Imagine a bathtub piled high with fragrant bubbles. The warm water eases the tension from your muscles as you sink into the caressing foam. Your anxieties melt away. You feel relaxed, pampered and full of hope for the day ahead.

 While many of us associate bath time with splashing toddlers and rubber duckies, time spent in the tub isn’t just for children anymore. Adults are heading back to the basics of bathing as a new crop of bath products hits the market with promises ranging from revitalized skin to a revitalized life. Barely have time for a shower, let alone a luxurious soak? New research shows that even a ten to twenty minute dip in a soothing bath can cure a variety of ailments for adults and give you a whole new outlook on life.  It’s all about adding the right ingredients to your bath!

 Tension Tamers

 Are you sore after a hard workout or stiff from a long day at your desk? Try adding peppermint to your bath. Peppermint, when applied to skin, stimulates cold-sensitive nerve endings that dull pain receptors and create a cooling sensation on contact. German researchers have also found that rubbing a diluted solution of peppermint oil onto temples can banish a tension headache in as little as fifteen minutes. Enjoy the soothing benefits of peppermint at home with homemade bath salts. Just mix one cup of Epsom salts with one cup of sea salt in a large bowl and add approximately fifteen drops of peppermint oil. Several drops of rosemary or eucalyptus oil will also compliment peppermint well. Store the salts in an airtight jar and mix three tablespoons into a warm bath whenever muscles feel achy.

 Curb your Sweet Tooth

 Struggling with your diet? Inhaling the scent of vanilla can cut your cravings for chocolate and other candy in half, according to British researchers. When you smell the sweet scent of vanilla, your brain releases a chemical called serotonin, which creates feelings of happiness and relaxation - the same kind of happiness and relaxation you feel after you’ve given in to a craving for candy. By savoring the scent of vanilla in a comforting bath you can fast forward to the blissful feeling of having indulged without having to short-circuit you diet. Enjoy one of the many vanilla scented bubble baths, body washes or scrubs available at your local market or beauty supply store or whip up your own vanilla concoction at home. Just stir together two tablespoons of olive oil, half a tablespoon of cocoa butter and half a tablespoon of honey in a saucepan over low heat. When these ingredients are melted, remove the mixture from heat and let it cool for several minutes. Then stir in two teaspoons of vanilla extract and a vitamin E capsule. When hunger strikes, just add four tablespoons to bathwater to indulge your sweet tooth without the guilt.

 Banish bothersome Breakouts

 The secret to clear skin is no farther than your fruit bowl. Lemons are full of natural blemish beaters like alpha hydroxy acids, which exfoliate skin and reduce inflammation. Plus, the acid in fresh lemon juice sinks in to pores to help kill the bacteria that causes breakouts. For an at-home remedy, steep two bags of lemon tea in eight ounces of hot water for several minutes. Remove the tea bags and add a few tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and one cup of milk. Then add the whole mixture to a warm bath. The combination of steam and warm water and the lemon and milk in this recipe will open and exfoliate clogged pores and moisturize skin at the same time, leaving your skin glowing and you feeling fresh.

 Soothe away Stress

 After a hard day, many people want to head straight for bed. Ease enflamed emotions with a quick soak in lavender infused bathwater. Lavender has long been renowned for its healing and soothing powers and ability to cure insomnia. A few whiffs of this Provencal pleasure, and you can’t help but feel relaxed. Color experts also claim that the deep purple-blue of the fresh herb triggers stress-fighting chemicals in the brain. Sprinkle your bathwater with dried lavender or add a few drops of lavender oil to running water. To ease sore muscles and a frantic mind, use the Epsom salt recipe mentioned earlier in this article, but substitute lavender oil for the peppermint oil. There is also a slew of wonderful lavender soaps, bath oils and lotions available on the market today. For the best results, look for products containing real lavender oil.

 Feeling both Wired and Tired?

 Try the citrusy scent of neroli oil, which has a sedative effect, in your bath. Researches at the University of Vienna in Austria recently discovered that the odor molecules of neroli oil travel to the emotional center of the brain, the limbic lobe, and work to soothe restlessness. To create an at-home spa add several drops of neroli oil (available at many health food stores) to your bathwater or try a product containing neroli oil. For a night of deep slumber, spritz your pillows with a neroli scented linen spray.

 Get rid of Cellulite

 Want to diminish the appearance of those discouraging dimples? Use bath products with real papaya extract. Papaya enzymes help reduce puffiness in skin and the appearance of cellulite by buffing away dead skin cells and giving skin a radiant glow. Soak in a papaya bath and be sure to follow up with an exfoliating product that contains papaya enzymes. Can’t find it in the store? Make a paste of fresh, mashed papaya and coarse sea salt and apply to affected areas.

 Another way to lessen the effects of cellulite is with caffeine. Many new bath products contain this eye-opening chemical, which stimulates circulation beneath the skin to flush away dimply fat and reduce puffiness. For a quick remedy at home, just save the coffee grounds from your next pot. Hop in the tub or shower and rub yourself down with the grounds for several minutes before rinsing away.

 Finish flaky Skin

 Slough off dry, flaky skin the natural way: with baking soda. The sodium bicarbonate of baking soda causes a fizzing action in bathwater that massages away dead cells. The fine grain of baking soda also makes and excellent exfoliant for sensitive skin. Just make a paste of baking soda and water and rub in a gentle, circular motion over skin before rinsing.

 Peace of Mind

 The psychological effects of a good, long soak, while not as documented as the physiological effects, are also easy to enjoy. A few minutes of silence in the warm cocoon of a bathtub with the gentle lapping of the water against your skin can work wonders for your mindset. While taking time out of your busy schedule to focus for a few minutes on your self everyday may seem impossible, the benefits of a renewed mind and spirit far outweigh the sacrifices to your schedule.

 Don’t run to the medicine cabinet next time you feel an ache or pain. Instead, try slipping into a soothing bath for a few minutes to melt your pain away. By adding the right ingredients to your tub you can turn a basic bath into a spa of healing bath time bliss!