In this series, we embark on a journey of exploration, delving into the rituals, routines, and revelations of individuals behind bathroom doors. Join us as we peel back the layers and uncover the naked truth.
Shannon Davenport, Founder of Esker Beauty
For our inaugural feature, who better to chat with than our very own resident bath person and fearless leader, Shannon Davenport? A devoted mother of two and founder of Esker Beauty, Shannon understands the importance of finding tranquility in her regular baths. (Her devotion to baths is a major part of our brand story.) We sat down to find the Naked Truth about Shannon’s perfected bathing ritual (which may or may not include checking emails), her dream bath destination and whether or not she actually feels clean in the bath.
Let’s start with learning about your bathing essentials…
Q: How often do you soak? Are you a religious bather or is it more of a special treat?
A: It probably comes as no surprise that I’m a religious bather. My secret is I sneak baths in wherever I can, I will literally run the water while I’m working and take a 20 minute tub in the middle of the day almost as a mini lunch break.
Q: What’s your favorite form of entertainment in the bath?
A: I always mean to do something meditative but if I’m being honest I’m most likely scrolling twitter or catching up on email. I’ll also make phone calls from the tub (usually to my mom or husband). I have no shame!
Q: What is your bathing beverage of choice?
A: Almost always ice water! I get super thirsty in the tub. I think a beverage is crucial for being able to stay in the tub for a longer amount of time and really reap the benefits of soaking. A nice glass of wine during an evening bath is great too, but you have to make sure you’re still staying hydrated otherwise you’ll come out pretty parched.
Q: Name a few songs on your perfect bath playlist.
A: I love classical music (especially string and piano arrangements) so basically anything Yoyo Ma. Also really chill and calming songs like Pink + White or Ivy by Frank Ocean. With my kids lately we’ve been listening to the Little Mermaid soundtrack in the tub.
Q: What are your post-bath essentials?
A: Body Oil to seal in moisture and leave my skin feeling silky. I usually throw on a robe (I have one from Coyuchi and a linen one from Parachute) and lay down on my bed for a few minutes to decompress.
It's time to dive into the Naked Truth
Q: Do you have a specific bodycare ritual that you can’t live without?
A: So many, but body planing is definitely up there as well as adding our Magnesium Bath Enhancer into the tub before I get in.
Q: If you could take a bath anywhere in the world, where would you?
A: That’s easy, I’d love to do the traditional Japanese onsen experience or a traditional Hamaam in Turkey. Those are all on my bucket list! Also my life goal is to own an outdoor bathtub, that is peak bathing to me.
Q: How often do you wash your towels?
My husband is the laundry person in our house, so I guess beggars can’t be choosers but we probably should wash them more often! I want to say once every other week. This might be a little gross but the one thing that can never seem to get clean enough is my heavy cotton bathrobe. That’s actually why we created the Bath & Towel Spray, as a way to refresh robes and towels without doing a whole wash cycle. It’s a little bit of a refresh hack!
Q: How often do you change out your loofah?
A: Like most people, I can’t remember.
Q: How often do you take a shower or bath?
A: I usually take a bath every other day and I’ll maybe shower once every other week! In the summer I’ll do showers more since it gets super hot here in Austin where I live. But I’ll almost always choose a bath over a shower.
Q: What about washing your hair? Do you do that in the tub?
A: Oh I love this question! Yes but not always. If I'm using a bath bomb or something with oil in the water I definitely will not wash my hair in the tub because I'll notice a heavy residue which I don't like. If I'm doing more of a therapeutic/stress bath sometimes I'll just do a soak and not wash my hair but most of the time I will wash my hair since I have a lot of it.
Q: What are your thoughts on bathing on your period? Do you do it?
A: I'm fully team period bath. I'd like to lean more about the science of this but my mom always told me that the flow stops in the water. I'm not sure if that's true but I do know that soaking in warm water does wonders for cramps so that's reason enough for me. I think if you were worried about getting fully clean you could wear a tampon or take a shower afterwards but in full honesty I don't ever do that!
Q: So do you actually feel clean when you take a bath?
A: I do. Soap is a wonderful and simple thing. It traps dirt and bacteria in tiny bubbles called micelles, which wash away in water. It also sanitizes by destroying microbes, bacteria and viruses so not only is the dirt no longer on your body but it's neutralized. As long as I'm using a good lathering soap on my hair and body I fully feel clean coming out of the tub. Some people like to shower before or after a bath so they feel extra clean, that works too!
