The Potential Benefits of an Epsom Salt Bath, According to Experts

May 27, 2023

By ​Jessica Migala

Reviewed by Mathew Devine, DO

A "detoxifying" skin care treatment, a relaxing act of self-love, a pampering practice for your pet—if TikTok is to be believed, the benefits of an Epsom salt bath are practically endless. But, trendy as they are, the chemical compounds are old as hell: The salts are named after the English town of Epsom where they were discovered in the early 17th century, and they were subsequently extracted and studied for their potential medicinal properties.1

Though they were once considered a high-society luxury, Epsom salt is now super accessible to the masses—it's sold in bags or boxes at most drugstores and supermarkets, usually for less than $10, and your mom probably has some under her bathroom sink. And while Epsom salt has been connected to all sorts of wellness benefits, it's probably most known for its alleged pain-relieving properties. You may have seen a fitness influencer suggest an Epsom salt bath to relieve muscle aches after a tough training day or long run, or perhaps your pregnant friend has been trying an Epsom soak to soothe their sore feet.

But just because a wellness practice is trendy doesn't make it legit. Below, experts explain what you should know about the potential benefits of Epsom salt baths (and Epsom salts in general)—and which claims you should take with, ahem, a grain of salt.

What is Epsom salt? | Benefits of Epsom salt baths | Epsom salt for sore muscles | Benefits for skin care | Potential risks | How to make an Epsom salt bath

Epsom salt is a form of magnesium called magnesium sulfate, Chris D’Adamo, PhD, director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, tells SELF. Magnesium plays a role in more than 300 enzyme reactions in the body that affect muscle and nerve function, blood sugar and pressure regulation, bone growth, electrolyte function, energy production, and more. The primary source of magnesium for most people is food—leafy greens, fish, legumes, and whole grains are all high in the important mineral.

In terms of its medical applications, hospitals sometimes use Epsom salt to treat patients, Dr. D’Adamo says. Doctors may inject intravenous (IV) magnesium sulfate for pain and blood pressure regulation, for example, particularly among pregnant people with preeclampsia, he says.2 And health care practitioners also sometimes use IV and oral magnesium sulfate supplements to treat chronic pain conditions, including migraine, or to address magnesium deficiencies, he adds.3

Considering that magnesium in general is extremely important for keeping your body running in top form (and there's research to suggest that a good proportion of people have lower-than-optimal levels of the mineral) and magnesium sulfate, specifically, is commonly used as a medical treatment, it's not a stretch to think that an Epsom salt bath may do your body good. Which leads us to…

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First, it's worth knowing that there are some benefits to taking any bath. It can help your sleep, for one thing, and not just because it's soothing and de-stressing (which it can be). Warm water also increases your core body temperature, so when you get out of the tub (or shower), your body temperature begins to drop, which signals to your brain that it's time for rest. (That's also why sleep experts recommend snoozing in a cool room.) In fact, research suggests that a 10-minute soak in the tub (or warm shower) one to two hours before bedtime can help you fall asleep faster and feel as if you’ve had a better night's rest.4

But what about the benefits of an Epsom salt bath, specifically? To reap any potential perks—beyond the soothing nature of the warm water—you’d need to be able to get the magnesium into your body in some way, where it can then create physiological changes. That could be either by absorbing the magnesium in the bathwater through your skin or inhaling it from the steam of the hot water, says Dr. D’Adamo.

"There's not a lot of research on this, though, and it's conflicting," he says. One pilot study, for example, found that applying a magnesium-rich cream on the skin boosted magnesium levels in the body more than a placebo cream, though this was a small increase, and in some groups, it wasn't statistically significant at all.5 Other research on donor skin found that magnesium could penetrate the dermis via hair follicles, but the amount that got through depended on the strength of the skin barrier.6 And there isn't any solid research showing how much magnesium gets through the skin via an Epsom salt bath. "My perspective is that we probably can absorb the Epsom salts through a bath, but to what extent, we’re just not sure," Dr. D’Adamo says.

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It's no secret that a soak in a warm bath can feel good on tight or aching muscles, but an Epsom salt bath may provide extra relief, given that magnesium can improve muscle recovery—but, again, this is theoretical, since we don't know how much magnesium sulfate you can absorb through bath water.7 "Unfortunately, there aren't any well-controlled studies that verify the use of Epsom salt baths for enhancing muscle recovery or relieving muscle pain," Matthew Welch, MS, CSCS, an exercise physiologist with the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, tells SELF.

Some proponents also say soaking in magnesium-sulfate water could have an anti-inflammatory (another possible avenue to ease aches), but Welch notes that it's unlikely Epsom salt baths have a positive or negative effect on inflammation, and we don't have research to support this theory, either.8 You or someone you know (or follow on social media) might notice less muscle soreness from having an Epsom soak post-workout, but Welch says those benefits could be because warm water improves blood flow and, again, is generally soothing.9

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Another alleged benefit of Epsom salts that you’re likely to come across on social media is their ability to moisturize and calm skin, but in reality, it's probably not the best treatment if you’re concerned about dry skin or irritation. "Epsom salt baths can potentially dry out the skin," S. Tyler Hollmig, MD, director of laser and cosmetic dermatology at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, tells SELF. "At the most fundamental level, salt attracts water, so surrounding the skin with salt can pull some moisture out, rather than the other way around," he explains. In Dr. Hollmig's clinical experience, an Epsom salt bath isn't a smart method for moisturizing or soothing your skin in general, and especially if you have a skin condition. If you have itchy skin from eczema or psoriasis, say, soaking in Epsom salt water might feel soothing in the moment, but if it dries out your skin afterward, this can damage your skin barrier and worsen the inflammation in the end, he says. Instead, he recommends taking a short lukewarm shower or bath (hot water is dehydrating, too), gently patting skin dry (rubbing it with a towel can cause further irritation), and moisturizing "copiously" within two minutes to trap moisture in skin.

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One legit use for Epsom salts when it comes to skin care: Using them to exfoliate facial and body skin, especially if you have mild acne. (Moderate or severe acne would likely require stronger treatments, and a board-certified dermatologist is the best person to guide you in developing a plan to address your skin's needs, Dr. Hollmig says.) "Epsom salt may be helpful for acne by helping slough off dead skin cells that can clog pores," Dr. Hollmig explains. Other exfoliators can work just as well, so it comes down to personal preference. To try Epsom salts as a physical exfoliant, you can mix roughly a teaspoon of Epsom salts with warm water in the palm of your hand and gently rub on your skin in a circular motion, he advises. To avoid irritation, you should put a few days between Epsom exfoliating treatments. (You can use Epsom salt in this way to exfoliate your feet, too, which can smooth roughness.)

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There really aren't any known downsides when it comes to bathing in Epsom salt (except for potentially drying out your skin), according to the experts we talked to, but there can be harmful effects with oral consumption—if you drink way too much of it.

Aside from baths, another way people use Epsom salt is as a laxative. In fact, some bags of Epsom salts are labeled specifically for constipation relief and the instructions advise mixing it with water and drinking it to get your plumbing going again. And while there is some evidence that drinking magnesium-sulfate water can help ease constipation by possibly increasing gut motility and softening the stool (according to one review in the journal Nutrients), it's generally "not recommended," Dr. D’Adamo says.10 Aside from the fact that there's not a lot of research to support its benefits for constipation, perhaps more importantly, the experience of drinking Epsom salts is horrible—think, really bitter. "One taste of it, and you’ll understand–it's not a pleasant thing to ingest," Dr. D’Adamo says.

But that hasn't stopped some people from drinking Epsom salt. In fact, you can find case reports of people ingesting too much, sometimes to deadly consequences.11 For instance, one woman regularly gargled with Epsom salts for bad breath and the gargling increased her blood levels of magnesium so high that she went into a coma and died(!). A family member revealed that the woman had used an entire box of Epsom salt in the two days before she was found unconscious. In another scary scenario, a man needed dialysis after consuming too much Epsom salt as a laxative, and another woman died after drinking a bottle of Epsom salts for constipation and weight loss.12 13

That doesn't mean Epsom salts are necessarily dangerous—these consequences are extremely rare. And Dr. D’Adamo points out that there are many commonly used medications, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), that can also cause poisoning if you consume excessive amounts. But it's another reason why you should avoid putting magnesium sulfate in your mouth unless your doctor recommends it (as part of colonoscopy prep, for example), he says.

By Amy Marturana Winderl, C.P.T.

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By Sara Coughlin

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Familiar with bath salts or bombs? You can treat Epsom salt similarly by pouring two cups into a running bathtub and soaking for around 20 minutes. If you want to try it for your sore or tired feet, you can pour a cup of Epsom salt into about one gallon of water in a tub or basin. The Epsom salt package should also have instructions—check and follow those. All that's left to do is sit back and enjoy the soak—inconclusive research on the health benefits of Epsom salt baths aside, it should still feel pretty damn good.

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