A mock Turkish bath: This special sort of deep-cleansing treatment is ideal if your skin is showing signs of winter neglect. Allow at least an hour and a halt during the evening and be prepared to go straight to bed afterward.

The components: You’ll need bath salts, soap, a loofah or bath mitts for friction, a nail brush, pumice stone for any areas of hard skin and a large thick towel

The method: Run a hot bath and pour in two generous handfuls of the salts. Stretch out and lie in this for 10 minutes, not soaping. Then, for the next 10 minutes or so, using soap, rub and scrub every inch of you. Start by brushing your fingernails, then use the loofah or mitt to rub your hands, arms, elbows, (pumice will come in handy here too), and upper arms. All this helps to speed up the blood circulation and remove the invisible layer of cast-off cells that dull the skin‘s surface. Repeat the treatment on toenails, feet, ankles, calves, knees, and thighs. Then lie back, bend your knees and go round your tummy, in a clockwise direction, with the loofah or mitt or, if you are tender in that area, use a sponge. Massaging like this helps to encourage your blood circulation and to keep your waist small. Finally, sit upright and repeat that first massage around your tummy before moving on to your shoulders and back.

After the bath: When you get out of the bath, wrap yourself in a towel, and lie down. After about half an hour, run another bath but this time use soap and lather, all over thoroughly, paying particular attention to the back of your neck, the backs of your arms and elbows, the backs of your legs and heels. Finally, shower or rinse off in clean water, towel dry, and go to bed for the night.

A mock sauna: For a soothing home sauna use two large towels and half to one cupful of blended herbs such as mint and camomile. Run the hottest water you can bear into the bottom of the bath. Pour in the herbs under the pressure of the tap water so as to disperse their fragrance. Don’t get into the tub yourself but soak the towels in the scented water. Then, sitting on a sturdy stool next to the bath, swathe yourself, mummy-style, in the towels. When the towels begin to cool, unwind them.

Rough scaly skin: You can improve rough, dry, scaly skin, which is usually very noticeable on legs, by soaking yourself in a warm bath, to which you have added a few drops of vegetable oil soap (available from chemists or health food stores). Make sure you rinse the soap off completely as soap residue can cause scaling. If you prefer, you can use a bath additive instead of soap. Dry yourself very thoroughly using a friction movement. Then massage the affected parts with concentrated almond or turtle oil.

Ouickle bath: If you need a bath in a hurry, run tepid water. Stretch out in the tub for five minutes, a wet face cloth over your eyes. Then scrub briskly and rinse yourself with the bathwater. Next, turn on the shower as cold as you can take it. Rinse again. Towel dry to stimulate your circulation. That will get you moving—Time taken -— 10 minutes.