Three Luxurious Treats for the Perfect Bath

A luxurious, richly scented bubble bath is one of the fastest, safest ways to rid ourselves of daily stress and whatever frustrations we may be harboring deep down inside. The prospect of a good, long soak in the fragrant, bubbly water, surrounded by softly burning candles may be one of those girly clich�s guys like to make fun of, but it's often the only thing that keeps me going during the last few hours spent in front of the computer on those never-ending weekday evenings. As a result, I'll introduce you to three of this summer's bathroom must-haves - and it's not particularly the flavors that I'm praising here, bur rather the concepts. So, before you decide to hop into that inviting tub of hot water, make sure you have these three types of bath essentials close by, for added comfort and self-indulgence.

The first one is a Molton Brown Candela - a scented candle that may initially come across as pricey (it's $84) - however, once you've discovered its surprisingly refreshing mix of notes and flavors, you'll be sure to keep a couple by your bath tub at all times. The Thai Vert variety I recently discovered combines lime, Moroccan eucalyptus, caraway, Indonesian patchouli and elemi, and will help you lapse into a deliciously scented (if temporary) state of refreshing forgetfulness.

The second "secret weapon" in the fight against boredom in the bathtub is Carol's Daughter Bath Bomb. It may sound slightly frightening - the whole "bomb" part, that is - but believe me, as far as I'm concerned, it's one of the greatest things to be invented in the past thousand years (after bath bubble, of course). Each bath bomb contains detoxifiers, natural butters and essential oils that will help relax any aching muscles and keep your skin well moisturized. You just have to drop them in the tub before jumping in and enjoy the slightly childish delight of watching them fizz away.

And finally, secret bathroom weapon number three is a luxurious bar of soap from Origins, aptly called Gloomaway Bath Bar. In an age of shower gels, a nice, old-fashioned bar of soap makes a nice change. Its delicious grapefruit flavor will give you a refreshing boost of energy and leave you feeling all content and optimistic - which means you'll most likely have a hard time putting it away. This being said, I'll leave you to mull things over before heading for the shops and getting yourselves one or all of these bathroom treats. They are definitely worth every penny.