Jessica Biel Bathed in 20 Lbs. of Epsom Salt to Slip into 2024 Met Gala Dress, Attends Without Justin Timberlake

The actress' husband Justin Timberlake missed out on the star-studded event because he's on a world tour

Jessica Biel is back on the Met Gala steps after an 11-year hiatus.

The actress, 42, looked elegant in a pink gown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6.

Prior to the event, Biel gave a look at her prep work for the big red carpet moment, which included soaking in 20 lbs. of epsom salt for 30 minutes in hot water the night before. "For real," she said in a TikTok video as she showed herself pouring the salt into the bathtub.

The 2024 Met Gala theme of “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” ties into the upcoming Costume Institute exhibit that will feature approximately 250 items — including 15 significant pieces such as an 1877 Charles Frederick Worth silk satin ball gown — that span over 400 years of history.

Related: Met Gala 2024 Red Carpet Arrivals

According to Andrew Bolton, Wendy Yu Curator in Charge of the Costume Institute, the exhibition will be shaped around three main “zones”n— Land, Sea and Sky — that pay tribute to the natural world. “It is very much an ode to nature and the emotional poetics of fashion,” he said.

The dress code for the 2024 Met Gala is “The Garden of Time,” inspired by J.G. Ballard story of the same name.

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Biel last appeared at the Met Gala in 2013 where the theme was “PUNK: Chaos to Couture.” The star wore a black Giambattista Valli macramé and tulle gown with matching pants plus patent leather pumps also by the designer. She accessorized with Fred Leighton diamonds and leaned into the theme with a nose ring.

In 2012, Biel stepped out to the Met Gala with her then-fiancé Justin Timberlake. The couple got married in Italy five months later in October 2012. Biel and Timberlake share two sons, Phineas, 3½, and Silas, 8½.

For the "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations" themed event, Biel wore a belted pale pink dress with green embroidery, while Timberlake opted for a classic black tux.

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