For many of us, there’s nothing more relaxing than a warm bath. Whether you opt for restorative bath salts, colourful bath bombs or a traditional bubble bath, a good soak is a great way to unwind and relieve built-up tension, both in your mind and your muscles.

There are many ways to improve and add to your bathroom experience. From bathroom furniture and ornaments to bespoke lighting and a friendly rubber duck to keep you company, everyone has their own bathroom style.

However, if you want to make your bathtime as relaxing as possible, there are a few modifications you can make to create a truly serene bathing ambience. We’re going to delve into three separate ways to maximise the tranquillity of your bathing sanctuary.

The best music for a relaxing bath

Listening to music while you bathe is an excellent way to distract your mind from the day-to-day worries of life and enjoy the here and now. In order to find the most relaxing music for bathing, we scoured Spotify for playlists designed specifically for a chilled bathtime experience. We’ll present the top ten artists who were featured the most often, along with their most featured song.

• Billie Eilish is the most featured artist, appearing 142 times across the sample of over 100 bathing playlists. Her most popular song for relaxing in the tub is lovely (with Khalid). Will you be listening to it next time you take a soak?
• Ed Sheeran is the second most featured artist on bathtime playlists, appearing 131 times. His most featured song is Thinking Out Loud, which is also perfect for a romantic bath for two.
• Ariana Grande is the third most popular artist for bathing music, appearing on playlists 102 times. Her most featured song is God is a woman.

The most relaxing bathroom colours

The colour scheme of your bathroom is a very important factor in creating a relaxing atmosphere. While people inevitably have different tastes in decor, there are some colours that are more popular than others and are known for their calming effect.

Pale blues and pastel tones make for a calm and relaxing atmosphere that is easy on the eye. Think of a pebble beach to use as your colour guide and recreate the chilled ambience of a quiet stream or seaside spot with this natural colour palette.

For a more cosy feel, combine deep oaks and lighter oat browns with accents of white or pale grey. This will keep the natural feel that pastel tones offer while creating a moodier, slightly darker style reminiscent of older properties and country living. Warm lighting options with brass fixtures would be ideal to add a touch of vibrance to this snug bathroom style.

Alternatively, use an earthy orange or another bold colour as a feature, offset by a slightly off-white and accented with a brighter relative of your feature, such as gold in this instance. This combination of earthy, bright and neutral tones can be used for many colours, especially those in the warmer orange-red spectrum. This will create not only a stylish finish but an atmosphere reminiscent of hot summer holidays and sun-drenched Sundays that is sure to help you unwind.

Fragrances to relax both mind and body

Different scents and fragrances have been used for their calming effects for thousands of years. By using aromatherapy in the bathroom, you will be able to add another layer to the relaxing atmosphere that you’re striving to create. You do this in several different ways, such as using scented candles, incense, or perfumed soaps and bath bombs.

Jasmine is a sweet, floral scent that is known for its relaxing properties. The calming effect of this fragrance is perfect if you’re feeling tired or stressed, as it will help to ease your tension, allowing you to have the most relaxing bath possible.

Lavender is well known for its calming effect on the senses and is often promoted as an aid for sleep as it helps people enter a super-relaxed state. This fragrance is said to improve your mood, promote feelings of contentment and reduce stress, and is a great option for a truly relaxing bath.

Chamomile is a calming fragrance used to relieve anxiety and improve sleep quality. Chamomile tea is a popular pre-bedtime drink due to its calming effect on the senses and is another excellent floral scent to help you unwind in the tub.

Peppermint is a great choice for people who aren’t fond of floral scents, yet still want to try using aromatherapy to help them relax and unwind. Peppermint has a refreshing scent that gently invigorates your senses while allowing your tension to slip away.

Methodology

We wanted to create a guide for making your bathtime as relaxing as possible. To do this, we looked at three main areas - music, colour, and scents. For music, we analysed over a hundred different playlists on Spotify by searching “bath relax”. We then compiled these lists into a single datasheet and were able to identify which artists were the most popular to listen to in the bath, and also found each artist’s top bathing song.

For colours and scents, we searched the internet for articles that detailed the best colours and scents to use in the bathroom. We then took a selection for each that we thought were the most common, or most calming, choices for a relaxing bathtime.

Sources

Music - sortyourmusic.playlistmachinery.com

Colours - shutterfly.com

Scents - homesick.com