift your mood and three drops of lavender essential oil for relaxation. If your intention was to create a self-love bath, you could put in a rose quartz crystal to promote love and create a prayer and meditation about loving yourself. You could call in your Higher Self to ask for wisdom about this. Visualize things you could do on a daily basis to feel and be more loving with yourself.

Afterward, when you get out of the bath, you could journal about any insights you had and that you’d like to incorporate into your life. Meanwhile, you could drink some rosehip tea for unconditional love of self and others.”

6. Explore your options

“This is just a quick example of how you can take these bath ritual elements and customize them to your intention. There are 52 bath rituals in my book and they are more involved and have all different meditations and intentions. Hopefully, this will get you started!”

Did you try any of these bath rituals? Tell us your thoughts in the comments–and shop our Beauty & Wellness selection for more self-care!