The main difference between a ritual bath and a bath taken for wellness or relaxation, is intention and purpose. Taking a ritual bath is meant to cleanse and protect you spiritually, and in that way it’s distinctly different from a regular bath, although it does have the many health benefits of a regular bath, such as reduced stress and fatigue, pain alleviation, improvement of several skin conditions, and an overall feeling of wellness.
Ritual baths are often done before performing a ritual, a spell, or any other magical work where being spiritually clean is important for the outcome, but can also be beneficial if you’re feeling emotionally or energetically overwhelmed, lethargic and moody. Absorbing the energy from the people, places and situations you come into contact with, and the media you consume, can, especially if you’re highly sensitive, accumulate in your body over time. Imagine carrying all that energy and stress around that isn’t even yours, sometimes for weeks or months! It’s a lot. And it’s important to find a way to get rid of that, and some people do that through rituals or meditation, which is great. But before that comes the physical and spiritual cleansing in the form of a ritual bath, and in some cases, that’s all you’ll need to get rid of those unwanted energies and feel lighter again.
As with all magical and spiritual work, it’s highly personal, and I don’t believe there’s any wrong way to practice, but there are certain steps that are recommended, and following some simple directions can be part of the experience, that increases the effect of the bath and makes it a powerful ritual.
There’s a lot of information out there, but these are some simple steps to follow, or be inspired by, when taking a ritual bath:
- If possible, declutter and clean up your space first. Clutter increases stress, and you’re trying to create a calming atmosphere. If you can’t do a full clean up that’s fine, just a quick tidying will help too!
- Maybe you’re the kind of person who likes to watch a show on Netflix while you’re in the tub (I know I am!), but nope, not this time. A ritual bath is a bath taken with a spiritual purpose, and the moment you immerse yourself in the water, you are entering a spiritual experience. If you want some soothing music or nature sounds playing, that works, but try to keep electronic devices at a minimum for this.
- While preparing the bath, you can already start to set your intention. If there is a something specific you want to achieve or manifest, start thinking about that while setting things up. If you’re doing a ritual or a spell after the bath, visualize your ritual going perfectly, and your desired outcome being a reality. Be present and mindful when setting up candles and preparing your space.
- Which brings us to candles, and there’s obviously a ton of things you can do there, but I recommend keeping it simple with a white or black candle. Use a candle that’s just for the ritual bath, though, and not one you plan to use for spell work. A white candle works for just about every intention, so you can’t go wrong with that, and a black candle is great if the intention of your bath is to set up stronger protective energetic boundaries, or to banish some kind of negativity from your life. Don’t have black or white candles? Don’t worry, this isn’t spell work, and the candle is mainly there to create a calming vibe, so use what you have.
5. Add a handful of your ritual bath salt of choice to the warm water. Treehaus Botanicals ritual bath salts are based on Epsom salt and baking soda, both of which have multiple health benefits.
Epsom salt is used as a natural pain reliever, it treats sore feet and muscles, exfoliates the skin.
Baking soda is equally important, as it has antifungal properties, and can be used to treat skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, not to mention that it promotes detoxification.
- Soak for about 20 minutes or longer, while thinking about your intention. Is it to let go of negativity? To feel protected? To manifest something you really want? Or just to cleanse your energy and lower stress levels? Whatever it is, just relax and have a mindful experience, while imagining yourself having already achieved these things. Pray, talk to your spirit guides, whatever you usually do to have a spiritual experience. You are the authority on what works best for you, and that includes ignoring all of this advice, and doing whatever feels right for you in the moment!
- Avoid using shampoo, bath bombs, shower gel etc. Like I said, this isn’t a regular bath, so if you wanna wash your hair, take a shower before the bath. For the ritual, you wanna use just salts and herbs aligning with your intentions.
- If possible, it’s best to air dry when you get out of the bath. You can put a bathrobe on, but try not to towel dry first and if you can avoid it, don’t take a shower for a good 24 hours after your ritual bath. Since ritual bath salts contain herbs and flowers, don’t forget to take them out of the drain, and either bury them, in a garden, or just in a plant pot, or throw them in the bin after thanking them!
- This last step may sound a little on the paranoid side, but it’s something I once read that resonated with me, and if it also resonates with you, then it’s for you. It can be a good idea for some to not let anyone know, for example via social media, when you’re taking a ritual bath. During and immediately after, you’ll be spiritually or energetically cleansed and feeling good, but also quite vulnerable, and if someone out there has beef with you, well, you don’t want them to have access to you in this moment, and social media is access. This is of course just a suggestion, but I like to sit on the cute pics of my bath for a little while, and post them later.
That’s it! Well, ok, not quite, because since you’re here reading this, there’s a good chance that you’re interested in the Treehaus Botanicals Ritual Bath products (thank you!) and if so, maybe you’re wondering which one to choose.
Of course that depends on what kind of ritual bath you are planning, if you’re doing a spell afterwards, or if you’re just looking to relax and energetically cleanse yourself, so hopefully this will give you an idea of which one will work best for your specific purpose.
Protect Ritual Bath is perfect if you’re following up your bath with spellwork, of if you’re working on setting boundaries, energetically or otherwise.
Protect contains the same blend of essential oils as its companion fragrance, such as: sage to remove negative energy, eucalyptus for protection and healing vibes, and bergamot to protect against evil and illness.
Ground Ritual Bath is for deep relaxation and, you guessed it, grounding!
Ground contains the same blend of essential oils as its companion fragrance, such as: sage for self purification, the powerful stress reducing herb chamomile, yuzu for positivity and relaxation, ylang ylang to relieve anxiety, and benzoin to soothe any tension you may be feeling.
It is the bath salt of choice when you need to really center yourself after a busy week, or a stressful confrontation, or any event that leaves you feeling the need for grounding.
It’s also great for full moon rituals
Attract Ritual Bath is the obvious choice before, or while, engaging in any kind of manifestation work, or love, attraction, and prosperity spells! It’s also a powerful self love ritual bath.
It contains the same blend of essential oils as its companion fragrance, such as: cinnamon to attract success and luck, jasmine to draw in spiritual love or a soulmate, ginger to promote confidence, and orange for abundance and happiness.
Attract is great for new moon rituals.
