This book, more of a reference guide, delivers exactly what it promises in the description. There are 16 bathing rituals that align with phases of the moon and seasons, so ideally, you would do one about every 3 weeks. Each one is a “recipe” of sorts, with ingredients and steps to follow (including some herb-steeping/tea-making). The ritual’s ingredients and suggestions about water temperature correspond to the season, so each one feels fitting for when it should be completed. There are digestible bits of text throughout the book that offer explanations and meaning behind each step; it reminds the reader to channel intention as they complete the bath and the accompanying breathing/meditation/mindfulness activity. There were also little side-pieces about historical use of certain items, which I appreciated.

I believe this book will only be available as a hard copy, which it definitely deserves because the photos and text are absolutely beautiful. The tactile feeling of heavy pages and lush imagery will help to set the tone as you read about the ways in which bathing can rejuvenate your body, mind, and soul. This book will definitely be a perfect gift (whether it’s for you or someone else) for those looking to step up their self-care, find serenity, or reconnect with that feeling of something more. Highly recommend!

I love this book. Moon Bath is gentle, beautiful and inspirational, and now is exactly the time we should be focusing more on all these things, appreciating a soft, inner beauty, cultivationg an awareness of all that is lovely and sacred as opposed to shallow and fickle.

We spend so much time rushing around like mad things that we forget the sanctuary of the earth and the elements, the sigh of water, the warm glow of fire, wind's delicate caress and the solid foundation ofvthe earth beneath our feet. Moon Batth reminds us, along with wonderful recipes which incorporate elements of citrus, herbs, candles and the like, bringing to life a more sacred and relaxed time. The photography throughout is incredible.

There are quotes and captions, and the waxing and waning moon is the common thread. This book would make a beautiful gift, for a special friend or someone in need of a minder on how to live and breathe in tune with the earth and heavens.

Thanks to Net Galley, Chronicle Books and the authors for my ARC.

I enjoyed this. I'm a huge bath person and I know not everyone is. I liked the self journal prompts, the ritual of taking a bath, and of course - the moon. Who doesn't like the moon? I actually know a friend who love this book so I think I will buy it for her when the holidays roll around. Thanks for the advanced copy to the publisher and to Netgalley!

What a beautifully written book! I enjoyed the information as well as the tips and suggestions for truly exploring a more spiritual side of nature. In troubled times, nature has the ability to calm, so understanding more about how this works is a great recipe for me.

“We are dynamic and magical creatures, connected to each other and the Earth in profound ways, and it is when we quiet the mind and drop into our heart space that we become receptive to nature’s guidance."

A gorgeous, relaxing, self-help book. It's like walking into a day spa. This book gives a variety of ideas for self-care, self-love, relaxation and reconnecting with nature; of course, specifically with the focus on baths. These bath ideas are designed to connect with the moon cycle and seasonality with the goal to sync your intentions with Earth's seasonality and to reconnect with yourself. If you're looking for ways to kick up your self care, gratitude and grounding abilities this will be the guide for you. I loved how the crystals, oils, scents and so breathing coincided with the natural cycle of the Earth. It's great, it's beautiful and it is very creative.

Moon Bath by Dakota Hills and Sierra Brashear
Book Review by Dawn Thomas

171 Pages
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Release Date: September 15, 2020

Self-Help, Health, Mind & Body

Lately, I have found myself drawn to being more mindful. With this book, I found another way to be mindful while taking baths. Each bath ritual has a recipe with herbs, salts, essential oils and other items depending on the theme. The photos includes are beautifully done.

There are sixteen affirmations divided into four sections: New Moon, Waxing Moon, Full Moon, and Waning Moon. There are also affirmations for the four seasons. The author recommends journaling about your experience after each bath. I love the advice for people that do not have bathtubs. If you enjoy having a pampering session, taking baths or want another way to honor the moon and/or seasons, you will love this book.

This is the PERFECT book for self love and appreciation. I love the art and the soothing colors of this book. This one is definitely a must read!

This book has inspired me to be a little more thoughtful of bath time. I had never thought about using a french press or tea kettle to brew herbs to pour into bath water before, and that is a revelation in itself. The pictures are lovely and it's fun to flip through this book. I probably won't make the bath blends in this book because the ingredients aren't something I would keep on hand - I do wish there were at least a few blends with recipes that used common herbs or things that I would normally have on hand. For those that are willing to invest in the essential oils and herbs and flowers listed I'm sure these would be a stunning addition to their self-care routine.

I am happy to have had the chance to read this book. My overall impression is that it was pretty much exactly what I expected, 16 guides for baths throughout the year according to the phases of the moon and the seasons. But of course, opinions are more complicated than that.

What I liked:

First and foremost, this book is *gorgeous*. I read this as an ARC but I think anyone would be happy to have this as a physical book in their home, either somewhere in the bathroom if humidity isn't too much of an issue, or on display somewhere else. The photography is just really really nice.

Secondly, while I was expecting the recipes and the journal prompts, and even the self-care exercises, what I did like was the attention surrounding both *before* and *after* the bath as well as the bath itself. They really want you to basically be able to make an event out of any one of these baths, and basically give you an entire how-to of how to do it.

Thirdly, I like how the authors made sure to talk about ethics. For example crystals are used in certain baths in the book, but sourcing crystals isn't always as ethical as we'd hope. So, they suggest using an image instead, and there are a couple examples of substitutions like that. They are also good about providing helpful suggestions for how to use the book if you find yourself in a living space with no bathtub at all. So in that way, this book could theoretically be used by anybody.

What I didn't like:

There was only one big thing that stuck out to me as not liking it, but unfortunately for me it was a big one. So, as I went over earlier in this review, the authors took a lot of care to ensure that nearly anyone can use this book regardless of space or access to extra materials. But then, you get to the recipes and a lot of the ingredients for these bath teas are nothing you could find in an average store and in more than one case were things I'd never even heard of! On the surface that doesn't seem bad, but nearly every single bath was like this, and having to go online to source ingredients for sixteen different teas honestly just seems like it would be extremely expensive.

I think the reason there weren't alternative ingredients suggested is because of the care the authors took to make sure that everything in the baths went in with purpose and reason, but while this was really cool, it's also a bit of a point off because I feel that recreating these baths exactly would be very cost-prohibitive to the average person, which makes this book a lot harder to use. To me that's a shame because the amount of care taken in all other aspects to make this book accessible is very clear.

Final thoughts:

I think in the end if you're interested in this book it's definitely worth getting. The intentions behind the rituals, the practices, and the journaling prompts are worth the price of admission, and if they're not, then the photography and layout certainly is. Will you use every recipe in this book? Honestly probably not, unless you've got a pretty witchy supply of herbal ingredients already. Is it worth reading and implementing anyway? I'd say so, especially because the intention behind each ingredient is explained so if someone put their mind to it, they could find substitutes if need be, I am sure.

Thanks to Netgalley I was able to read this book early, but I'll definitely need to order a physical copy of my own! I'm a huge bath lover already, so all Hills and Brashear had to do was tie in the lunar cycle, meditation, and herbal concoctions so I could pretend I'm a witch and I'm SOLD.

I loved Moon Bath by Dakota Hills and Sierra Brashear. I was able to download a free ARC of this and I am so excited for its release in September! This is a copy that I will be proud to add to my collection. It is filled with beautiful art and positive affirmations that are sure to lift anyone’s spirits! Not only that, but the advice is practical and helpful. I like that bathing is ritualized in this book and I am so excited to put this book to practice! As a Cancer I feel really connected to the moon, and this book makes it really easy to connect to the moon while at the same time practicing self-care. I really love that the mind-body connection is being focused on in this book, connecting nature to the self in one swoop. It covers everything from the moon phase and season to the importance of the water and oils you use, breaking it down and making it really easy and fun to understand and personalize your moon bathing experience!

I was very excited to read and review Moon Bath by Dakota Hills and Sierra Brashear. I was able to down load a PDF to read on my computer over the weekend and just looking through this book I knew it was one I wanted to have. I pre ordered mine on Amazon. I am intrigued by the cycles of the moon and liked the way this book is laid out, I loved the journal-ling suggestions and the self care suggestions based on what the moon is doing. I think this is a book you are going to want to get for the circle of friends in your life who may also follow the moon and its cycles. This book is out in September so I have lots of time to wait and I am looking forward to enjoying it year round.

The book divides the moon cycles into each season. There are rituals that are presented for each phases of the moon during each season. There are also meditations that are associated with each of the herbal bath recipes included in the book. I think that this could be incorporated into a yoga class and have students use the book to practice the rituals at home.

The authors present 16 recipes for baths to follow the lunar cycle, complete with affirmations and reflections. Though it is clear that great attention was paid to developing the visual aesthetic of the book through the photography and illustrations, this is counteracted by the content’s heavy reliance on cultural appropriation and privilege, including the promotion of closed practices (ie burning white sage).