A good bath is one of those things that just caps off my day in a spectacular way.
Finally we have reliable hot water again, it seems. Whatever the hell they were doing to the water-heater and general water supply, it seems they have stopped. I tell you, lukewarm water baths in the midst of Midwestern winters–that is just a wretched sort of cruelty.
Now that I am back to biking to work, I am appreciating the goodness that is a bath even more. I never appreciate a bath so much as when I am really dirty. I mean, I bathe regulary, as any sane and socially adept person should, but your run of the mill just-keeping-tidy bath is never so richly satisfying as the bath you take when you've gotten horribly sweaty, filthy, or in general grum-laden. When I've gotten all sticky and sweaty from a haul-ass ride home, hitting the tub feels SO good.
Then there are always those nifty things you can add to a bath or use afterward. I'm anxiously awaiting my mail-order catalogue from cult Canadian bath-and-beauty products company LUSH. I got addicted to their natural deodorants a couple of years ago, while living in England. I'd been allergic to regular deodorants for a while, and could not get Tom's of Maine in the UK, so I figured I would try LUSH. I haven't used any other pitty-de-stinker than theirs ever since. Plus, they always have such neato products. I bought a facial scrubber called a Sushi Facial Roll, that smells like Celestial Seasonings' “Tension Tamer” herbal tea. I want to buy a Glitterbug for my sister and try some of their solid shampoos and some other nifties. Now that I have a good-paying job, I can splurge a little on nice-smelly stuff. The organic, handmade, non-animal-testing ethos of the company is just that much more of an excuse for me to waste money on bath goodies.
Of course some bath stuff rocks so much harder than others. Like I cannot recommend soaps from Bath and Body Works. They all smell the same and they all just tear up my skin. I like their lotions, but they are too perfumey to wear with anything else. When I use B&BW lotions, I cannot wear any perfume. Vickie's Secret lotions are all about the stank. They smell like roach killer on my skin. I love Crabtree & Evelyn sandalwood stuff when I can find it. Acutally, though I am a sandalwood slut. I had some soap I found at Wal-Mart, of all places that I thought just totally rocked–it was from SanFrancisco Soap Company and was the most lovely sandalwood-and-something-else-soft-and-musky blend.
Okay, enough rambling about bath products. This is about as much concentrated girliness as I can muster at a whack.