This $7 Bathroom Gadget Is My Secret to Taking Luxurious Baths at Home

The last few years have been rough and bizarre, to say the least. All of the time I spent shut inside and isolated made it incredibly important for me to find small moments of happiness throughout the day. The philosophy boils down to what Agent Cooper once said in Twin Peaks, "every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it. Just let it happen." For me, that gift is a bath, and this $7 gadget has made bathtime that much more luxurious and rewarding.

I'm lucky to have an incredibly big and deep bath (especially by miniaturized New York City standards) and a bathroom with a skylight, so I like to spend stretches of time soaking in an expensive bubble bath while reading or listening to the rain. But I soon noticed a small, pesky problem: the gradual draining of water as I was trying to relax and enjoy my soak. I set out to find a quick and affordable solution, which led me to discover this $7 bathtub drain cover from Amazon.

Shop now: $7–$8 (Originally $11); amazon.com

There are tens, if not hundreds, of overflow drain cover options on the internet, but I settled on SlipX's version because of the almost 40,000 five-star ratings. After one use, I was truly shocked at how my bathing standards increased so drastically for just $7. At first, I was nervous that the cover wouldn't fit over or work with the protruding toggle mechanism of my drain, but it went on (and came off) without a hitch.

The rim of the cover is essentially a suction cup, so before filling my bath, I push it firmly on to the area around the drain, and it never budges. From there, it simply does what it's supposed to do: I can finish reading my magazine or soak in the suds for as long as I want without having my peace interrupted by the water draining prematurely. Plus, it allows the tub to fill up roughly half an inch higher than it normally would, so you can take deeper soaks, too.

There's also a hole on the top of the drain cover that sits just slightly under the top rim of the tub, so should you accidentally leave the water running, the hole would allow water into the cover so your bathroom doesn't flood. When it comes time to remove the drain cover, approach it as you would any other suction product — wiggle it around until you are able to get some air to break through the seal (the hole at the top helps get some leverage to peel it off).

It's a small treat that pays for itself every time I take a bath (so, like three times a week). Choose from nine colors and get yourself this game-changing bath drain cover for as low as $7 at Amazon.