I discovered marijuana-infused bath products on a hazy trip to Portland in 2016. Taking advantage of my first visit to a state where recreational marijuana is legal, I greedily snapped up every THC-endowed product my arms could carry: Marijuana gummies! Pot tea! Cannabis cupcakes! Weed honey! At the (now closed) Pur Roots Dispensary in Northeast Portland, my eyes settled on the bath and beauty products enclosed in a glass case.
She stared back at me blankly. “It enters through your dermis,” she said.
Next, I mixed the baked bud with a half cup of grapeseed oil in the top half of a double boiler (or substitute a bowl placed over a pot of boiling water). You can also use coconut, olive, or any other food-grade oils (and then use the leftover oil to make brownies). Using a double boiler prevents the weed and oil from getting too hot and cooking all the THC out. The combination of baking and double boiling fully activates all the happy cannabinoids and infuses them into the oil.
Lying back, I watched pieces of Russian sage and grated ginger swirl among the oil clouds. The water appeared herby and pleasantly witchy. (My husband, who came in after my pit bull barged in and started slurping up the water, frankly deemed it “disgusting.”) I inhaled deeply. The essential oils mixed with dank indica, a family of strains known for inducing a “body high”—aka “couch lock”—gave my bathroom an earthy scent.
But although I wanted to blame the bath for my surge of the munchies, I had to acknowledge that I wasn’t really stoned. I did feel almost like I was floating, however. Light, yet grounded. Buoyant. So the bath seemed to have some additional relaxation benefits.
I saved enough bath salts for one more try. This time I’ll bring back the cheap wine and the one-hitter, and definitely the Cheetos. That should make it even better than my last soak. v
