We can all agree on this simple fact: There's nothing better than a warm shower. Other times, though, it can feel like a pain — especially if you're just plain exhausted.
In an effort to transform your bathroom into a more blissful retreat, we're rounding up several simple additions you can bring to it (because, let's be honest, we all deserve a little pampering!). Scroll below for these dreamy options.
Find Bliss With These 5 Spa-Worthy Bathroom Additions
Essential oils
Introducing aromatherapy to your shower is one of the easiest ways to make it more relaxing (and hey, it's relatively affordable!). You can buy essential oils just about anywhere — online, health-centric grocery stores and even department stores. To use them, apply 10 to 15 drops of any essential oil to a washcloth or cotton pad, and put it on the floor of your shower. You don’t want the water to flow onto it directly, but it should get wet. Another option: If you have an essential oil diffuser, is to bring your diffuser into the bathroom, fill it with water and your desired essential oil, set it on a sink counter and turn it on. For a zen, pre-bedtime shower, try lavender, lemongrass, sandalwood or patchouli essential oil. For a more energizing experience, choose eucalyptus, peppermint, lemon, grapefruit or bergamot oil.
Sugar scrubs
Soap is great, but sugar scrubs are better. Not only do most of us need to exfoliate our bodies more, but we could also benefit from a dose of hydration. Sugar scrubs leave your skin feeling soft and hydrated, not dried out and in need of lotion — make sure to look for scrubs that have some type of oil in them (like coconut or jojoba seed). The best area to apply a sugar scrub is on your legs, especially if you shave (no one tells you this until it happens, but shaving without exfoliating can cause ingrown hairs). Should you want to use the scrub elsewhere, proceed with caution. In the same way that you wouldn’t rub a pumice stone on your whole body — because it’s abrasive — there’s no need to sugar scrub every inch of your body. Apply it once or twice a week, doing so with gentle motions, and enjoy the wonder that is lovely-smelling, hydrated and smooth skin.
Face masks
Why settle for one indulgence when you can have many at the same time? If you like to wash your face in the shower, now is the time to bring a face mask into the mix. Once you’ve completely cleansed your skin — no dirt or makeup left behind — apply any face mask, give it a minute to begin setting, and continue with your shower routine, keeping water off your face. Also, a word to the wise: Put up or pull back your hair so it doesn’t get involved. While your mask is on, use that time to wash up, work a little conditioner into your hair, or, oh I don’t know, use a sugar scrub! Shower face masks will make you feel like a luxurious human being.
Eucalyptus
Made popular by idyllic bathrooms on Instagram, buying fresh eucalyptus to hang in your shower is never a poor decision. And no, you don’t have to make a trip to some specialty market to get any — they sell them near the flowers at Trader Joe’s. (Though, you can also usually find them at a farmers market.) This may seem almost too easy, but all you have to do is take a rubber band and secure your eucalyptus branches/stems/whatever you call them to your shower head (ideally with the plant above the shower head, so your shower doesn’t end up sprinkled with leaves.) Voila! You get a eucalyptus steam shower every single time! And once it stops smelling good, you compost it and get a new one! Did I mention that fresh eucalyptus can cost as little as $3? Thank you. That is all.
Hair mask
A close relative of the face mask — the hair mask — is an underrated product. We think of conditioner as the only treatment we need, but implementing a mask into your hair care regimen can make all the difference when it comes to your hair’s shine, volume, hydration, strength and even growth. You’ll want to find a mask that caters to your hair type and what you’re looking to achieve, but once you do, your locks will be fabulous. Think about how you’d feel sporting a hair mask and face mask while scrubbing your legs in a eucalyptus steam shower. Could life really get any better? (Yes, but as far as showers go, yours couldn’t get any better.)
When you take the time to think about it, bathrooms can be quite boring. But with the right add-ons, you can turn yours into a heavenly hub of peace and respite. And isn’t that all we really want?
