Pardon Me, Ma’am, But We’ve Been Summoned to Investigate Allegations that You Have a Koala Bear in Your Bathtub

The gestational calendar rolls over to 36 weeks today, and let me tell YOU that with each consecutive increase in the weekly digit beyond about 30ish, this body collects another set of aches and pains in places I didn’t know I could ache or pain. 

But I didn’t come here to whine. 

(Collective sigh of relief.)

I came here to tell y’all about something I’ve found that doesn’t magically end the aches or pains, but does take the sting off at the end of a hard day.

No, Jo-Lynne, not a chocolate martini.  But here’s something so good I could almost drink it:

What? You can’t read the label? Okay, Granny, lemme help you out. It’s Bath & Body Works’™ Aromatherapy Stress Relief Bath soak in Eucalyptus Spearmint.  And having a nice tubby full of hot water and a handful or two of these cute little pebbles to look forward to after the small fry’s in bed and the laptop’s stopped humming has been keeping me going lately.  I’ve been enjoying the B&BW products in this scent for several years now — you can get anything from massage oil to hand soap to essential oils in Eucalyptus Spearmint — but for me, this Bath Soak delivers a the most potent dose of an amazingly fresh, warm and peaceful aroma with the least amount of effort, and anything low on the effort-ometer pleases Her Majesty greatly these days.

On the label you can’t read above, the product proports to help you:

Think clearly.

Because

Eucalyptus Essential Oil clears the mind to improve concentration.  Spearmint Essential Oil is uplifting and helps the mind to focus.

Well, now, I don’t rightly know about all that.  I haven’t thought clearly since 2004, but the spa-fresh, cozy fragrance does encourage me to inhale as deeply as anyone with lungs currently smooshed to the size of walnuts can, and exhale extra slowly (and somewhat unwillingly), which I think probably tricks the old body into believing she’s involved in some sort of zenlike yoga type deal, and causes her to unwind and melt into the soothing water, thereby relaxing my little joints and soothing the hurties and just generally lavishing me with the physical manifestation of a nice motherly, "It’s allllll riiiiiiight, you’re gonna be juuuuuuuust fiiine" reassurance.  Comfort.  Tranquility.  Aaaaaaaaah-ness. 

The Soak doesn’t promise to do anything in particular for skin, so no claims to confirm or deny there, but I will say that my skin’s pretty sensitive on a normal day and as precious as a fresh peach when it’s pregnant, and I have no problems with drying, breakouts or itching even though I’m up to my neck in it three or four times a week. So that’s a great sign for others who tend to react badly to scented products. So if you need a little slow-me-down at the end of your long days, pregnant or not, you might want to grab a pretty jar of this yummy bath soak and give it a whirl.

Just make sure you lock the bathroom door or you may end up with unexpected company — eucalyptus leaves are a delicacy to sweet little fuzzy tree-dwelling marsupials.

Megan blogs regularly at FriedOkra.