The Power of a Luxury Bath

When my sister and I were little girls, if we ever felt sad, our mother would ask, "Want a luxury bath?" A luxury bath, then, was a warm bubble bath, a bucket of bath toys, candles, and a glass of cool chocolate milk (sipped through a crazy straw). As an adult, I've found myself returning to the luxury bath after particularly hard days--a bad day at work, I believe, can often be forgotten with a warm bubble bath. And, although what makes up a luxury bath for me has changed since childhood (I've traded in the bath toys for a good book and the chocolate milk for a glass of wine), I still think my mother was onto something. With the depressed economy, many of us are anxious in our work lives. For me, a luxury bath was and still is a simple and cheap solution to add the special and the luxurious to everyday life, a way to rest and refocus before facing difficulties.

Here are a few luxury bath suggestions for kids:

When I was a kid, bubble bath was simple. Now, Crayola makes tabs that can change the color of bathwater! And you can find many unusual scents--my favorite is bubblegum. You can also just stick with the classic Mr. Bubble!

Bath toys have gotten a lot more fun, too! In addition to the bath tabs, Crayola also makes crayons to use in the tub. My friend found a floating car wash for her son. Kids can drive the toy cars through the wash and use bubbles to clean them. I always just loved rubber duckies--you can now get a whole family of rubber ducks (the ducklings nest on the mother duck's back).

The candles for my childhood luxury baths were real, but now there is a safer alternative with no risk of burnt fingers--flameless candles. These are perfect for children's luxury baths. Get a few in pretty colors.

Crazy straws make any drink yummy! My mother even used crazy straws to get us to drink V8! For a luxury bath, make a nice tall glass of chocolate milk or fruit juice, stick a crazy straw in it, and let your little ones sip away in a tub of bubbles. You can buy crazy straws for super cheap on amazon, too!

Here are a few luxury bath suggestions for adults:

Since I've become an adult, I've ditched Mr. Bubble. I have a pretty big collection of bubble baths. In the summer (or in the winter when I'm sick of snow and want to pretend it's summer), I love to add Avon's Skin-so-Soft to my bath. I also like rose and lavender scented bubbles. When it gets cold, I stop dry skin with an Aveno oatmeal bath. And I like bubble baths with warmer scents like chocolate, ginger, and sugar cookie.

Instead of toys, I now read in the bath. I like my bathtub reading material to be in the "just for fun" category, but I find those Soup for the Soul books to be a bit cliched and overly sentimental. I suggest a magazine, perhaps the latest Vogue or Cosmo. Or try Antonia Fraser's Marie Antoinette. If you've ever seen the film based on this book, you'll know why it's the perfect read when indulging in your own little bit of luxury.

I like to sip on a glass of wine in my luxury baths--but you don't want the luxury to be interrupted by any spills. I was so happy to find this bathtub caddy--it has a holder for your wine glass and a built in candlestick! It also has a place to rest a book or magazine and, if you feel extra indulgent, a box of chocolate truffles.