I love baths. There’s nothing like a long soak in a warm bath for your health and happiness. And in Winter, I think baths are even nicer.
There are endless reasons to justify having a luxurious bath. It could be because you:
- Had a bad day
- Had a good day
- Had a hard workout
- Have body aches
- Picked up a cold or flu
- Need a good sleep
- Feel cold
- Are feeling grumpy
- Think everyone else is being grumpy
- Deserve to be spoiled
- Have some new bath oils
- Are preparing for a night out
- Are preparing for a night in
- Are feeling like romance
- Just like baths!
Here’s some simple steps to create your perfect mind-relaxing, muscle-soothing and health-promoting bath. Be careful, like anything that creates a sense of euphoria, baths like these can be addictive!
- Remove all unpleasant noises from earshot of your bath (eg. phones, children).
- Replace those sounds with your chosen selection of chill out music (perhaps some jazz or classical?)
- Run the bath with the perfect temperature water for you.
- Add 1-2 cups of epsom salts to soothe your muscular aches away.
- Assemble fluffy towels in easy reach of your bath.
- Light some candles.
- Will you be in the need of a beverage? A nice cup of herbal tea goes down well, but sometimes a glass of wine fits the mood.
- Choose the right essential oils to set the mood for your bath. Just before you hop in, add 4-6 drops of pure essential oil (that’s the plant-based ones not the artificial oils known as fragrant oils) to the bath and agitate the water to disperse them (or you can add the essential oils to a tablespoon of oil or teaspoon of vodka first). Here’s some essential oil suggestions:
- relaxation blend: lavender (3 drops), orange (1 drop), chamomile – often sold as a 3% dilution – this is ok (2 drops)
- balance blend: geranium (2 drops), rosewood (2 drops), lavender (2 drops)
- uplifting blend: bergamot (2 drops), lemon (2 drops), geranium (2 drops)
- romantic blend: ylang ylang (1 drop), geranium (2 drops), orange (1 drop)
- muscle-relax blend: lavender (3 drops), rosemary (1 drop), marjoram (1 drop)
- Sink into the bath, relax and enjoy.
For further information on Chinese Medicine contact Dr Sarah George (Acupuncture). Sarah is a practitioner of acupuncture (AHPRA registered), massage therapy and natural health at her Broadbeach clinic and is the Chinese Medicine Senior Lecturer at the Endeavour College of Natural Health Gold Coast campus.
