Jessica Biel defends her 20-pound Epsom salt bath before Met Gala

Jessica Biel has defended her decision to take a bath in 20 pounds of Epsom salt on the night before the Met Gala.

The 42-year-old actor reflected on how she prepared for the fashion extravaganza – which took place on 6 May – during Thursday’s episode of The View. When host Sunny Hostin asked why she bathed in Epsom salt, Biel clarified that the routine is a stress reliever for her in general.

“It’s just a little hack, like a little red carpet hack,” she said. “Like getting off a plane, just relaxing.”

While host Whoopi Goldberg agreed that bathing in Epsom salt is relaxing, Biel once again explained how the routine was “amazing,” as it ultimately helped ease her nerves before the Met Gala.

“It gives you magnesium inside your body. I slept really well. When I woke up, I felt really good. I felt calm. It’s kind of an adrenaline kind of night,” she said about the fashion event. “It’s a lot of exciting people.”

On the day of the Met Gala, the 7th Heaven star took to TikTok to show viewers her prep routine. “I know some people like to party before Met Ball, and party all weekend and all the things, and I have total respect for that,” her video began. “This is what I do to get ready for the Met Ball.”

She then showed multiple large bags of Epsom salt sitting on the edge of a bathtub, counting out how many pounds she had in total. “Four, eight, 12, 16, 20 pounds of Epsom salt in a bath,” Biel said. “Here we go, for real.”

After pouring all of the bags into the bathwater, the actress revealed that she makes the water “as hot as you can take it”.

“30 minute soak night before,” Biel continued. “[Drink] tonnes of water then and off to bed early. See you tomorrow Met Ball.”

“While the kids are out partying, I am in soaking,” she reiterated in the caption.

In the comments of the video, many fans questioned what benefits she was receiving from using that much Epsom salt, especially considering the recommended amount is usually not even one bag, let alone five.

“Not me wondering if two cups, twice the recommended amount, was overkill,” one wrote, while another commented: “I panicked once because I used five cups instead of the recommended four.”

According to the Cleveland Health Clinic, an Epsom salt bath with 1.25 cups has the ability to provide stress relief, relax muscle pain, and reduce any inflammation.

While walking the red carpet of the Met Gala earlier this month, Biel wore a pink Tamara Ralph gown with a deep neckline and separated sleeves. The outfit was adorned with tiny jewels and petals to comply with the theme of the event, “The Garden of Time.”