Best luxury bath products: Unwind with the best bubble baths, oils and salts
Treat yourself to the best luxury bath products for a flawless at-home wind-down
At the end of a long day or a hard week, there’s almost nothing more soothing than a warm bath of scented bubbles. A long soak in the tub with the right products will relax both your muscles and your mind, as well as softening and moisturising the skin.
A luxurious body treatment at a beauty spa may provide the same benefits, but this can be costly and may not always be convenient. A luxurious bath, on the other hand, is always a possibility for an at-home treat. Our pick of the best luxury bath products – from bubbles to oils and salt scrubs – will help you find the most nourishing and indulgent way to do just that.
We’ve soaked our way through a range of premium products that are brimming with high-quality ingredients in generous quantities, to give you (or your loved ones, if you’re gifting) an extra-special bathing experience. Find our top tips on luxurious bathing below, along with the most relaxing and lavish products for which you’ll want to set aside a quiet afternoon to enjoy.
Best luxury bath products: At a glance
- Best luxury bath bomb: Grace and Stella Natural Bath Bombs | £20
- Best for a good night’s sleep: L’Occitane Lavande Foaming Bath | £30
- Best for dry skin: Elemis Skin Nourishing Bath Milk | £50
- Best for smooth skin: Goop 5-Salt Detox Body Scrub | £39
- Best natural bubble bath: Bramley Bubble Bath | £18
How to choose the best luxury bath products for you
What are the different products can I put in my bath?
• Bubble bath is the classic bathtime treat – a soapy liquid or gel that foams into bubbles when poured under the taps or swooshed around by hand. Sensitive skins may prefer bubble baths that don’t contain sodium laureth sulfate or parabens – ingredients that produce the bubbles, but which may cause irritation. Bubble bath that uses natural alternatives and contains moisturising ingredients will reduce the possible drying effect of the bubbles.
• Bath oils containing a nourishing and moisturising base oil such as almond or coconut, combined with essential oils to bring a delicious scent to you and your bathroom, are perfect for dryer skins. Some bath oils gently foam while the taps are running, but won’t produce the same quantities of bubbles as a true bubble bath.
• Bath salts are inspired by the relaxing and skin-softening effects of mineral pools and hot springs in the wild, and the best bath salts are made with natural sea or rock salts (rather than man-made sodium bicarbonate or Epsom salts). Pure salt crystals make for an invigorating soak by themselves; popular additions include natural aromas or moisturising oils and glycerine.
• Bath bombs are similar to bath salts, and contain essential oils in an alkaline base that fizzes when added to water. The nicest bath bombs contain real botanicals such as flower petals and natural oils to make your bath wonderfully pretty and aromatic.
What makes a luxury bath product?
There are definitely plenty of occasions where a no-frills bubble bath is all you need for good clean fun, but if you splash a little extra cash on a premium product you’ll immediately notice several differences. To begin with, a good product will be noticeably thicker and denser in the bottle, and a little will go a long way in your bath.
Luxury bath products often contain more expensive ingredients such as essential plant and flower oils, rather than synthetic scents. They’ll also be produced using high-quality natural cleansing and moisturising ingredients such as honey, coconut, almond milk or sea salt. You should feel (and smell) an immediate difference upon entering the water, and your skin should be noticeably smoother and softer as you towel off.
READ NEXT: Our pick of the best body oils
How should I run the most luxurious bath?
Having splashed out on a premium bath product, it’s worth taking the time to make sure your bath is going to be truly relaxing by following these simple tips:
• Set aside enough time for your bath (30 to 50 minutes is ideal for a relaxing soak), lock the bathroom door and set your mobile devices to “do not disturb”.
• Lighting some candles can create a soft and relaxing atmosphere – tealights are a good option as they’re stable. Be sure to place your candles on a flat surface, far away from anything flammable.
• A warm (but not too hot) bath temperature of 40-45˚C will feel comfortable and help muscles relax. Any hotter than this may leave you feeling uncomfortably hot or even faint; a bath thermometer will help you run the taps just right.
• A waterproof speaker is a great bath accessory; gentle music or an audiobook can help the mind relax while your body unwinds.
• Gather everything you need before you begin, so you don’t need to leap out of the bath once you’re in. Make sure you have your bath products, candles, bathtime drink, speaker or music player and clean towels or bathrobe ready and easily to hand; a bath caddy will keep everything neatly in one place.
Now lie back and enjoy!
How we test luxury bubble baths
At Expert Reviews, we know that hands-on testing delivers the most complete information about a product. This is the reason we personally tested all of the bath products included in the roundup below.
Having noted the product type – bath foam, foaming oil or bath salts – and any particular instructions for use, we use the product in a warm bath as directed. Where a product promises foaming bubbles or a particular aroma, we evaluate how well these are created and maintained in the bathtub, and we note any softening effects on the skin during and immediately after use. We indicate the quantity of product required for one standard full bath, and how long we expect each bottle or jar to last with weekly use.
READ NEXT: Our pick of the best essential oils
The best bubble bath and luxury bath products you can buy in 2023
1. Neom Organics Scent to De-Stress Real Luxury Bath Foam: Best for unwinding from a busy week
Price when reviewed: £25 | Check price at LookFantastic
Made with a blend of 24 pure essential oils, this all-natural bath foam bubbles up a treat and will leave you feeling soft on the outside while utterly blissed out on the inside. Almond oil, aloe vera and marshmallow pamper and smooth your skin, while an aromatic combination of calming lavender, rosewood and jasmine helps your mind find its happy place. For added relaxation, light the candle in the same range (£48).
Key details: Pack size: 200ml
2. L’Occitane Lavande Foaming Bath: Best for a good night’s kip
Price when reviewed: £28 | Check price at John Lewis
If anxious thoughts and overwork have been keeping you up at night, this deeply relaxing bath foam with lavender essential oil will soak the stress right away. A little of this intensely aromatic bath foam goes a long way. Just two capfuls poured into warm running water will release an abundance of bubbles with a heady scent of French lavender, one of the best-known natural sleep and relaxation aids.
Key details – Pack size: 500ml
3. Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax and Bath Shower Oil: Best vegan bath product
Price when reviewed: £49 | Check price at Amazon
A delicious-smelling, organic, vegan and all-natural bath oil with nourishing coconut oil to soften the skin, and vetivert, chamomile and sandalwood oils to encourage calm and tranquil sleep. As well as being vegan, Aromatherapy Associates products are also free of sodium laureth sulfate, which can dry and irritate sensitive skin.
The bottle isn’t huge, but you won’t be pouring it straight into the tub: massage a few drops of this silky oil into the torso before stepping into your warm bath to release the calming aromas.
Key details – Pack size: 55ml
Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax Bath and Shower Oil 55ml, Restful and Tranquil Benefits
4. Elemis skin nourishing bath milk: Best for dry skin
Price when reviewed: £50 | Check price at LookFantastic
This wonderfully nourishing bath milk from Elemis will melt into dry skin, with its gentle formula leaving it feeling soft and soothed. Enriched with calming oat milk, jojoba and Japanese camellia oil, the non-foaming bath milk has a light scent and will turn your bath water beautifully silky without feeling oily.
Suitable for very dry, sensitive and eczema-prone skin, the oat milk in the formula is a natural calming agent that’s very effective for dry and easily irritated skin. Note, too, that the milk can even be used directly on the skin in the bath as a more intensive moisturising treatment.
Elemis recommends adding five cap fulls of bath milk to running water; in practice, we’ve found that three or four is plenty to get a relaxing and noticeable skin-softening result.
Key details – Pack size: 400ml
5. Grace and Stella Natural Bath Bombs with Essential Oils x 12: Best luxury bath bomb
Price when reviewed: £20 | Check price at Amazon
These all-natural, vegan and cruelty-free bath bombs come with a variety of gorgeously scented essential oils to relax, refresh and revive, blended with shea and cocoa butters, argan and olive oils to moisturise and rejuvenate skin.
Presented in a stylish box that’s ideal for gifting, the eucalyptus, peppermint and lemon scents are perfect to pep you up, while the lavender and chamomile bombs will help you relax and unwind for a good night’s sleep. Formulated without parabens or synthetic perfumes, these bath fizzers are the bomb (sorry) for dry and sensitive skin.
Key details – Pack size: 12 x 120g
6. Goop 5-Salt Detox Body Scrub: Best for smooth skin
Price when reviewed: £39 | Check price at Cult Beauty 
Slough away dead skin with this ultra-moisturising salt scrub. Five different salts including Himalayan pink rock salt and mineral-rich Dead Sea salt buff away dry, dull patches, and rosehip and olive oils hydrate and nourish.
This is a great product for pepping up post-winter dry skin, and is ideal to prep any rough areas before a fake tan treatment. Massage a handful of salt scrub into wet skin to buff and boost circulation, then relax in a warm bath to allow the oils to soak in.
Key details – Pack size: 200ml
7. Bramley bubble bath with geranium, lavender & sweet orange essential oils: Best natural bubble bath
Price when reviewed: £18 | Check price at Amazon
This bubble bath from Bramley smells fabulous and rejuvenates your skin using soothing lavender, geranium and sweet orange essential oils for ultimate relaxation. Its scent leaves you and your bathroom smelling gorgeous for hours after the bath is finished. The ingredients list is also impressive: this bubble bath is made with 100% natural botanicals, so it’s free from artificial colours and chemicals that irritate sensitive skin.
Bramley is super transparent about its environmental impact; as a small business manufacturing its products in Britain, it pledges to do everything it can to keep its products eco-friendly. That includes using completely recyclable packaging, vegan-friendly ingredients and keeping its products cruelty-free (ie, no animal testing). For the environmentally conscious out there, that means Bramley is a great option for total peace of mind.
Key details — Size: 250ml
8. Laura Mercier Néroli du Sud Bath and Body Oil: Best multitasking luxury bath oil
Price when reviewed: £60 | Check price at LookFantastic
French makeup artist Laura Mercier has put her name to many iconic beauty products over the years. She’s done it again with this gorgeously scented body oil with jojoba and French plum seed oils: it can be used either as a moisturising bath oil or as a nourishing body oil after your wash – a few drops will do the trick. Used in either way, it melts beautifully into the skin without feeling at all greasy, and leaves skin soft and smelling absolutely divine for hours.
For an extra luxurious treat, pair with the matching body cream.
Key details – Pack size: 100ml
