Sound baths are supposed to help relax and ‘soothe’ your nervous system. But do any of these claims ring true?

Listening to music communally in a sound bath can be a ‘helpful, healthy thing’, experts say. But there is no regulatory body for practitioners in Australia. Composite: Guardian Design/Getty Images/Jessica Hromas

I, for one, am partial to a bath: what’s not to love about a dim room, candles and nary an electronic device in sight?

But a wellness trend that has emerged in recent years makes soaking in tepid water seem quaint: increasingly, people are paying to be “bathed” in sound.