"For the soul at peace with itself, water and night together seem to take on a common fragrance; it seems that the humid shadow has a perfume of double freshness. Only at night can we smell the perfumes of water clearly. The sun has too much odor for sunlit water to give us it's own. "
--from Water And Dreams by Gaston Bachelard

Tub Time, or
Soak More, Think Less!

Imagine coming home after a rotten day at work--let's face it--we all have them. As you walk in the door there is a flower on the bench where you usually sit to remove your shoes. There is a pair of cotton slippers and a robe warming under an electric heating pad that smell of sweet oils you can almost identify. You drop out of your clothes and as you throw on your robe you smell and feel fragrant powders falling down from the shoulders of your gown. Down the hall you hear one of your favorite relaxing songs. Is it coming from the bathroom?

As you follow the music you begin to catch whiffs of gardenias, something like sandalwood, or is it patchouli? As you enter the candle light bathroom you see that the entire tub is filled with white flowers and the entire room is filled with the moist warmth from the hot bath. A bouquet of white roses sits on the vanity with a note that says "I love you, I'll be right back. I ran out to get some wine."

Transporting Essences into the Bath

Decide on what carrier, if any, you want to use for the essential oil blend. Carriers are needed to "disperse" the oils in the bath since they are not soluble in water. When using essential oils by themselves (without a carrier) always add them last after the tub has filled, because they evaporate very quickly. It's best to give them a whirl or swish in the water with your hand to insure that they disperse as much as possible.

Some popular oils used as carrier-agents are sweet almond, canola, palm, jojoba and sunflower oils. These are wonderful for their moisturizing abilities, leaving a thin film of oil on the surface of the water, which will envelop your body as you sink in. However, carrier oils also tend to leave an oily ring around the tub and make the bathtub a little too slippery.

For a very luxurious bath, I use honey as a base carrier or a heavy cream. (It worked for Cleopatra!) The honey is very nourishing to the skin and has anti- inflammatory properties. The cream is a natural emulsifier that is excellent for dry skin, making it a great alternative to oils. Essential oils dissolve easily in both.

For special occasions I've filled the bath with the Flowers* of Gardenia's or Roses. We have a local winery that specializes in Champaign. I traded candles which they sell in their gift shop for an entire barrel of ___?__ and we spent our anniversary soaking and drinking, and luckily I had a great meal planned.

Your Water Quality

Believe it or not, some studies by the Environmental Protection Agency have shown that individuals can obtain more volatile chemicals (chlorine, heavy metals) from bathing and showering than you would absorb by drinking water from the tap. Hot water creates a steam vapor that when inhaled goes directly into your blood stream.

So even if you drink bottled water or filter it, definitely get a shower and bath filter to reduce chlorine, other toxic chemicals, and heavy metals. You can check out some useful products at www.healthyhome.com, ___??__

Your Spa Environment

Our soaking room is full of plants that love the humid climate and thrive on the essential oils.

We found a framer that used to work for a museum and knows the types of frames to use and how to seal out moisture, so I have begun to hang some of my favorite "water art" around our bath. The room itself looks out into the woods. If I lived in the city and had neighbors' homes to look at I'd probably put in a window box and fill that area with plants too.

I prefer to use our sauna in the morning and rinse off in the shower using my own blends in the soaps and shampoo/conditioners I choose. It seems to help to rinse away my sleepiness and do a deep cleanse before I stop for breakfast.

I save my soaking bath for the evening when I have more time and seem to be in a more meditative mood. It's a great opportunity to rinse away whatever burdens I inherited through the day. I feel at night I can slip more easily into the that secure feeling as a child immersed in water, comforting smells, maybe even a few bubbles, and yes I still have some favorite bath toys.

After a couple of times of buying ever increasing longer conventional plastic spas, we decided the jets seemed too noisy and interfered with the aromas so we converted from a spa with jets to a deeper soaking tub. Ours is made of cedar in the style of Japanese ofuro's*. Recently we added a heating and filtration system so we can maintain a constant temperature. Now, instead of the essential oils just smearing on the plastic surface at the water level they settle into and enrich the natural wood aroma.

And Finally for the Truly Deranged
Bath Epicure--a Bath Song

Bath-Song

Sing hey! For the bath at close of day
that washes the weary mud away
A loon is he that will not sing
O! Water Hot is a noble thing!

O! Sweet is the sound of falling rain,
and the brook that leaps from hill to plain;
but better then rain or rippling streams
is Water Hot that smokes and steams.

O! Water cold we may pour at need
down a thirsty throat and be glad indeed
but better is beer if drink we lack,
and Water Hot poured down the back.

O! Water is fair that leaps on high
in a fountain white beneath the sky;
but never did fountain sound so sweet
as splashing Hot Water with my feet!

Can you guess who sings this poem?

After returning from a trip abroad, the first thing most Japanese want to do is eat a good meal ( with rice, of course ) and take a long bath. Japanese are fond of soaking in the tub. According to one survey, 88% of Japanese said they liked taking baths.

In a Japanese bath, an extra-deep tub is filled to the top with very hot water, in which you sit submerged up to the neck. Most people spend about half an hour in the bath every night. Most children take their baths with their father or mother until they are in the upper grades of elementary school. The family tub is an important place for parent-child communication.

Japanese use their baths not only to get clean but to maintain their health by warming themselves up and stimulating their circulation. Because the body is washed outside the bath, the bath water stays clean and deeply refreshing. In the hot springs or the public bath, everybody bathes in the same water, creating an unclothed companionship that facilitates amiable communication. In a bath, you can relax, recover from exhaustion, rid yourself of stress. No wonder Japanese love their baths.