At Bathing Culture, our goal has always been to deepen our personal connection
to nature through the tranquil and transformative power of bathing.
\xa0 From artists whose best ideas come in the sauna to surfers turned entrepreneurs, we’re constantly inspired by the stories we hear about how a connection to the water invigorates the soul. So we’re kicking off a new series diving deep with people we admire and their relationship with bathing.\xa0 \xa0 What better way to start than with a conversation with Tim, our very own co-founder? While his days are busy making sure your soap is always stocked, we pulled him aside to chat about how he finds time to connect with the world of bathing outside of work. \xa0 |
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\xa0 And what drew you to starting Bathing Culture?
\xa0 There were a lot of adventures that centered around bathing happening in my world, hiking to waterfalls and sticking my head under the water, moonlit hot springs hijinks, long swims in the ocean and soaks in a classic clawfoot tub. Around the same time I was feeling really listless about the products I was using and guilty about their impact on environmental and personal health. I also felt very disconnected from action addressing the environmental crisis. \xa0 \xa0 Spencer was on a lot of these adventures and was feeling the same way, we had wanted to work on something together, and together (with his experience in perfumery), and with Greg dreaming up a brand language, we started working together to make products that would connect folks to the joy, peace and awe of bathing, without harming the environment or personal health. \xa0 |
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\xa0 Let’s start at the beginning, what is your first or earliest memory of bathing?
\xa0 I’ve got some really sweet memories of the sound of rain and that links to dancing joyfully in warm rain as a kid. But like many folks my first real bathing memory is of being in the \xa0bath and having water poured over my head. It’s a feeling of pure delight. Thinking of it now brings a pleasant tingle to my spine and reminds me I’m never to old to pour a cup (or bucket) over my head. I’ve found these early bath memories coming back to me more often now that I have my own kid who squeals with delight when it’s bath time.\xa0 |
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\xa0 Can you share more about your relationship to bathing? Do you have any bathing traditions that you’ve learned and plan to pass on? \xa0 I’m very lucky in that working on building a community and goods around bathing I’m forced to think about it a lot. This kind of mindfulness is a gift in such a busy world. Everyone (I hope) interacts with bathing every day, whether it’s washing your hands, catching some sun, or soaking in icelandic thermal baths, most of the time it can be pretty thoughtless. Taking a minute and tuning in to the feel, sound and smell of a shower, is an incredible gift to yourself and your consciousness. \xa0 \xa0\xa0 Aside from being mindful ->\xa0 - The best showers start with getting dirty!
- Seek out social bathing (saunas, hottubs, swimming holes) \xa0
- For the best tub soak take a quick shower 1st\xa0
- If someone invites you to jump in an ice bath say yes, even if you hate the cold
- Have fun\xa0
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\xa0 Let’s talk about that beautiful sauna in your backyard. It makes sense that you’d have something that ties you to the bathing world, but what made you decide on a sauna? \xa0 I’m an avid gardener and in working on the design of this space, we really wanted to tuck in as many bathing delights as possible without making it ridiculous or a hodgepodge, early on, we had plans to have a korean style foot bath (ridiculous)! \xa0The sauna was the obvious choice for us, over its lifetime it’s slightly less costly or disaster prone than a hot tub.\xa0 \xa0 After a really good sauna, you feel like you’re clean on the inside, like you’ve been eating well and just had a great workout. It’s a feeling that is hard to get elsewhere.\xa0
A sauna is social or solitary, you get to wear fun felt hats, and there’s some lovely process around it. Hot sauna, cold shower, repeat. \xa0We’ve got an outdoor shower next to the sauna that helps facilitate this.\xa0
\xa0 \xa0 And of course, we have to ask, what product from the Bathing Culture line would you recommend? \xa0 The Heat Wave Body Oil is always on my bedside table and a daily go to. I do a lot of trail running and the arnica oil base does wonders to my muscles and has really helped my skin + it smells like a northern California beach. \xa0 \xa0 |
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