Supe up your soak
For centuries natural spas have attracted hordes, eager to bathe in their mineral goodness – but now the spa can come to you. Abi Jackson soaks up the wonders of the humble bath salt
Wellbeing has always been important, but it’s also become a bit of a buzzword in recent years and naturally, as a result, a flourishing industry surrounds it.
Yet, some of the most reliable and effective methods for looking after and promoting good wellbeing are those which have been around for donkey’s years. The no-frills and often low-cost rituals tried and tested through the centuries.
Take the humble bath salt. Nature offers countless ways of harnessing the earth’s own goodness for our own benefit, and mineral-packed salts are a fine example.
When the Peng-tzao Kang-mu was published in China in the year 2,700 BC, the earliest pharmacology book on record, it contained a significant chunk on salts, with more than 40 varieties and their potential uses detailed.
The Romans were also fans of the healing properties of salts, while Cleopatra favoured indulgent soaks in water from the Dead Sea – famed for its high salt levels – as part of her beauty regime.
Bath Salts
Long before spas were fancy places where lucky ladies headed for Jacuzzi and massage-filled pampering weekends, natural spas were discovered around the world, and became destinations for wellness.
To bathe in these mineral springs brought the promise of many a cure, a revived mind and even, in some cases, eternal youth (though, as yet, I’m afraid there are no official cases of this promise coming true).
Today, you don’t even need to travel to reap the benefits, as salts from around the globe are now extracted and imported and readily available.
Baths aren’t as popular as they once were – showers are so much speedier and easier – but if you are a devotee of old-fashioned bathing, you’ll know how wonderfully relaxing the ritual can be.
A warm bath is a great way to unwind before bedtime, a brilliant excuse for parents to shut the door on family chaos for half an hour’s peace and, if you’re a smartphone addict, a useful way to remind yourself that you can survive if you detach from your device for a while – and you might even feel calmer for it.
Adding salts could super-charge your soak, whether you want to relax before bedtime, soothe and restore sore muscles, or help reduce a dry skin condition such as eczema or psoriasis.
“Salts are a complete part of my everyday life,” says Penny Hamilton, brand development manager at Westlab (www.westlab.co.uk). “I have all three of our salts at home at all times. My household uses Dead Sea the most, as I use it for my children’s dry skin, and my husband loves mixing it with his shampoo to keep his scalp fresh and help remove hair products. I bathe in our Epsom or Himalayan at least twice a week to keep me feeling healthy and energised.”
It was their children’s eczema and asthma which led Penny and her old school friend Scott Livingston to explore the benefits of salts and eventually launch Westlab – which imports and produces a range of Epsom, Himalayan and Dead Sea salts – in 2004. Their range is available online as well as in Tesco Nutricentres, Sainsbury’s stores and Amazon.
In the last three years, the company’s seen more than 125% growth year-on-year, as the natural health sector continues to boom.
The modest Epsom salt has even been given the celebrity seal of approval recently, with A-listers like Jennifer Lawrence, Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham confessing to using them.
“At the moment, [our most popular product] is most definitely the Epsom salt,” says Penny. “They have gone from being something your granny used to soak her feet in, to a wonder product. Plus, with everyone being much more conscious of health and exercise right now, they are also becoming a household staple for people to use after sports or the gym.”
When it comes to post-exercise relief, the magic ingredient in salts is magnesium, which plays a vital role in muscle and nerve tone and function.
After a work-out, restoring magnesium – which can be absorbed via skin through a salt-rich soak – can help minimise inflammation and speed up recovery.
“The key to salt bathing is that the salts are rich in minerals, especially magnesium. We are very selective of where we source our salts, so that they have high magnesium content,” explains Penny.
“Epsom Salt was discovered in Surrey in the 17th Century by a farmer, and has since been used as a bath salt for drawing out toxins and helping relax tired and aching muscles. It’s very popular in sports recovery and physiotherapy treatment to assist in muscle rehabilitation.”
Similarly, these minerals can promote physical and mental relaxation, thereby aiding a good night’s sleep.
“The bromine element [of Dead Sea salts] is also a popular 19th and early-20th century sedative which has a unique relaxing effect on muscles and nerves, which is why they are good for winding down,” says Maxine Bath, spa manager for Dead Sea Spa Magik, whose products are stocked in Holland & Barrett, Debenhams, John Lewis and various independent health stores. “They create a wonderful relaxation sensation.
“The bromides, magnesium and potassium minerals in the salts are also remarkable in improving skin texture,” Maxine adds. “Dead Sea minerals are renowned for their exceptional beautifying and medicinal properties, as they have a unique ability to attract and retain moisture.
“For centuries, people from all over the world have journeyed to the Dead Sea to benefit from the therapeutic effects of its mineral crystals. The salts contain 21 beneficial minerals and are used on the skin for their curative and therapeutic properties.”
It’s not just people with skin conditions who can benefit. As Maxine points out, utilising these components can result “in healthier looking skin and a relaxed state of mind”.
As well as home-grown Epsom and Dead Sea salts, Himalayan salts are also worth a look. “Himalayan salt was formed more than 250 million years ago, which is what makes it so wonderfully pure, as there is absolutely no pollution in it,” Westlab’s Penny says. “It is much more recent in its popularity than Dead Sea and Epsom salt, but is now widely used for detoxification and skincare.”
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