KOHLER Traditional Round Rainhead, Kohler, $580

Ten Minutes to Yourself

We’re social animals, but the time when we shut out the world is our most creative, a study last year at the University of Buffalo found. Aristotle put it pretty well: “Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god.”

KOHLER Memoirs Freestanding Bath, Kohler, $4,699

Carving out true alone time has rarely been easy, but (in a departure from the rest of human history) our phones assure that we’re seldom alone, even in our solitude.

But standing under a showerhead, warm water coursing over our bodies, it’s impossible to work, take care of people, work out, or check duties off a list. Ditto for time spent lounging on a chaise in a fluffy robe, waiting for a face mask to dry, or submerged in tub full of rare salts and essential oils contemplating nothing beyond the flicker of a candle.

Optimizing the space we spend so much time alone in–where most of our self-care often happens—can make a huge difference in how we feel, and not just when we’re in it. Start the day surrounded by a space you love, or look forward to coming home to it after a wild week, and the sense of well-being you feel extends way past the time in the bath. Whether optimizing involves adding a product that transforms a chore into a ritual (hello, Instant Facial), breaking out the special towels, redesigning the whole room with gorgeous tiles and fixtures, or simply placing some flowers at the side of the sink, the effort always pays off.

Clean, nontoxic formulas (in beauty, personal-care, and even home-cleaning products) are nonnegotiables for us. Cleansing ourselves with botanical extracts and pure essential oils in place of known toxins and problematic synthetic chemicals undeniably brings us closer to nature, and to our own natures as well (beastly or godly or both).