Shower Vs. Bath: Which Kind Are You?

I've never been a big bath person. Stewing in my own juices just isn't my idea of the calming affair my pro-bath friends make tub time out to be. And ever since Mr. Bubble made me break out in hives as a kid, I haven't been able to sit still and let the power of the bath take over. I want to read a magazine (which, inevitably, falls in the bathwater) or listen to loud music (thus disrupting that integral bath state of relaxation). Bottom line, it would take some pretty enticing stuff to get me back into a tepid tub. These salts and soaks just might do the trick; they offer skin rejuvenating benefits my standard in-and-out shower just can't match … but I'll still be listening to that loud music. 

For the global warrior: A far cry from a rambunctious hose-down with Fido, a bath in a tub filled with vonNatur's Sea Kelp and Mineral Detox ($30) is a calming, balancing affair. The certified cruelty-free and vegan line is all about putting you at ease, and skin-softening kelp and Dead Sea salts will help you take things down a notch or two while soothing tired muscles and warding off signs of aging.

 
For the insomniac: Are the million things constantly running through your mind keeping you awake at night? Slip in a soak in Kathleen Lewis's Lavender Bath Salts ($15) before hitting the hay and you'll be sawing logs in no time. The short and pronounceable ingredients list only has five items: epsom salts, sea salts, baking soda, lavender flowers, and lavender essential oils. Isn't it about time something in your life was this uncomplicated?

For the couch potato: Rise and shine, TV watchers! NG Apothecary's Pink Grapefruit and Neroli hydrotherapy soak ($20) is like that first refreshing sip of OJ in the morning. The crisp citrus scent comes from the organic grapefruit, mandarin, sweet orange, and lemon oils, which stimulate circulation and draw out the toxins that may be collecting beneath the skin. Loyal viewers, take note: your more sedentary lifestyle could use a therapeutic boost like this to stave off cellulite and ashiness.