Read in the Bathtub Day

I have a dream of someday installing a full body soaking tub in my bathroom. There’s nothing quite so relaxing as soaking in hot, scented water clear up to your neck, especially when you have a good book to enjoy. February 9 is Read in the Bathtub Day. What a great inspiration to make bath products!

With the advent of e-readers, audiobooks, and apps for smartphones, it’s been a while since many of us have held an actual book on paper. My favorite way to enjoy a book is via audio. It allows me to enjoy my book while I drive, do dishes, fold laundry, or feed and water my goats. Any chore that does not actively engage my mind is a time when you may find me listening to my current selection.

An audiobook is also an excellent way to relax in the tub without worrying about trying not to drop my book or phone into the water. I just set my phone on a stool next to the bathtub and start an audiobook. I can “read” in the bath without even having to use my eyes! Now that’s what I call relaxation.

I enjoyed reading this fun and interesting book.

I recently ran across a book that I think nearly anyone would enjoy. It’s called “Dear Bob and Sue” by Matt and Karen Smith. It’s an interesting, lighthearted, and sometimes hilarious account of Matt and Karen’s adventures visiting all 59 U.S. National Parks written as emails to their friends Bob and Sue. It’s not a travel guide, but it is a fun glimpse into each park and into Matt and Karen’s relationship. The narrators David Colacci and Susan Ericksen do a great job with just the right tones of voice and emphasis. I thoroughly recommend it!

One of the marvelous things about the format of “Dear Bob and Sue” is that there are frequent natural pauses between emails, so it makes it easy to find a stopping point.

And now something lovely to add to my bath. My favorite is bath salts, both because they make such a nice, relaxing soak and because they are an excellent vehicle for adding essential oils to the bath, wreathing me in scent as I soak away my cares.

Let’s get our supplies together and create something lovely.

*Q.S. means Quantity Sufficient. Use enough to get the color or strength of scent you wish.

Instructions:

Weigh the two salts into a bucket or bowl. Add essential oil and stir well to combine, breaking up any clumps that might be in the salts. After the oils and salts are thoroughly mixed, add colorant a little at a time and stir until the desired color is reached. Pour into jars and label.

Mixing the salts and colorant in a soap bucket.

I love how the colorant accentuates the texture of the salts.

I’m glad I had some different bottles sitting around that could hold my bath salts.

I am a collector of bottles and jars. I have a shelf full of various glass vessels I have stashed, knowing I’d someday have a use for them. I grabbed three I like a lot to fill with my bath salts. The tall, thin bottle originally held a truffle-infused olive oil. The bottle with the little handle, of course, held maple syrup. The taller bottle had iced tea in it. I don’t really like the lid, but I love the shape of the bottle. If you are giving bath salts as a gift or making for your own use, there’s no need to package everything just alike. But if you intend to sell the bath salts, I’d recommend using a uniform jar, such as our Bath Salt Tubes.

And please don’t worry that the colorant in the bath salts will stain the tub or your skin! It won’t. It is a good idea to test the color, however. If you find you have overdone the color, just add more salts.

Adding a spoonful of bath salts to water to make sure the color is right

Perfect. It’s a lovely blue color, but it will not stain the tub or a bather’s skin. It’s just pretty!

Scent can make a bath product enjoyable! Here are two essential oil blends I like. I used the second blend in this recipe.

Essential oil blend #1: Balsam Peru, Lavender, Geranium

Essential oil blend #2: Lavender, Ylang Ylang, Vetiver

When it comes to scent blend, I usually begin with one drop of each oil and go from there. Use our Perfume Testing Strips for best results, and always make notes!

Weigh and combine the salts and essential oils into a large bowl or bucket. Mix thoroughly, then add a light sprinkle of Ultramarine Blue and blend it into the salts just to give a hint of color. Now scoop into a jar. That’s it!

Add about a half cup of the salt mixture to your hot running water. Make sure you dissolve the salts completely into your bath. Don’t worry about the blue – I promise you won’t come out of the tub looking like a Smurf!

What are you reading this month? What is your favorite scent for a nice soak in the tub? Please share – I’m always looking for a good read or a new idea of scent blends!