We’re big fans of cannabis therapy for all sorts of ailments, and one of the best ways to achieve that therapy is with bath soaks. While there are a number of companies currently making such soaks, one of our favorites is Unplugged Essentials, a terrific health-conscious and environmentally-friendly brand that infuses their soaks with broad-spectrum, water-soluble hemp powder rather than regular isolate, ensuring you take full advantage of all the beneficial bio-active substances found in the plant. In addition, they also take the time to carefully pair and infuse their soaks with soothing essential oils, making for a truly one-of-a-kind therapeutic experience.
Recently, we had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Kevin Rose Jr., founder and CEO of Unplugged Essentials, to discuss his CBD soaks, cannabis, and flotation therapy. The brand is certainly on to something, and we think you’ll agree agree once you have a read and, hopefully a soak.
Before we get into Unplugged Essentials, we always love to hear the stories behind how people got involved in the cannabis industry. What’s yours?
My story has a lot of twists and turns, but it all started from when I fell in love with Floating, or Flotation Therapy, as a way to recover. Around Spring 2015, I started looking into alternative ways to heal my body and mind. I was overworked having just started a small trucking company as well as coaching and competing in Muay Thai Kickboxing. After constantly burning the candle at both ends, I was really trying to focus on how could I excel in all aspects of my life that I was passionate about without continuously going hard for a few weeks, then crashing even harder from not recovering properly.
And is that what lead you to find Unplugged Essentials?
Well that was the start. After hearing me complain about my struggles, a good friend and training partner turned me on to hemp CBD. I started doing a ton of research as to why and how it worked and all the benefits it offered. After some trial and error, I began incorporating a recovery routine of floating and cannabis, testing out other supplementations and modalities to really focus on the recovery side of my lifestyle rather than just trying to up my output. About a year later, I came up with a plan to open a float center. Unfortunately, I was running into lending issues as floating is such a new business entity, so I decided to pivot slightly and blend two of my favorite recovery techniques—floating and cannabis—while also giving people a way to take a piece of their physical benefits home from floating.
So you weren’t exactly looking to get into cannabis per se, but rather, eh, “floated” into it?
(Laughs) Pretty much. Being a cannabis user most of my adult life, I can honestly say it was never really an ambition of mine to enter the industry. I’ve always enjoyed it for personal consumption, but that’s as far as it went. It wasn’t until I started using cannabis as a recovery tool and incorporating it with my float sessions that the wheels started turning. Some of my most profound personal realizations have come from those sessions and it truly inspired me to facilitate that experience for others.
Which brings us to your company, Unplugged Essentials. Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Of course! Unplugged Essentials is a line of bath products intended to help people recover naturally from whatever ails them, enabling them to get back to performing at their best.
And why the name?
Unplugged Essentials came from what will soon be “Unplugged Float.” The thought process stemmed from looking at what we wanted our products and services to represent. Simply speaking, a majority of us are overworked, overstimulated, and overtrained, constantly looking to perform better in life, both mentally and physically. Symbiotically, to “unplug” for us is a reminder to look at not only our output but our input as well. Minimize distractions, recover mindfully, and thus evolve. It just fits so perfectly for what we want to represent. What we want to talk about and embody as a brand.
I must say, that sounds like such a great philosophy for a company to have, not to mention actually be founded on.
Thank you. At the core of it, we’re continually striving to create new and innovative ways to “unplug” from distractions, stress, and anxiety, recover mentally and physically, and finally, evolve by re-evaluating one’s goals and objectives with a clearer mind and a healed body. As we continue to grow as a brand, that’s what we’re looking to achieve through products, floating, and beyond.
Love it! And why hemp soaks versus other bath soaks? Obviously there are a lot of therapeutic soaks and “bombs” on the market. What makes those with hemp better?
Once we decided to offer a product to represent what Unplugged is as a company, I went deep into research mode. I knew I wanted to offer something that had a call back to floating and its benefits while also turning the dial up in terms of recovery. Personally, along with floating, I was doing epsom salt baths to help with my inflammation and soreness during training camps, so it seemed natural that this would be the base. I then started researching other natural additives that I could add to enhance the experience and double down on combating muscle soreness, tension, and inflammation. I was already implementing CBD into my regimen and thought it could be really impactful if we added it into the blend.
Speaking of, your current line of soaks doesn’t contain any actual THC, but rather hemp-based CBD, correct?
Yup, that’s right. Our soaks are based off a water-soluble hemp powder (WSP) harvested and manufactured in Colorado.
Can you talk a little bit about this CBD and how you source/process it? How is water-soluble hemp CBD powder different than isolated CBD or cannabis oil?
The difference with our product is that it’s meant to be dispersed in water. When we were looking for a manufacturer for our hemp, I remember first telling the company that I was interested in using their WSP for a bath product, and they were like ‘Oh, no one has ever come to us with that type of use, but it would be perfect!’ That’s when I knew we were onto something and really wanted our soaks to stand out amongst the competition. A lot of companies out there source or produce an oil or isolate and literally just throw it in a bunch of different products and then go ahead and start their brand. While many of them certainly may have a great product or two, sometimes you need to make sure everything works correctly together for the intended use. In the case of a bath product, why would you use an oil? Take your favorite tincture and put it into a glass of water and stir it. Does it mix or stay at the top of the water? If you think of that same premise with an oil-based bath product, only the top layer of the water has the CBD and you’re not getting the full effect.
Certainly makes sense. And also a great segue into my next question… One of the things we really love about Unplugged Essentials is that you guys combine various essential oils and aromas with the hemp CBD in your soaks. Can you talk a little bit about these and the other ingredients and how they interact with the CBD in each of the soaks? How did you come across these ingredients to target and treat different ailments? What was the process like in formulating them?
Thank you, that actually means a lot as we spent a lot of time properly developing our blends. When we first started, I was working with a business accelerator program called E for All. The program gives you an opportunity to work with different businesses at various stages and get a ton of experience. At the time, I started working with a business owner who was extremely knowledgeable in Ayurveda…
Ayurveda?
Yup, an ancient Indian healing system based on a natural and holistic approach to mental and physical health. Anyways, I ended up picking her brain relentlessly through our meetings. I was most interested in the benefits aspect at first, and once we compiled a long list of likely candidates for the blend, she asked me what I wanted it to feel like, which was something that didn’t really occur to me at the time. That question, though, has changed our perspective a bit and led us to add some really interesting essential oils that you don’t often see, but fit amazingly in the soaks. Natural essential oils like cloves, cypress, and bergamot—these are what make our blends so unique.
And what about your salt blends?
With our salt blends, we knew we wanted to start with epsom salt as the base. We then added a natural sea salt to help with offering more minerals. Currently our natural sea salt is sourced from the Dead Sea. Though the benefits are really great, unfortunately, sustainability wise, the amount of Dead Sea salt is quite finite, so we’re in the process of looking at how we can change that.
That’s really commendable, especially considering that you guys worked so hard to source the ingredients and they work so well together, but yet you’re still intent on doing what’s right and improving on it, even though it’ll clearly require more time, money, and effort.
Thank you, for sure. We’re always looking to do what’s right and improve our product, not just for our customers’ benefit, but also for the benefit of the environment—a more eco-friendly product by sourcing more readily available ingredients.
Again, really great that you recognize that and are willing to make that commitment. And continuing with the ingredients, right now these are all powder-based soaks, but one thing that’s been trending of late are bath “bombs.” What exactly are those and how do they differ from your soaks?
Honestly, there isn’t that much of a difference. Generally speaking, most bath bombs are oil-based and contain baking soda, food coloring, and other additives that seem to be more for show than for actual healing. Our soaks are extremely simple, using our salt blends, water-soluble hemp powder, and essential oils. We are minimalists at heart, so our objective is to make the soaks as simple and clean as can be without overcomplicating them with unnecessary additives and ingredients.
Totally makes sense, which probably answers my next question—any plans of offering a bomb at some point in the future?
(Laughs) While we certainly plan on offering more products in the future, we’re more concerned with being innovators and thought leaders rather than following the latest market trends.
And we certainly appreciate that! Speaking of the future, what are your plans for Unplugged Essentials moving forward? Where do you see the brand in 5 years time from now? Where would you like to see the brand? Additional soaks? Perhaps another hemp and/or CBD-based product line? A brick and mortar shop?
5 years from now I plan on doing the same thing I’m doing now. Thinking about the future, doing my best to offer the most thought-out and cohesive experience to my customers, and adding value as much as possible. I think if I keep my objectives in that way—broad but specific—it allows us as a brand to stay fluid and pivot if necessary. Of course I have long term goals for what Unplugged will become, but there are a ton of ways to get there. Right now we’re working on expanding our product line a bit and revamping some of our operations for our current line. Coming into the end of the year, we should be in a great position to start our build-out for our first Unplugged Float. Outside of those things, I just want to continue making everything at Unplugged as good as it can be.
That’s awesome. And on the topic of making things good, there aren’t too many places that offer the peace and serenity to enjoy a little cannabis quite like a nice warm bath in the comforts of home. What’s your ritual? Do you enjoy cannabis? If so, what kind? Oil? Flower? Do you smoke it? Vape it? Eat it?
(Laughs) I’m a big proponent of a low to medium-dose edible. For some reason, I get crazy focused and can achieve this new thought process or chain of thought. Usually when I’m getting overwhelmed or having a hard time solving a problem, I’ll either take an edible or smoke a bit and go for a long walk. It gives me the mental space to just think and see the bigger picture clearer, and more often than not, at least make some headway on the problem and come up with a plan. It’s legit one of my favorite things to do, especially on an afternoon off. If I’m smoking it, I’m typically a sativa kind of guy, but again, generally edibles are my go-to.
And what kind of edibles? Do you make your own?
Unfortunately, in Massachusetts, the edibles game isn’t as refined as it is on the West Coast and other legalized states, so for the most part I go with homemade. One of my friends makes this amazing infused key lime pie and it’s probably my favorite mash-up ever. Full transparency—key lime pie has always been my favorite dessert since I was little.
How about outside of homemade? Are there any specific brands or snacks you’ve been enjoying of late?
I’ve spent some time on the west coast for business and my favorite brand that I hope to get out here is WYLD. I had an opportunity to try them when I was in Portland and was super impressed with everything about them. If you get the chance, definitely try their raspberry gummies.
Will certainly keep them on our radar. And what about the bath? What’s your typical routine like? Candles? Music? Perhaps a little Netflix or a good book?
For nights I soak, usually it’s after a longer training session, typically sparring, and it runs the gamut depending on my vibe at the time. Sometimes it’s music, sometimes it’s a few hits of a joint, and sometimes it’s a good book. At the end of the day, the purpose is to relax, so I tend to mix it up frequently depending on my mood.
Is that how you reco people enjoy Unplugged Essentials? What’s the best way to get the maximum amount of pleasure from your soaks?
Yes, actually. I just try to tell people to set your intentions before soaking. I know it sounds all hippie-like, but truly, before you get set up and get in the bath, you should ask yourself what you want the experience to be like. To me, that’s the best type of self care. You could be working on your mind, your body, or both. If you’re one of those people that loves a bath and music, we actually have a playlist that we curated as an easter egg of sorts. On our box when you order any of our soaks, there’s a QR code that brings up a thank you page along with a link to a curated playlist when you scan it. It started out as a cool team building exercise we did in the same intention of what we wanted the essential oil blends to feel like. The playlist is what the soaks sound like. Everyone on our team put together a few songs for each blend and we made it into a playlist to soak to. Some awesome jams on there that you’ll find really complement the soaks.
Well we’re certainly into good jams. Thanks for the suggestion and thanks again for taking the time to sit and chat with us. We look forward to trying out more of your soaks (and jams) in the near future.
Thank you, and thank you for the opportunity!
(You can purchase the full line of Unplugged Essentials Hemp CBD bath soaks at The Shop.)
Photography by Scott Da Luz
