SPA: BATH TREATMENTS

Baths are an essential part of the spa experience and are easy to duplicate at home. While running the water for your bath, take a few minutes to brush your skin with a natural bristle body brush. This gentle massage stimulates circulation and smoothes your skin. Follow by sinking into the luxurious bath of your choice.

Relaxing Bath

What you’ll need: Epsom salts, baking soda and lavender essential oil (along with clary sage and sandalwood essential oils, if desired).

Epsom salts stimulate gentle detoxification and relax muscles, while baking soda soothes and softens skin. Lavender, clary sage and sandalwood essential oils create a deeply relaxing and sensual bath experience.

Mix together 1 cup Epsom salts, 1 cup baking soda, 7 drops sandalwood essential oil, 5 drops lavender essential oil and 2 drops clary sage essential oil. (Or simply use 10 drops lavender essential oil.) Fill the tub with comfortably warm water and add the bath salts, stirring with your hand to dissolve the salts. Soak for 20 minutes or as long as desired. Follow with a cool-water rinse.

Soothing Oat Bath

What you’ll need: Rolled oats, baking soda and lavender essential oil.

Oats, baking soda and lavender essential oil help to soften and sooth dry, itchy skin. Grind 2 cups of rolled oats into a fine powder in a blender. Add the finely ground oats, 1 cup baking soda and 10 drops lavender essential oil to a bathtub of warm water. Soak for 20 minutes and follow with a cool-water rinse.

Sugar Body Polish

What you’ll need: Sugar, almond oil, lavender and grapefruit essential oils or ylang ylang and orange essential oils.

A sugar scrub exfoliates and smoothes skin without the irritation that salt scrubs can cause. Mix together 1⁄2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons almond oil, and 5 drops each lavender and grapefruit essential oils or 2 drops ylang ylang and 3 drops orange essential oil.

To use the body polish, take a quick warm shower to dampen your skin. While standing in the shower, gently massage the sugar mixture onto your skin. Rinse well with warm water. Use a no-slip mat when using this scrub to prevent falls.

Article reprinted with permission from Herbs for Health magazine, a division of Ogden publications.
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