While I was on vacation last month I had a conversation with someone that bought back a lot of memories. We had been discussing bathing, and the woman I was speaking with mentioned how daunting taking a bath seems at times. You have to clean the bath, wait for it to fill up……..

Next week Amayori is launching a brand new dry oil for the bath. This oil is so amazingly luscious – you won’t want to miss this one. On that note, I wanted to give my tips on preparing a bath that will make the process go from daunting to easy. Realize that preparing a bath only takes a few minutes of your time. Is it worth it for 30 minutes of relaxation? I would like to think so.

• Cleaning the Bath: I clean my bath before I use it. I usually do this while I am brushing my teeth earlier in the day. Just do it when you have a minute or two to spare. I spray the tub with a bathroom cleaner, let it sit for 30 seconds, and then go over it once with a cleaning brush - no need to scrub. I keep this brush as well as a plastic pitcher under the bathroom sink so I can get to it easily. Then, I rinse the bath out using the pitcher in hard to reach areas. The whole process takes two minutes at the most.
• Shower First: People often get confused on whether the bath is to clean themselves off or just soak. They often wonder if they should shower after a bath. Here are the steps for bathing Japanese style: shower, soak, rinse if desired. It’s as simple as that.
• Waiting for the Bath to Fill: I remember years ago when I found this step frustrating. I always felt the need to be “doing” something. The time between your shower and bath is part of your ritual. Use this time to relax. Read, listen to one of our music playlists, have a cocktail. Take it easy and nurture yourself. Enjoy the downtime.

And there you have it. The difficult part of taking a bath made easy. Once you get into your rhythm with this, it becomes an effortless part of your routine. So worth it for something that brings so much relaxation, don’t you think?

Stay tuned for the launch of our new bath oil next week. This is such a treat, I can’t wait to share it with you.

Warm wishes,

Françoise