This past spring I experienced a beautiful at home Japanese bath ritual with hinoki cypress. The sensory experience was subtle, natural and felt clean. The aromatic scents from the hinoki wood satchel really resonated. 

Taking the time to draw a bath and unwind has become so much more meaningful over this past year. There have been chaotic days spent at home when drawing an afternoon bath was standard practice. With busy young boys, it was often the only moment I had to myself in a day.

After experiencing that peaceful retreat, I was longing for a bath soak with a pleasant natural scent profile that offered grounding aromatherapy with added skin benefits.

Inspired by the grounding retreat of bathing, I turned to earth as my muse.

THE PROCESS

Referencing our existing collection, I wanted to build our bath ritual around a concentrated foundation of soothing, skin nourishing ingredients.

The formulation of Terra (meaning earth in Latin) centers around an energetically pacifying and grounding aromatic profile. It offers a complete sensory experience that transcends beyond a pleasant scent to infuse water with minerals and skin softening nutrients for a natural, silky skin feel.

Traditional bath salts need to be portioned at much higher concentrations to have therapeutic effects, so with Forma Terra we are introducing minerals and skin nourishment using a base of colloidal oats, dead sea salt, mild kaolin clay and concentrated organic aloe powder for a clean, naturally infused bath ritual.

THE SOUND BATH

With the formulation concept in development, I continued to reflect on the dramatic lifestyle shift we all experienced in 2020. Recognizing the array of challenges and hardships that impact our mental health, I wanted to create a beautiful offering that inspires a moment for much needed self-care, with a tool to support deep relaxation to recharge both mind and body. I spent time discussing existing bath rituals with friends and family. Much like me, many find it difficult to unplug and unwind. During moments of stress and emotion when I really needed to reconnect with myself, I still felt restless and found myself rushing through my bath.

It was around this time that I discovered sound baths. Experiencing a live sound bath for the first time was a completely transformational experience. I compare it to that feeling at the end of a satisfying shavasana when you're so relaxed that your body feels weighted, you emerge feeling renewed and inspired. It is certainly an unconventional pairing with a bath product, but to me there is no better time to indulge in a beautiful harmonic sound bath than during your bathing ritual.

That's what makes the sound bath experience so wonderful, you can indulge in it anywhere you're able to find a quiet, comfortable space. All you have to do is listen and allow the expansive transitions in tone and symphony of sounds to take you to a place of calm and deep relaxation. 

THE RITUAL

To enhance the aromatic experience, dim the lights, ignite your favourite candle and fill your tub with warm water. When ready to begin your ritual, pour ¼ cup or a handful of Forma Terra into water to dissolve. Connect our sound bath audio mediation to a portable speaker to invite a deeper sense of calm. For gentle exfoliation, enjoy Forma Terra as a scrub. To complete this restorative ritual, while your skin is still damp post bath take a moment to lightly massage your favorite body oil or balm over you body to lock in hydration.

I can't wait for you to experience this transformational ritual with Forma Terra. Enjoy!

- Tannis