PEACE – Bath Soak

Imagine a steaming hot spring in the midst of a quiet, wintry wood.

My soak blends are often inspired by my experiences of bathing cultures across the globe. When I lived in Japan, I fell in love with the onsen and its tradition of contrast therapy, moving from hot water to cold repeatedly until the body’s muscles released all tension. I recall sitting in the outdoor baths of the ryokan, gazing out at a tranquil forest of pines and reddening maples. The peace this type of bathing brought was unlike anything I’d ever tried.

I’ve brought the memory of this experience with me in creating PEACE, a blend of winter aromas:

• Bay, which I grow in my Northamptonshire garden, and essential oil of Scots pine.
• One of the few dried ingredients I source from outside England: Japanese Red Pine, cultivated without pesticides in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan. This species of pine has been used traditionally in China to aid breathing, invigorate blood, and relieve pain. Combined with the heat of bath water, the mild analgesic properties of the pine terpenes ease muscle tension and joint stiffness. The scent of fresh pine is thought to trigger the limbic system, lowering cortisol and promoting feelings of calm.
• Essential oil of frankincense is added to deepen the sense of being transported to a peaceful sanctuary. Long used in spiritual ceremonies and traditional medicine—from ancient Egypt, Arabia, and Persia to India, Europe and China—this aromatic resin from the Boswellia sacra tree was used to treat arthritis, skin conditions, and digestion. Modern science has discovered the bioactive compounds in frankincense relax the nervous system, elevate the mood, and ease breathing.

PEACE was created with the winter holiday season in mind, a time for quiet reflection but which is often so hectic and stressful. If your mind is too crowded with external stimuli, distractions and demands to slow down, allow PEACE to guide you back inward, to bring you back to yourself and to your peace within.