Here’s What Happened When I Bathed in Chakra-Healing Bath Salts

Just because a luxurious soak using fabulously scented bath salts isn't the only way to take part in self-care doesn't mean it's not one of my favorites.

I love the quiet, meditative quality of bath time, so with the addition of ancient meditation practices, I'm completely sold. That's what immediately drew me to Indigo Wild and their Zum Chakra Shea Butter Bath Salts Gift Set, containing seven tubes of lovely bath salts for each of the seven chakras. When the team behind the company reached out to me to see if I'd be interested in trying them, I anticipated seven nights of chakra-healing baths, and happily took them up on the offer.

The Product

The Zum Chakra Shea Butter Bath Salts set consists of seven 0.8 oz. tubes, each containing rainbow-colored bath salts designed to heal one of the seven chakras. According to their website, they consist of natural sea salt crystals infused with shea butter and meadowfoam seed, as well as "vibrational energy."

They're scented with lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus, peppermint, frankincense & myrrh, sandalwood and dragon's blood, with each fragrance corresponding with one of the seven chakras. The set costs $22.95 on the Indigo Wild website.

 

The Experience

Dragon's Blood – Root Chakra

For my experiment with these bath salts, I decided to start with the dragon's blood bath salt, designed for healing the root chakra, and work my way up the body from core to crown, as I've always been told that the root chakra is the first of the chakras.

But what exactly are chakras? According to ancient beliefs, they're the seven centers of spiritual energy within the body, and each one rules different aspects of your sense of self. When the energy flows properly between them, your life becomes balanced, but when it gets blocked in certain areas, you might experience difficulties in that aspect.

For example, the root chakra is said to represent our instincts for survival and security, setting the foundation for all the chakras following it. According to the packaging, the scent of dragon's blood—a plant-derived resin I'd previously never heard of—is all about growing roots in the sense of self-preservation, but filling the user with positive energy. The salts were also colored orange, the color of the chakra at hand.

The bright scent of these salts was perfect for that, too. They had an herbal fragrance, like rosemary with some subtler earthy and citrus notes over it. I started by pouring just a little into the hot water of my running bath as an initial test. Since I've gotten used to bath bombs, I was surprised how mellow the fragrance in the water was, and that it didn't color the water at all. The directions said to sprinkle a tablespoon into the bath, but as I poured more and more in over time, I decided my best course of action was to dumb the entire tube in to get the full effect.

When I finally dipped into the hot water, I finally got the strong whiff of the scent that I was looking for. The herb smell was invigorating and made me feel mentally alert, while my skin felt slightly moisturized by the shea butter swirling around me. With groundedness in mind, I breathed deeply to try to embody that idea, and when my soak was done, I felt nurtured and cared for—and excited to try the next tube very soon.

Sandalwood – Sacral Chakra

I found another opportunity to take a bath the following night, this time moving up to the sacral chakra, which is believed to be tied to intimacy, creativity and romance. This one had a similar herbal scent, but with hints of woodsy sweetness. Again, I poured the whole bottle into the tub before swirling it around and stepping in, seeing yet again—as it was with all seven tubes—that it didn't dye the water, but made my body feel silky smooth. This time, I kept the concepts of love and creativity in my mind as I relaxed. While I didn't necessarily come up with some kind of ingenious idea afterward, I did feel like my thoughts were flowing freely and my heart was full of love, which was just as good.

 

Frankincense & Myrrh – Solar Plexus Chakra

It was a few more nights before my next bath. Before this experience, I'd heard of frankincense and myrrh in the context of religious texts, and had only imagined what they really smelled like. I was really pleased with the sweet, incense-like smell of these salts, and excited to jump into the bath with them.

These scents correspond to the solar plexus chakra, which is tied to confidence, assertiveness and identity. I remember this by associating the solar plexus with the vibrance and joy of the sun, and I intentionally thought about bathing in sunlight as I took my bath here. I honed in on the joy inherent in taking a lovely bath, and really did come out feeling like a million bucks.

Peppermint – Heart Chakra

I knew exactly what to expect when it came to a peppermint bath, which made me look forward to the experience even more. This bath salt was for the heart chakra, which governs the love, hope and beauty in our lives. The powerful smell of mint made my mind quite clear, allowing me to focus on the love I have in my life, and my gratitude for the relationship I have, which left me in a very positive mood.

Eucalyptus – Throat Chakra

Eucalyptus has never been one of my favorite scents because I find it quite harsh, so I wondered if I would enjoy bathing with this bath salt. Funnily enough, it corresponds with the throat chakra—one of my problem areas, according to past reiki healers. It's associated with the ability to speak the mind truthfully and communicate effectively with others, and I can get very hung up in my head and be too shy to say what's really on my mind in some situations.

But I was happy to find that, in the bath, I didn't mind the scent at all. It was diluted slightly, allowing the sweeter notes to come through, and making the scents of powerful mint and pine linger more in the background. I wouldn't say that the bath enhanced my communication abilities, but just being cognizant of that issue in the back of my head did give me opportunities to work on it in the coming days.

Rosemary – Third Eye Chakra

Some of my favorite earlier bath salts had been ones whose scents reminded me of rosemary, so when it was time to use the actual rosemary salts, I was pretty excited. I feel like it's a very uplifting and enlivening smell that allows me to think with clarity, and I always enjoy that experience.

It also correlates to the third eye chakra, said to rule intuition and perception beyond everyday logic. When I bathed in these bath salts, I focused on doing what I can to tune into people and use their body language and tone to understand what otherwise might be missed. While a bath probably won't make me psychic, it can remind me to be more situationally aware, which actually came in handy in the following days.

 

Lavender – Crown Chakra

After seven baths taken over a series of weeks, it was finally time to finish my chakra bath salt experience with the crown chakra. Seeing as I'm a little obsessed with lavender, I was happy to be able to save the best for last. This bath salt was designed for healing the crown chakra, dealing with consciousness, knowledge and peace, as well as connection to a higher consciousness. I don't necessarily believe in higher consciousnesses, believing that it all comes from within, so that's what I focused on as I bathed in this fresh, floral and slightly woody scent. I treated it as a meditation, feeling the sensation I held in every part of my body, and came out of the tub feeling very present—and also that I'd accomplished something, having gone through the entire ritual through the seven chakras.

 

Bottom Line

What I really like about the Zum Chakra bath salts set is that you don't actually have to believe in chakras or anything else to get use out of them. Personally, I think of them as seven different areas of life to be aware of and keep balance in, rather than an actual energy force that cycles through me. Still, with the right thoughts in mind, I still got the intended effects out of each bath I took with them. If you're feeling extra adventurous, you could even mix and match the bath salts to heal various chakras at once.

Regardless of all of that, each one has a really fabulous and unique scent, and the shea butters in them also make your baths extra hydrating. Bath products tend to get pricey, and I think $22.95 isn't at all bad for a set that'll last through at least seven baths. Obviously, if you're not a bath person, you probably won't benefit much from this gift set, but if you are, you really can't lose.

 

Want to learn more about the chakras? Click HERE to find out what happened when I visited a reiki healer who makes chakra potions.