A bath ritual for cold evenings: step by step
Not every winter evening ends in the sauna. Sometimes a warm bath at home is all you need. To make it feel like a real break rather than a quick wash, three things help: a fixed routine, the right temperature and having everything ready before you get into the water. In this article we show you step by step how to turn your bath into a ritual – from preparation and the bath itself to winding down calmly in your bathrobe.
Contents11
- What makes a bath a ritual
- What to prepare for your bath
- Temperature and duration: the usual guidelines
- The routine step by step
- Which scrub scent suits a winter evening?
- After the bath: drying off and wrapping up properly
- Bath additives: yes or no?
- Bath or sauna?
- Small mistakes that disturb the peace
- Conclusion
- Frequently asked questions
What makes a bath a ritual
A ritual differs from a routine mainly in that you do it consciously. In the shower you are usually already thinking about your next appointment. A bath, on the other hand, invites you to do nothing else for half an hour. This is easier if you follow the same steps every time: prepare the bathroom, dim the lights, put your phone away, bathe, wind down slowly. After a few evenings, the feeling of "now it's time to pause" sets in almost by itself.
What to prepare for your bath
Nothing disturbs the peace more than walking through the flat dripping wet because the towel is missing. So lay everything out before you run the water:
| What | Our suggestion | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Scrub | Body scrub trio (ginger, peppermint, coffee) | Beforehand in the shower, so the bath water stays clear |
| For drying off | MAHINA hammam towel, 180 × 100 cm | Big enough to wrap yourself in, dries quickly afterwards |
| For your hair | Mini hammam towel as a turban | Keeps wet hair off your back |
| Afterwards | A bathrobe, e.g. the Trimita hooded bathrobe Elephant | Wrap up warm without getting dressed straight away |
| For your feet | Aloe vera foot cream and warm socks | To round off the evening |
| To drink | Water or herbal tea | Warm water makes you thirsty |
| Atmosphere | Dimmed lights, quiet music or a book | Screens stay outside |
A little trick for cold evenings: shortly before the end of your bath, put the hammam towel and bathrobe on the warm radiator. When you get out of the water, both are waiting for you nicely warmed.
Temperature and duration: the usual guidelines
Many guides give similar guidelines for a relaxing bath. They are not fixed rules but a point of orientation:
- Water temperature: Around 36 to 38 °C is often described as pleasant. A bath thermometer helps if you want to know exactly. As the water slowly cools down, you can start a little warmer or top up with warm water in between.
- Duration: Around 15 to 20 minutes is usual. Lying in warm water for longer makes many people tired and can soften the skin.
- Room temperature: A pleasantly warm bathroom means you will not get cold when you get out.
- How often: For your skin, a full bath once or twice a week is usually more comfortable than every day.
If you have health concerns, for example about your circulation or blood pressure, talk to your doctor before taking hot baths. And: after a warm bath, stand up slowly, not abruptly.
The routine step by step
- Prepare the bathroom: Put the towel, bathrobe, turban towel and drink within reach. Run the water and check the temperature.
- Scrub: Before bathing, use a body scrub according to the directions on the packaging and rinse it off thoroughly in the shower.
- Settle in: Dim the lights, put your phone out of reach, slide into the water. For the first few minutes, just lie there.
- Bathe: Enjoy 15 to 20 minutes – read, listen to music or close your eyes.
- Get out slowly: Let the water out, stay seated for a moment, then stand up carefully.
- Dry off: Pat yourself dry with the hammam towel and wrap your hair in the mini hammam towel.
- Snuggle up: Slip into your bathrobe, moisturise your feet, put on socks.
- Wind down: Sit or lie quietly for another ten minutes and drink a glass of water.
Which scrub scent suits a winter evening?
That is a matter of taste. Coffee and ginger feel warmer to many people, peppermint rather fresh. With the scrub trio (€29.90) you can try all three; a single scrub (300 g) costs €12.90. One idea: choose the scent to suit your mood – peppermint if you prefer something fresh, coffee or ginger if you want a calm end to the evening.
After the bath: drying off and wrapping up properly
After a warm bath your skin is softened and more sensitive. So pat it dry gently instead of rubbing. A large, flat-woven towel like the MAHINA hammam towel is well suited to this: 180 × 100 cm, approx. 440 g, flat-woven cotton with stripes and a diamond pattern, made exclusively for BeachAndSteam. It comes in red-grey, sage-grey and pink-grey. It is washed at 30 °C without fabric softener or bleach and dried in the air.
Then straight into your bathrobe. The Trimita hooded bathrobe Elephant made of three-layer muslin (100 % Turkish cotton, OEKO-TEX) has a hood that keeps your head and neck warm after the bath. We show you how to tie your hair up in a towel turban in our article drying your hair with a hammam towel turban.
Bath additives: yes or no?
Whether you use bath salts, bath oil or bubble bath is a matter of taste. The only important thing is to follow the dosage on the packaging and to be especially careful when getting out after using oils, as the tub can become slippery. People with sensitive skin often do best with plain water and add scent through the scrub beforehand or a candle in the room instead.
Bath or sauna?
An obvious question: does a warm bath at home replace a visit to the sauna? From our point of view as sauna operators, the answer is: one does not replace the other; each has its own character. The sauna is an alternation of heat, cooling down and resting, usually over several hours and away from home. A bath is a quiet half hour in your own home, with no journey and no planning. Many people enjoy both: the sauna at the weekend, a bath at home during the week. You can share the textiles – the hammam towel and bathrobe from your sauna bag work just as well in your own bathroom.
Small mistakes that disturb the peace
- Water that is too hot: Feels good at first but often leaves you drained.
- Phone on the edge of the tub: Messages pull you straight out of your break – and dropping it in the water is expensive.
- Cold bathroom: Heat it in good time, otherwise you will be cold when you get out.
- No drink within reach: Many people are thirsty after a bath.
- Appointments straight afterwards: Do not plan anything hectic after your bath. Winding down is part of the ritual.
Related reading: Foot bath ritual: a guide to a small time-out at home · Dry skin in winter: how to shower and care for your skin · Bathrobe in winter: which one keeps you warm at home?
Conclusion
A bath becomes a ritual when everything is prepared and you consciously take your time. Pleasantly warm water, 15 to 20 minutes of calm, a scrub beforehand, a large hammam towel and a bathrobe afterwards and finally a cream for your feet – that is all you need for a quiet winter evening at home.
Frequently asked questions
How warm should a bath be?
Around 36 to 38 °C is often described as pleasant. What matters is that it feels good to you. If you have health concerns, check with a doctor first.
How long should I stay in the tub?
Around 15 to 20 minutes is usual. Many people find longer baths tiring.
Why use a hammam towel after a bath?
It is light, absorbs moisture well and dries quickly afterwards – in our experience in about 60 minutes indoors. That is handy in winter in particular, when the bathroom dries slowly.
Can I use the scrub in the tub as well?
Follow the directions on the packaging. We prefer to scrub beforehand in the shower so that the bath water stays clear.
How often is a bath a good idea?
Many people take a bath once or twice a week. That is usually more comfortable for the skin than a full bath every day.
Personally written by Martin – founder of BeachAndSteam and sauna operator at Lake Kulkwitz for more than 18 years.