Destressing the holidays can start in your bathroom

“Tis the season to be jolly!” Indeed, but with elevated stress levels during the holidays, I sooner find myself saying “Calgon, take me away!” For those of you unfamiliar with this phrase, it’s from a 70s TV ad where a stressed-out woman is unraveling over “the traffic, the boss, the baby, the dog!” She rescues herself by losing her cares in the luxury of a Calgon bath. I mistakenly thought Calgon was a bubble bath, but it’s actually the trade name for complex salt, Sodium hexametaphosphate (NaPO3)6. Simply put, it’s a water softener.

So how can a bath, even with Calgon, rescue us from all the over-scheduling, stretched finances, shopping, wrapping, baking, gathering and traveling we put ourselves through this time of year?

Better yet, how can a DIY article help us stop stressing and start relaxing?

The answer: create a DIY-day spa in your very own bathroom.

A space where you can relax, pamper yourself, self-care—call it what you’d like—your bathroom is the perfect place to de-stress, and in turn, invite the holly jolly back into your life.

The following DIY projects are simple ways to turn your bathroom into a rejuvenating haven that won’t break the bank.

■ Rain Showerhead with High Pressure Pulsating Shower Wand Combo — Get the best of both worlds—relaxing and invigorating—when you transform your shower experience with this easy DIY installation. Luxuriate with soothing rainfall, then with a flip of a lever, stimulate circulation and loosen tense muscles with massage spray settings of a handheld wand. Shop for brands that offer a 2-in-1 shower combo that also features a water-saving pause feature or WaterSense rating for better water efficiency.

■ Portable Jet Bath Spa — We all know the benefits of a hot bath, especially when adding a bath bomb, essential oils, Epsom salt, or yes, even Calgon.

Now add jets and bubbles, and we’re really talking relaxation. You can turn your ordinary tub into a mini whirlpool with a portable spa device. They’re designed to fit any tub with a quick and easy application, and will recirculate the water with steady jets and/or bubbles.

■ Toilet Bidet— Besides saving paper and lessening paper waste in sewage treatment plants, water, a universal solvent, cleans better than paper wiping.

What’s more, the warm water rinsing is truly soothing. Bidet toilet seats are available to retrofit most toilets and unlike a freestanding bidet, are DIY friendly with basic plumbing skills.

■ Towel Warmer — There’s something very comforting and luxurious about wrapping yourself with a warm towel or robe. There are attractive freestanding towel warmers that simply plug in for under $100—no need to wall mount or hardwire them.

■ Aroma Therapy — Certain scents are known to promote relaxation like lavender, bergamot, and jasmine.

Aromatherapy diffusers can be used with these types of natural essential oils.

Especially in smaller spaces, like a bathroom, diffusing the air with these scents will do wonders for body and mind.

■ Light Therapy with a Mini Ceiling Projector — Lighting can radically change a person’s mood. In fact, leading studies have shown quantifiable evidence that light effects one’s mental and behavioral state. Imagine the relaxation you’d feel while watching reflections of ocean waves, stars, or northern lights on your ceiling as you soak in a bath.

■ Sound Bath — The final touch to a relaxing space is to fill it with soothing sounds. Not just spa music, the origins of sound baths date back to ancient civilizations like Egypt, Greece and India. These societies recognized the transformative powers of tone and vibration from things like chanting and singing bowls.

Now imagine a sound bath…while taking a bath. Of course, to fully experience a sound bath, it should be in a live setting, but a high-quality sound bath app and waterproof over-ear headphones will transfer the vibrations and resonances like a charm.