The Surprising Health Benefits Of Mineral Bathing

The Hayo’u Mineral Bath is back for good. But why was it missed so much? When it comes to self-care, bathing not only forces you to take time out for yourself but has so many other benefits too. Our intensely aromatic bathing minerals are infused with a potent blend of nutrient-rich rose quartz, Himalayan pink salt and lotus flower, frankincense and ylang ylang essential oils to deeply relax, ease tight muscles and tension, and soothe frayed nerves.

Bathing Benefits

From foot bathing before bed to improve your sleep to cleverly transforming your bathing salts into a delicious skin smoothing body scrub.

Foot bathing

Foot bathing, an ancient Chinese tradition, is in our view, quite incredible, especially if you’re having problems sleeping. ⁠The feet have more than 60 acupuncture points each, corresponding to different parts of the body, and in Chinese medicine, foot bathing is said to unblock the meridians allowing Qi to flow freely. This in turn boosts circulation, lowers blood pressure and releases stress, all conducive to a good night’s sleep.⁠

You don’t even need a bath, a washing up bowl will do. Add a handful our Mineral Bath salts to warm water and relax.

Smelling salts

Our founder, Katie, is a huge fan of simply smelling our bathing salts. With the scent of the ozone and aromatic essential oils, they can transport you to a happier place in an instant.

Body scrub

Combine our Mineral Bath salts with the Hayo’u Body Oil, and you have an instant body scrub. Rub gently with circulation movements to smooth the skin and soothe the mind.

Mineral Bath Ritual

If you have the time to spend – and it’s worth it, even just once a week – the Mineral Bath Ritual is a simplified version of the bathing routine from the ancient bath houses of China. The Chinese have known for centuries that bath with aromatic ingredients and minerals alongside breathing techniques is a potent de-stressing combination.

In this traditional way of bathing, alternate two or three times between hot and cold water. It is also the perfect treatment to do before bed. Avoid extreme temperatures, however, if you are not in good health, have high or low blood pressure, skin issues, or are pregnant.

1. Hot water
Fill your bath with a handful of Mineral Bath and soak for 20 minutes in water that is as hot as you can manage. Rather than getting straight into a hot bath, start with warm water, about a third full, and increase the temperature slowly. As you warm up, the relaxation response kicks in, your blood pressure decreases and your heart rate goes down.

2. Body combing
Boosting the circulation and lymphatic system with the Hayo’u Body Comb is all part of the Chinese bathing ritual.

3. Cold water
Brace yourself, but bear with us because this is the part that is going to leave your feeling amazing. Follow your bath with a cold shower, as cold as you can manage and for as long as you can bear. Next, turn the water to warm. Always end of warm at bedtime to calm and relax.

Bathing and Breathing

Bathing is the perfect time to practice the one-minute rescue breath ritual. If you haven’t paid much attention to your breathing before, you’ll discover that it is in fact the key to controlling your stress levels. This effortless technique is powerful because it gives your mind something to focus on. One minute of easy meditation if you like.

Lie back in the bath. Breathe in through the nose then sharply out through the mouth, stick out your tongue and making a ‘Haaaa’ noise as you do so. The clears the stale air that accumulates in your lungs when you breath shallowly. Repeat three times.

With your eyes closed, breathe in for five counts through the nose and out for five counts though the nose. Think of inhaling the oxygen deeply, to fill your chest cavity and down to your abdomen. Let your focus descend to your lower abdomen; your heart rate will slow, your blood pressure will drop and your muscles will begin to relax. Don’t worry about whether you’re breathing correctly, the key is taking your focus down into your body.

Visualise a smile happening in your lower abdomen. Do this by recalling the warm feeling you get when you smile, then imagine sending that feeling to your lower stomach.

You can find more bathing and breathing information in Katie’s book, Yang Sheng: The Art of Self-Healing, and the Mineral Bath bathing salts are available here.