I love a good ritual bath. Not only does it feel super relaxing but for me it’s an all purpose cleanse and reset from your magical workings. Ritual baths can be easily altered to fit any need - from a specific spell to a basic protection so it’s a perfect ritual with a few alterations to make each bath specific to fit your needs.
Do you need a bath to take a ritual bath
I want to clarify that you don’t actually need a whole bath tub to take a ritual “bath”. Taking a shower or any kind of body cleanse would be completely appropriate if you are not able to sit in a bath safely or don’t have access to an actual bath tub. The act of cleansing with specific elements is enough to create a ritual in any type of way that works for you and your body.
The magic of water
Water is the main magical ingredient here. As a carrier of energy water has the unique magical abilities to cleanse, create and help protect in times of need.
The thing I love about ritual baths is the altered state of mind you can easily create just by submerging yourself in water. For me Water becomes the alternate reality wherein you can work your magic. You can easily sink your energy into this flow and ease your mind into the magical state without a ton of excess work.
Creating an ambiance
If you want, you can solely rely on visualization during the ritual bath – no need to clutter your space with various items to make it magical. However, if you wish to enhance the ambiance and make it feel more magical, incorporating specific items can help shift the energy in the bath space to better resonate with you.
Candles
Candles for me create the most sophisticated witchy atmosphere. I don’t always have the most aesthetic candles but any candles, even tea lights spaced out around the bath with the lights off make things feel more authentic to me. The flicker of the candles against the dark room always creates a more powerful ritual bath feel.
If you want to add candles to your ritual bath you can choose candle colors and scents specific to your needs. I usually just add white candles because it’s just what I have on hand but it would be great to use purple candles for healing, black for protection, and so on and so forth.
Crystals
I’m definitely a crystal girly so adding crystals around the bath also helps set the vibe. It would be great to have large chunky crystals but I’ve also used tiny hand held crystals and they work just the same.
For protection try setting out dark crystals like Smoky Quartz or Amethyst. Or if you are wanting to manifest abundance try a Citrine.
Incense
I’m not really specific on incense - but this could just be a me thing. Of course you can use hand crushed herbs in a charcoal briquette but honestly any type of incense will work.
If you want to make your incense specific to your needs choose one that has magical properties that align with your intention.
Herbs
Like a bath tea I love adding ritual herbs to the water. Rose petals are lovely for a beauty ritual or just to make the water look pretty. Just make sure that pesticides are not present in the herbs and plants you use and that what you are adding to your bath is intended for a bath time routine.
If you don’t want to pick out all those leaves and steps from going down your drain try adding your herbs to a small cloth drawstring bag and dipping that into the water.
Day and time
Choosing the right day and time can also help elevate your intention. For instance if you are wanting to create more abundance working your bath on a Thursday can help enhance that vibe. You can also choose to do your ritual baths around certain moon phases or astrological alignments.
My citrus bath cleanse
One of my favorite ritual baths is a simple citrus cleanse. I like to perform this monthly during the full moon when the weather starts to warm up.
Oranges help me revise my energy from a long winter and the salt helps bring about protection. The magical properties of oranges are also known to help replenish energy, cleanse and protect so it’s a perfect working element for this type of magic.
What you need
- Candles
- Incense
- Orange
- Orange or lemon essential oil ( optional)
- Salt
What to do
Slice your fresh orange into thin slices. Add some sprinkles of salt to each orange slice. I like to use thick rock salt but feel free to use whatever salt you already have available.
Fill up your bath with the warmest water you can stand and add the orange slides. They should float on top of the bath.
Line your bathroom or the rim of the tub (if it’s safe!) with white candles. I usually use 5-6 tea lights but even just a single candle is fine. If you can’t safely use candles in your bath, skip this step, or alternatively you can use electronic lights, light battery operated candles or a nightlight.
For a more scent experience - add 10-15 drops of essential oils to your bath.
Once your bath is filled - step into the water slowly sitting down and getting comfortable. As you lower yourself into the bath imagine all the stressful energy leaving your body as the water touches you.
Spend a few minutes fully submerged in the water and meditate on your energy being cleansed by the salt and water and replenished by the oranges.