After a long day in the office, 29-year-old Helena, a graphic designer from Manchester, gets home, kicks off her shoes and runs a hot, steamy bath. A year ago, she might have gone straight to the sofa with dinner in-hand, but today’s priority is immersing herself in a hot tub of water.
“It’s the one moment in the day where I can properly switch off,” she says. “I light a candle, add a few drops of bath oil and some salts, and for half an hour, I don’t look at my phone — it feels like shedding off the day. A total reset.”
She’s part of a growing movement of consumers rediscovering the restorative power of bathing, seeing it not as a luxury, but as a ritual for mental clarity and calm. On TikTok, #BathTok is trending, with 15.5 billion views of the #Bath hashtag, while Instagram feeds are punctuated with pedicured toes emerging from bath tubs flanked by flickering candles and a curated array of oils, salts and tinctures.
The global bath and shower products market is currently valued at around $54 billion, with projections reaching approximately $80 billion by 2032. Retailers are taking note: at Space NK, revenue from bath oils has risen 180% year-on-year, while Cult Beauty reports a 25% rise. Bubble bath has also seen double-digit growth at Space NK, Sophie Wayman, the retailer’s category director for skincare, adds.
This renewed appetite for ritual offers an opportunity for beauty brands. Serial entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid, founder of Wah Nails and Beautystack, recently launched 39BC, a wellness line designed to honor the cultural history of bathing. Its debut collection is inspired by Mark Antony and Cleopatra, featuring four fragrance-infused body oils that are designed to envelop the skin post-bath. “Washing has been reduced to efficiency and hygiene,” Reid says. “Historically — whether in Rome, Istanbul or Kyoto — it [bathing] was the center of cultural and political life. I want to bring that sense of ritual back.”
Jo Malone London took a similar approach earlier this year with its wellness-focused Care Collection, a range of oils, scrubs, shower gels and soaps inspired by Roman bathing traditions. The brand partnered with Aire Ancient Baths, whose London outpost reinterprets Roman, Greek and Ottoman rituals, for its first-ever wellness treatment: a bespoke experience featuring its Restore body oil and body treatment scrub, now among Aire’s most-requested treatments.
Other fragrance houses are expanding into the category, too. By Kilian recently added a body lotion and hand and body wash to its bath line, while Perfumer H’s Lyn Harris recently unveiled Rain Wood shower wash, soap and body lotion. Diptyque has also seen success with its luxurious cleansing shower gels, soaps and handcare. “The category is being driven by fragrance brands who are expanding their ancillary offerings beyond hair mists into bath oils, bubble baths and shower gels,” says Wayman.
Homeware favorites are also turning their attention to the tub. Baina, whose design-led towels have already made it into chic bathrooms around the world, now extends its offering with Apothecary, a line of bath milks, salts and more. Meanwhile, Piglet in Bed — best known for its linen sleepwear and bedding — made the leap from bedtime to bathtime with Wallow, its collection of body washes, oils and creams.
The challenge now lies in turning ritual into real revenue. With bathcare still largely framed as an indulgent offshoot of skincare or fragrance, the question is whether it can mature into a standalone category — or if its success will always depend on the halo of more established lines, including fragrance and skincare. For every launch that celebrates ritual and heritage, there’s a commercial test: can the bath boom sustain consumer interest beyond the scrollable aesthetics of #BathTok?
The ritual economy
The bathing resurgence reflects a deeper consumer mindset. “Bathing plays an evolving role in selfcare and cultural rituals,” says Olivia Houghton, beauty, health and wellness lead at strategic foresight agency The Future Laboratory. “It reflects a shift toward prioritizing wellness and mental health, where rituals are seen as opportunities for relaxation, self-reflection and personal care.”
“As the world grows more chaotic, people are yearning for simplicity — for moments that anchor them in the present,” says Lindsey Bro, bathing expert and author of Thermal: Saunas, Hot Springs Baths. “A bath invites awareness; it draws us fully into the here and the now. Whatever your reason for bathing, it’s ultimately about reconnecting — with yourself, others, nature — in a way that remains accessible to most people.”
Beyond the emotional appeal, the practice offers tangible benefits. Studies show regular hot baths may reduce cardiovascular risk, regulate blood sugar levels, ease tension and enhance recovery.
“The rising focus on longevity, stress reduction and holistic well-being has put timeless practices like hydrotherapy, thermal bathing and mineral soaks back in the spotlight,” notes Laura Montesanti, spa expert and founder of Synergy: The Retreat Show. Post-pandemic, she says, there’s been a clear pivot toward experiences that feel both grounding and communal.
The bathing blueprint
Several beauty founders have successfully leveraged this shift. Vieve, founded by makeup artist and influencer Jamie Genevieve, entered the category in 2023 with Bathleisure, a six-product selfcare line spanning bath soaks, salts, oils and eye masks. “A daily bath is my quiet, restful time,” Genevieve says. The range has outperformed expectations, with 45% of sales stemming from full kits — evidence of appetite for the complete ritual. “Bathleisure spotlights the role selfcare plays in beauty routines, from the makeup chair to the bathroom shelf,” says Vieve CEO Emma Dawson.
Other influencer-founded brands are also making inroads. Estée Lalonde’s Mirror Water — whose line includes salts, a dry body brush, a candle and a soap cleanser — calls its products an “antidote to pressure”. Iskra Lawrence’s Saltair, with its serum-based body washes and oils, has achieved near-instant sell-outs since making its UK debut. Their success lies not only in their sensorial appeal and efficacy, but also in their founders’ personal narratives of self-acceptance and care, which resonate with consumers seeking emotional as well as physical results.
More established luxury players are benefiting, too. Laura Mercier’s Honey Bath has become a cult favorite, amassing a 4,000-person waitlist on European online beauty retailer Lookfantastic ahead of its March relaunch. “Aesthetically pleasing bath rituals have become part of the broader lifestyle conversation,” says Elizabeth Reynolds, UK manager at Laura Mercier. “The combination of an indulgent formula and a recognizable honey dipper transforms bathing into a dreamy ritual — an experience that taps into both nostalgia and selfcare.”
The bathhouse is back
The bath revival isn’t confined to bathrooms. Bathhouses, spas, hotels and wellness clubs are redefining communal relaxation for a new generation. Research shows that more Gen Z and millennials are opting to meet friends at saunas or plunge pools rather than for a drink — a notable cultural shift from older generations — suggesting that this is a growing trend.
Bathing-centered destinations are all the rage. In Europe, Estelle Manor’s Eynsham Baths, inspired by Roman thermae, has become a key draw for hotel guests. “It’s a sanctuary where water wears away the tension of modern life,” says Estelle Manor founder Sharan Pasricha. Elsewhere, Palazzo Fiuggi’s magnesium and salt-rich thalassotherapy pools continue to attract wellness travelers, and Six Senses Rome’s caldarium, tepidarium and frigidarium also emulate the rituals of Roman bathing.
New openings such as The Newman in London’s Fitzrovia will spotlight Scandinavian hot-cold bathing, boasting a halotherapy room, a Finnish sauna and a hydrotherapy pool. Not to mention hot and cold plunge destinations like Arc and Community Sauna Baths, which are now a mainstay in the daily routines of many Londoners.
“Spas are investing in thermal suites, saltwater baths and standalone bathhouses, because guests are willing to pay for experiences that feel both luxurious and healing,” says Montesanti. “Those that blend cultural authenticity with modern design resonate most widely.” She predicts the next evolution will go even further, combining purification ceremonies, aromatherapy and even aquatic movement therapies, such as Watsu, to create holistic, multisensory experiences that work on physical and mental health.
For brands, this growing intersection between ritual, community and wellness presents significant opportunities. Reid sees 39BC expanding naturally into these spaces. “We’ve already had interest from spas and wellness destinations,” she says. “Translating private ritual into community experience allows us to root our story in the oldest bathing traditions while reimagining what those spaces can feel like today.”
This renewed fascination with bathing reflects a collective craving for slowness, sensuality and connection in a culture defined by speed. Brands that can fuse authenticity, storytelling and efficacy — whether through immersive spa collaborations or at-home rituals — will lead the way, culturally and commercially. After all, the bath has been a site of restoration and community for millennia. Its resurgence isn’t a fleeting trend, but a return to something deeply human — and commercially, a market that’s only just warming up.
