Why You Need A Spiritual Bath In Your Life (+ Exactly How To Draw One)

If there's anything better than a nice, hot bath, it's a bath that's been upgraded with intention and a ritualistic touch. Here's what spiritual baths are all about, plus how to draw one for yourself, according to experts.

The key to drawing a spiritual bath, according to healer and author of Ritual Baths Deborah Hanekamp, is to couple bathing with intention. "Simply put, a ritual bath is submerging the body—even just the feet, hands, or head into water—plus intention," she tells mbg.

Humans have had a spiritual connection to water for generations, she adds, "and creating ritual around that connection is one of the many universal practices that most of us carry within our lineages dating back to ancient times."

Whether it's visiting a spring for healing, submerging yourself in water as a dedication to faith, or drawing a bath with salts and stones, Hanekamp says, these would all qualify as spiritual baths.

Again, as Hanekamp explains, many of us feel a subconscious pull to water. We need it to survive, yes, but it's also energetically healing—something many cultures have understood for centuries.

From Ancient Greece to Ancient India, Egypt to Israel, to modern-day baptisms, and more, bathing has had a long-standing place throughout human history1.

And the nice thing about spiritual baths is that you can make them your own. Infusing your bath with intention, and whatever spiritual tools you like to work with, is not a closed practice but rather something accessible and soul-nourishing that anyone can do.

Think of a spiritual bath as a bath that refreshes not only your body but also your soul. As Hanekamp puts it, "We all understand that you feel one way before you take a bath and another way when you get out of the bath. This sense of feeling cleansed goes beyond the physical body and into the mind and spirit as well."

The "purpose," if anything, is determined by you and your intention. But in general, you could say the purpose is to give yourself the time and space to be present with yourself and your body so you can work through the internal and energetic healing that comes up in that space.

And therein lies the benefit. "Cleansing is healing, grounding, and inspiring; all of life intuitively knows this; maybe this is one of the reasons why all of life needs water," Hanekamp explains.

According to Hanekamp, there are a lot of different approaches to ritual baths, depending on what you're looking for. Here are a few ways to infuse your bath (or shower or foot soak) with intention:

While a spiritual bath isn't the same as a sound bath, you can also incorporate sound into the ritual whether using chimes or a singing bowl before or after your bath to clear the space.

Hanekamp adds that acknowledging how you feel before and after the bath can also help you reflect on and seal the experience.

If you're into fragrant essential oils or plants, you can incorporate those into the bath. Not every oil is safe to use in a bath, though, so check out this guide first.

Debra Haugen, founder of Gemstone Organic, previously explained to mbg that spiritual baths can also be great for chakra clearing and healing. In that case, you could incorporate different things related to whichever chakra you're working with, for a chakra-focused spiritual bath. If you need a refresh, here's our primer on the seven chakras and how to work with them.

You're welcome to add any ingredients you'd like to your bathing experience, but this list from Hanekamp and Haugen can serve as inspiration:

Taking a bath is never a bad idea, and a spiritual bath is sure to make it that much more rewarding. You can opt to customize it with your favorite spiritual tools, but at the end of the day, all you really need is you, water, and your intention.