A recipe for the perfect bath

There is a correct formula. And a correct bath products hierarchy.

Baths are very important to me. In 2021, 10 years on from my knee reconstruction, I wrote about it for Guardian Australia:

“Over six months, I learned to walk again, slowly building out muscle in the pillaged thigh, my pink and puckered scars gradually becoming familiar territory. And I healed in the water: regular hydrotherapy and daily baths.

“I’d always loved baths, but in those stretched-out months of recovery, they punctuated my days and brought me relief. A tub was no longer a luxury, but a necessity, a hollowed-out place in which I could rest my hollowed-out leg.”

These days, the tub is where I read, watch YouTube videos, relax, think. But not all baths are created equal; I’m convinced bath-critics just haven’t had a good one yet. So here’s my recipe for the perfect bath:

Oil + bubbles; or

Oil + bubbles + salts; or

Salts + bubbles.

Oils

Bath oils are my favourite bath product. But most are expensive, make hardly any difference to the bath/your skin, and/or smell like nothing once they hit the water.

Late last year, I wrote about how my favourite bath oil brand went out of business. Then, a couple of weeks ago, big news: Bougies de Luxe is back, baby! My husband bought me three bottles for Valentine’s Day! I couldn’t be happier. My favourites are Wild Fig on Cassis, Lavender, and Basil, Lime, and Mandarin.

I’ve had a chance to compare and contrast my long-time favourites with the worthy replacements I finally stumbled upon at the end of 2023, from another small, Southern Highlands-based business called Sunday Rose (I grew up in the Highlands, so it feels extra special to support brands from back home). The best of their scents, in my opinion, are The Highlands, English Pear, and Teak and Orange.

If I’m being finicky, I think the Bougies de Luxe oils have slightly stronger scents, which I prefer. Both are lovely.

For $30 a bottle, I think they’re excellent value: you can add just a few drops to get the effect, but need a capful per bath, maximum. I’d guess one bottle would last ~20 baths. But if you’re looking for a cheaper option that’s slightly more accessible, The Soap & Glory Bath & Shower Oil (it doesn’t have a scent) is nice, and available at Mecca.

If you’re after a real treat, the Susanne Kaufmann Oil Bath for the Senses ($112 at Mecca) or Olverum Bath Oil ($51-$145 at Space NK) are true luxuries. I’ve had one bottle of each at one point, meted it out, and enjoyed every drop. A special occasion purchase or gift.

I’m eyeing off the new Vieve bath products (from Scottish beauty influencer-turned-brand owner Jamie Genevieve; her make-up products are good) and Mirror Water’s body oil, which would also work for the bath (another influencer brand, this time from Estee Lalonde).

Bubbles

Next: A dose of bubble bath. Oily, fragrant water + bubbles = perfection. I don’t think expensive bubble baths are worthwhile; the bubbles rarely last longer, and any scent tends to be weak. Scented bubble bath also interferes with the scent of my bath oil (and candle).

A big bottle of the kids’ supermarket stuff does the trick (would love a simple, cost-effective option with grown up packaging!); I’d prefer to spend on the oils.

Salts

I’m not a huge salts fan; I often don’t have/use any, and it’s another category where spending more doesn’t equal better results. If I’m feeling achy, I add a splash of Epsom salts or a pour from the classic Radox tub (the latter also turns the water a fun green).

A salts + bubbles bath feels ‘functional’ to me; an oil + bubbles or oil + bubbles + salts bath feels special.

I still love bath bombs, but they’re less cost effective and it can sometimes be a pain to clean the remnants off your skin and tub. They’re a very occasional treat versus a daily bath staple.

Finishing touches

On a little stool next to the bath, I place: a candle, a drink, and a book. Or: I listen to music or a podcast, or watch a show or YouTube video.

The flickering light of a candle is a must; when I can, I light one whose scent will compliment or match the bath oil I’m using. If reading a physical book, I highly recommend the book light I linked in last week’s Top Shelf, so you don’t need to turn on a harsher, brighter light:

Top Shelf #5

If you’re a 20-minute bath person (can’t relate) and want a shorter read, here are five of my favourite articles from the past week:

1. ‘I’m scared I’ll never feel the same happiness again’: how to handle a Taylor Swift comedown
   After months and months and months of trying to get tickets (daily), my husband had big news for me at 7am on Sunday (the morning after I’d finally watched the movie to feel close to the concert the weekend of the Sydney shows): we were going, that night. I still cannot believe it happened. It was miraculous, dream-like, and very special. I cried like a baby coming’ home from Accor (the fact this literally happened makes the Cruel Summer pun work even harder).
   

2. The Lure of Divorce: Seven years into my marriage, I hit a breaking point — and had to decide whether life would be better without my husband in it
   This piece took my breath away at points; tenderly and uncomfortably honest about mental illness, the division of labour, communication and resentment, achievement and support.
   

3. The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger
   A crazy story about how a clever, switched on financial journalist fell for an elaborate scam, and lost $50k.
   

4. The backlash against Charlotte Tilbury’s F1 Academy sponsorship tells us exactly why it’s needed
   Noelle Faulkner explains the beauty brand’s sponsorship and why men are angry.
   
   ”Sadly and unsurprisingly, Formula 1’s female fans are simply not taken seriously. ‘Right now it feels like female fans are being used as clickbait to sell ads, as inspiration to draw from, as tactics to showcase zeitgeist relevancy,’ notes Cowan-Brown. ‘When in fact, I have yet to hear a single team, a driver, a team principal… actually celebrate, or at the very least respect, the young female fans that have given the sports such relevancy and economic power in the past few years.’”
   

5. I was married almost a year ago. Why am I still obsessed with a Facebook wedding planning group?
   This week, I wrote about the unexpected tenderness and generosity I found in a wedding planning Facebook group.
   
   There’s the woman who asks if anyone will go to her wedding because she doesn’t have many friends, the 21-year-old hesitating about her upcoming marriage to the father of her children, the brides-to-be who realise they hate their dress, or it doesn’t fit, just days out, the people who call off their weddings, and the woman who goes ahead with hers just days after a miscarriage - every one of them is met with kindness, care, and offers of help.
   
   “We might not contribute to their rhythms, but it can be enough just to exist in these online villages, to wander their streets and pause to eavesdrop.”

If you have a tub, have a bath this week. A good one. And if you’re still one of those people who insist baths are boring, or the pressure of a shower is superior? I stand by what I wrote almost three years ago:

“Too bad I can’t hear them. I’m submerged, an hour-and-a-half into a long and leisurely soak, my body pruned but pain-free.”

Until next time,

Britt