How to Create an at Home Spa Experience
After a long, stressful day what could be more soothing than a luxurious spa experience? You could blow your monthly grocery allotment and book a treatment or two at a local resort. Or you could use the following ideas to create a budget-friendly spa experience in your own bathroom to enjoy again and again.
It is important to create an environment that is conducive with relaxation. Stash away all those half-empty shampoo bottles and toothpaste tubes. Ditto with toilet cleaners and the kiddos’ bath toys. Remove as many distractions as possible, at least temporarily. This minimalist atmosphere will allow you put the daily grind on the back burner and fully enjoy your spa time.
Borrow vases of fresh or dried flowers and potted plants from other parts of the house. Set throughout the bathroom. Create aromatherapy by stocking up on scented votive candles and potpourri at dollar and thrift stores. Bring in a radio or CD player and listen to a soft jazz station or a recording of nature sounds. Sip on herbal tea or fruit juice mixed with club soda, preferably from fancy glassware. Captivate all of your senses.
Wet your hair and massage in a deep conditioning treatment (you can make your own with one part honey to one part olive oil). Wrap your hair up in a shower cap or towel. Next is an indulgent soak in the tub. Turn down the lights, light the candles, and fill the tub with decadently warm water. Use your favorite bubble bath or bath oil, or create a deliciously scented chocolate milk bath by combining equal parts cocoa powder, powdered milk, and Epsom salts along with a spoonful or two of baking soda. Add to your tub as the water is running. Sink in and prop your head on a bath pillow or rolled up towel.
Once you have sufficiently soaked your muscles, rinse your hair. Wrap yourself in your thickest bath towel or coziest robe, fresh out of the dryer if possible. Next, it is time to scrub your heels, elbows, and any other dry areas. Use a buffing block or scrumptious smelling exfoliator (make your own using one part sugar to one part honey and a few drops of essential oil such as peppermint or lavender). Slather on a creamy lotion or baby oil from shoulders to toes.
Finish with your face. Wet your face using a warm, damp washcloth. Exfoliate with a handful of oatmeal with enough water to make a paste. If your skin is oily, follow up with an astringent such as witch hazel or lemon juice. For dry skin, apply a mask made by combining honey and mashed avocado. Leave on for five to ten minutes, and then rinse with cool water. For combination skin, try a mayonnaise mask, left on five – ten minutes. Gently rub off with a very wet cloth.
Another crucial and defining element to your at-home spa experience is that it needs to be a ritual. Carve out time at least once a week to close the door to the rest of the world and pamper yourself. It will help you face that world the rest of the time.
