For as long as I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed a long hot soak in the tub.
No, that’s not me as a child… it’s my little friend Elizabeth. You might remember reading about her and her “magic milk” in the past…. pictures of little E in the tub seemed like a much better idea than sharing random Google Images.
As I’m sure little E would agree, bathtime is always a little better when you have some bubbles in the tub… or some lovely smelling bath oil.
Now, I don’t write on the walls with soap like Elizabeth, but I have an amazing garden tub that I like to use that is incredibly relaxing. During most baths, I’ll take my Nook and read a book… other times, I’ll have my iPad handy and catch up on my internet surfing. Regardless of what I’m doing, the aromatherapy and warm water really helps me wind down after a long day or at the end of an intense week.
I like to imagine my bathroom looks like this… One day it will!
During the fall/winter, I always find that baths become more common. Maybe it’s because it gets darker earlier and indoor activities seem to make more sense…. or maybe it’s because it gets darn cold here in Colorado. Whatever it might be, I spend at least one evening on the weekends swimming in my tub… and I love every minute of it!
One of my favorite scents of all time is the signature scent from the Montelucia‘s Joya Spa. If you haven’t read about my adventures at Montelucia, you can click here and here to catch up.
The signature scent of Montelucia is custom blended for the spa and is called “Layla and Qays Joyambrosia.” As I was looking for an online link for the products, I found the following story about the Layla and Qays legend the product was named after that I thought was just lovely:
In Layla and Qays , an ancient Moroccan romance, Qays falls so deeply in love with Layla that he spends his life writing passionate and romantic poems to Layla in the desert sand.
That’s exactly what this scent smells like…. passionate, lovely, and I’m almost insatiable when it comes to its fragrance, always wanting a little more of it. When I’m at Montelucia, I always get a massage and body scrub infused with the scent, and I always bring a little something home from my trip that smells like it. I have the body spray (which I completely use only on special occasions), the body lotion (which I rarely use because it’s just so lovely it should be savored), and a small body of the essential oils.
I’m hoping when I am back at Montelucia in December (yes, I just booked my trip!) that they’ll have a candle. I do need a candle that smells like this, too.
Joya Spa also describes the Joyambrosia scent as follows: ”aromatic waves of Spanish citrus, Moroccan mint, and spices (that) awaken joy and peace of mind.” It has the essence of the Queen of the Night cactus, which blooms a beautiful flower in the night. It’s the most relaxing fabulous scent. Seriously.
The gift shop at Joya doesn’t sell a bubble bath, so I decided the last time I was there that I was going to figure out a way to make my own, which I did a few weeks ago. It was SUPER easy, and the result was the most moisturizing bath oil I’ve ever used!
Homemade Bath Oil
From Livestrong.com
INGREDIENTS
Sweet Almond Oil
Liquid Vitamin E
Essential Oils (Your choice)
Glass bottle with a stopper
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Choose the essential oils you would like to incorporate into your scented bath oil. Test your fragrance combination by adding drops of essential oils into a small bowl. Adjust the combination of fragrances until you are satisfied with the scent. Note: In my case, there was no testing necessary….
2. Pour a 3 oz. of the carrier oil into the bowl and mix it with 5-12 drops of scented oils. You can use either a neutral or scented carrier oil. Note: I used sweet almond oil that I purchased at Whole Foods.
3. Add 2 tbsp. vitamin E oil to the mixture and combine completely.
4. Pour this mixture into the decorative bottle. Add another 4 oz. carrier oil. Seal the bottle and shake it thoroughly to completely blend the oils together.
Here’s my final product!
5. Allow the bottle to rest and let the bubbles within the oil rise to the surface. Your scented bath oil is now ready to use.
I took a bath with this oil on one of the cold nights last weekend. It was SO AMAZING. My skin gets quite dry when I run the heat and the fireplace in the house, so it’s nice to moisturize deeply from time to time. This “recipe” for bath oil really delivers. One side note, oils do make your bathtub a little slick… even the next day! Disclaimer: Please be careful and mindful of the oil that may be left on your tub post-swim!
I’d like to try a different combination of essential oils. There are a TON of combinations listed on the web, and of course, on Pinterest. I’ll keep you posted if I try any other combinations and let you know how they turn out.
Are you a fan of luxurious baths when the weather is cool? Have you ever mixed essential oils? Any combinations you’d recommend?
nothankstocake
nothankstocake
nothankstocake
nothankstocake
I didn’t know about soap to write, sounds very good for kids that hate bath. My niece cries every time her hair is washed and these soaps can help her to get over this. I am addicted to hop (hope this is the right English word) smell in the bath, it also gives me tension and stress relief.
I, of course, don’t have kids… but I think it’s been fun for a little one to use those soap crayons, too!
I love a bath. I personally would like a picture of your garden bath…or at least a little more explanation of what a garden bath is…and how you say you swim in it… Sounds so intriguing
Hi Cathy – I am pretty sure I’ve mislead you. A garden tub is simply a deeper oval tub without jets, and I always say I’m going for a “swim” in my tub… it’s just what I say. Oops!
In the middle of a cold Canadian winter I throw a blueberry bath bomb into my warm bath water and announce to everyone that will listen I’m going swimming in the Caribbean…cheapest vacation ev-er! Nothing beats a good ol’ tub swim
Blueberry sounds amazing!
Sandalwood and patchouli body spray! Love it! Never made it for myself cause peeps have more talent than I do so I leave that kind of thing up to others while I enjoy it! Your concoction sounds wonderful!
It’s worth a try to make your own! Super-fun!
I love a good bath! Although, in our small apartment bathtub, I have to keep my feet suctioned over the drain or all the water slooooowly drains away. Kind of diminishes the relaxing qualities of the bath…
I’ve totally been there…. even a bath with a little work is still better than no bath, if you ask me.
Okay, you know how they say that duct tape works for everything? It will solve your small bathtub problems. I always use this trick in hotel bathrooms. Duct tape all overflow drains when the tub is dry. Fill bath as usual. It totally works. You just have to fill the last few bits of water with yourself in the tub, so you don’t flood the bathroom. But you can get your bath filled all the way to the tippy top.
Oh, and Kelly, I apparently had a “garden tub” in my Portland home for years — I just never knew the name of it.
Now I am in Maui with no bathtub…but plenty of water