This New Year’s Eve, you may find yourself surrounded by friends or family, eating great food and dancing the night away. Or, you might be spending a quiet evening at home, sharing a quiet champagne toast when the ball goes down. Either way, the best way to begin the New Year is not nursing a hangover or hitting the gym first thing in the morning - the best place to be on the first morning of 2009 is in the tub!

After the holiday festivities are over, you’ll likely feel happy, even relieved - and not to mention exhausted. Many people try to jump into a new routine as soon as they awaken to the new year. They put on their running shoes, jog around the block (or worse, on the treadmill) to make up for a year of sitting on the couch; they sprint to the grocery store in search of new, healthier food. But the first thing you do to ring in the New Year should be all about you, especially after spending a few months thinking of everyone else.

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Well, here we are - smack-dab in the middle of the holiday season. The year has flown by, and now you have to scramble to find the perfect gifts for your family and friends. You may be feeling the economic crunch and aren’t sure what you can buy that is meaningful and useful, and won’t make you broke come January. You could find yourself shopping at the last minute, buying gifts that don’t really suit your loved ones... or you can give the gift of relaxation, beauty, and health.

Bath salts and other bath products are a wonderful gift for anyone in your family. Many of us forget to pamper ourselves and don’t buy this kind of thing for ourselves (but we should, but that’s a whole other article!). Bath salts are a great gift idea for a variety of reasons:

Give the Gift of Healthy Skin
Bathing in high quality bath salts has been shown to improve skin tone, clear your complexion, soften and soothe all skin types, and even protect against environmental elements and pollution. Bath salts work to deeply cleanse the skin while working to detoxify and refresh pores.

Rest and Relaxation
Taking regular baths can lower blood pressure and is one of the most relaxing thing we can do. It also gives us time away from other demands such as work and social obligations - and taking time alone is crucial if you want to maintain your sanity in this busy world.

Extraordinary Value
These days, many of us are looking for ways to save money, and the holidays make it difficult to do so. While bath salts are a practical, enjoyable, and thoughtful gift, they won’t break the bank. And if you buy a good amount, they will last for a long time.

They are Beautiful!
Put simply, bath salts are really very pretty. These beautiful crystals come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they are available in a rainbow of vibrant colors. When displayed by the side of your tub, they add beauty to the whole room! 

A Personal Touch
Bath salts come in a vast array of colors, scents, and can be infused with herbs and essential oils, making each salt as unique as your family member or friend. You can tailor your bath salt to fit the personality and needs of the recipient, so they will have their own, tailor-made, perfect bath salt.

 

 

The days of going to a palatial bath house to socialize might be over, but convening in water is still popular, especially in the form of jacuzzis and hot tubs. Whether you're at a friend's house, soaking in the jacuzzi with friends over a beer, or at the gym after a long workout, there is etiquette to follow to ensure that everyone is comfortable and safe.

Here are some general tips and guidelines to keep in mind when you share the water with friends:

1) Rinse Your Swimsuit/Swim Trunks in Water: Rinse our your swim clothes in clean tap water before you enter the jacuzzi. This will prevent chemicals and bacteria from being introduced into the water. Also, leftover detergent can make the water foamy.
2) Before you turn up the heat, ask everyone if it's ok. Some people might be sensitive to the heat.
3) Same goes for the jets – be sure the water pressure is comfortable for everyone before you turn those knobs.
4) You can add scented bath salts to make it an even more pleasurable experience – just make sure everyone agrees on the fragrance.
5) Don't eat while soaking.
6) Be extra cautious while drinking that beer or cocktail in the jacuzzi – hot water can vastly increase the ef ects of alcohol.
7) Keep rough housing to a minimum. Terrible things can happen – hair can get tangled in drains and/or jets, and drowning is possible, despite the shallowness of the tub.
8) If you have a young child, be careful that he or she does not have to go to the bathroom before you take him or her into the hot tub with you.
9) Have fun!

The holidays are a time of excess - lots of parties, time spent with friends and family, and tons of good food. To combat any unwanted weight gain during the season, it’s a good idea to squeeze some exercise into your busy schedule. You’ll not only stay healthy and trim, you’ll be less likely to overindulge at parties when you see the rewards of all your hard work.

But while you’ll feel and look better, you will have to contend with one side-effect: muscle soreness. After rigorous activity (or any movement your body isn’t used to), you might find yourself feeling tight and sore for a day or two afterwards. This is mostly due to a buildup of lactic acid in your muscles during the cool-down phase of your workout, and tiny tears in the muscle fibers. These tears actually help you get stronger - as tissue builds up around them, your muscles get larger and stronger. Even though some moderate soreness can mean you had a great workout, it is still uncomfortable and makes it difficult to go about your daily activities.

One of the best ways to treat tired, sore muscles is to take a warm bath using high-quality bath salts and soaks. You don’t want to soak in the tub immediately after your workout - you should wait about 1-2 hours. Why? Warm water increases circulation and promotes inflammation; it’s best to gradually cool down your muscles and let them recover a bit before you head to the bath. Take a short walk, do some stretches and refuel with a healthy meal.

Then, take a bath! The warm water massages your muscles and makes them more pliable and less prone to cramping and tightness. The warmth increases your circulation and helps speed muscle recovery.

Bath salts are an essential ingredient in a post-workout bath. Bath salts are usually made from real sea salts, and high-quality salts contain minerals and nutrients that are essential for overall health and also happen to do wonders for sore muscles. Sea salts contain magnesium, a mineral known as a muscle relaxer, as well as other vital nutrients such as potassium.The bath salts also aid in the release of toxins that build up during exercise.

Dead Sea salts are an excellent choice for soothing tired muscles, since they are exceptionally high in mineral content. Essential oils of menthol and eucalyptus work to increase blood flow and cool the skin, resulting in great overall relief. You can create your own bath salts by mixing in your own essential oils and fragrances, or you can buy a soak designed to soothe sore muscles, such as our Muscle Soak bath salt formula.

So a few hours after your next workout, draw a nice, warm bath. Dim the lights and sprinkle in two heaping handfuls of bath salts - the more the better! Sit back, relax, and allow your body to unwind after all its hard work. You deserve it!