Fun fact about me: I really dislike baths.
I don’t know what it is about them, exactly, that I don’t like. I think it’s the thought of relaxing in water that is getting cooler by the second. I mean, who can relax if they’re getting more uncomfortable as time passes by? And then there’s the awkward positioning of sitting/lying in a tub while trying not to get my hair wet (because I don’t want to go to bed with wet hair!) that just doesn’t appeal to me.
I guess I’m just more of a shower person.
But then this week I was told in no uncertain terms that I needed to take a bath. You see, I got a massage by someone who really knew what she was doing. She got out every single one of the knots (caused by me gazing at Clara while she was breastfeeding) in my neck, and after my tense spots were loosened, she gave me two assignments:
- Drink tons and tons of water to flush out the toxins.
- Take an Epsom salt bath.
To be honest, I was going to just skip the bath. But I take assignments very seriously, so I dutifully went to CVS and bought a huge container of Epsom salt, and just like the massage therapist directed, I poured four cups of salt into the bath and climbed on in. I even added some drops of lavender essential oil, because I was feeling especially indulgent.
My husband gifted me a sort of bath head-rest contraption for Christmas (which had gone unused until now), so I rested my head on that and relaxed as best as I could in the hot, salty water. I even opened a book in to get my mind off this ‘forced’ 20 minutes of relaxation.
Torture, right? I know, I’m a wuss. Don’t feel bad for me.
I ended up staying in there for over 30 minutes.
And here’s the thing: I felt fantastic afterwards.
I’m not sure if it was the bath or the Epsom salt or the massage earlier that evening or the book I was reading… but I slept like a baby that night. (Not my baby, though. I slept like a baby who actually sleeps, not one that wakes up every 3 hours!) My body felt warm and mushy and wonderful.
This is not the norm for me after a bath, so I’m going to go ahead and credit the salt.
Based on my (very limited) experience, I’d encourage you, if you don’t already, to take Epsom salt baths, especially if you have sore muscles.
You only need to add a cup or two of the salt to your bath, but I added four and definitely wasn’t complaining!
Here are the benefits of Epsom salt:
- Relieves stress by increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain.
- Boosts energy levels.
- Lowers pain levels.
- Reduces swelling.
- Flushes toxins from the body.
- Eases muscle pain.
- Improves function of the muscular and nervous systems.
I may turn into a bath person after all….
Do you enjoy baths? What (if anything) do you add to your bath water to make it extra special?
