How to Run the Perfect Slow Bath

A bath can be a quick rinse before bed, or it can be the best forty minutes of your week. This is a guide to the second kind.

1. Set the scene before the taps go on

Tidy the bathroom just enough that you are not looking at a pile of washing. Fold a warm towel and leave it within reach. Dim the big light and use a lamp, a candle or the last of the daylight instead. Soft, low light tells your body that the day is winding down.

2. Get the temperature right

Warm, not scalding. Comfortably warm water feels more relaxing for longer, and you will not climb out pink and light-headed. If you like it hot, start warm and top up later.

3. Add your salts while the water runs

Pour a generous handful of Epsom bath salts under the running tap so they dissolve as the bath fills. Many people find a salt soak soothing after a long walk or a long week, and a scented blend makes the whole room smell like a treat. Swish the water with your hand before you get in.

4. Leave the phone outside

This is the hard one. If you need music, choose a playlist first, press play and put the phone face down on the other side of the room. Ten minutes without a screen feels strange at first and wonderful by the end.

Nothing needs you for the next half hour. Let it.

5. Give yourself something gentle to do

A face mask, a book you do not have to concentrate on, or nothing at all. Try a slow breath in for four, out for six, a few times over. Notice the warm water on your shoulders. That is the whole job.

6. Finish with a little care

Wash with a handmade soap you love the smell of, rinse, and wrap up straight away in that warm towel. Lip balm, moisturiser, cosy socks, a glass of water. Then go to bed while you still feel soft round the edges.