In a world where we have had to get used to some of our favorite pleasures being stripped away from us, it is hard not to stress. In light of recent events, things that we could have easily participated in to relieve stress like going to the gym, hanging out with our friends and family, or going to the spa, are things we probably took for granted. But now that these are no longer as easily accessible, does it mean that we should live our lives without finding other ways to enjoy them? Most certainly not! So today we will discuss some homemade spa day ideas that will help you enjoy a spa day at home.
What is a Traditional Day Spa?
A traditional day spa provides a variety of services for the purpose of improving your health, beauty, and relaxation through personal care treatments such as hair, massages, and facials. This is not to be confused with a destination spa where you would be provided with overnight accommodation.
Treatments typically offered in day spas include massages; facials and makeup application; electrolysis; spa manicures and pedicures; body treatments like exfoliation, wraps, and packs; aromatherapy; and hair services like cutting, styling, and coloring.
Benefits of a Spa Day
Going to the spa does wonders for your body and goes beyond relaxations. Hot spa treatments can help open up your skin’s pores which is a great way to get rid of the toxins in your body and encourage your body to burn calories. Additionally, deep tissue massage can help your body to break down fatty deposits as the pressure and friction is placed on your skin.
Here a few more benefits:
- Helps to De-Stress.
- Helps With Anti-Aging.
- Promotes Better Sleep.
- Relieves Aches and Pains.
- Supports Weight Loss.
- Improved Blood Flow and Circulation.
- Preventing Varicose Veins.
- Increased Happiness.
How to Have a Spa Day at Home
Starting a spa day at home can be almost as close to the real thing, except for the fact that you have to give yourself the treatments instead of being pampered. Believe me, I would much rather be pampered.
However, you can most certainly get a lot of benefits from it. First, you will want to go over a few things to get it as close to the real thing as possible.
BEFORE STARTING YOUR SPA DAY AT HOME
SET THE MOOD
Before you get started with your homemade spa day treatments you will want to be sure to set the perfect mood. Whether you are doing this by yourself, as a couple, or maybe with your daughter(s), (one day you can use these tips to have a girls spa day), it is important to make sure the mood is right.
Use Scented Candles and Oils
One of the first things you may notice when you enter a day spa is the aromatic smells, such as lavender, eucalyptus, and citrus. A big part of the therapy is done by setting the ambiance of a spa with different essential oil blends and aromatherapy. This can provide an extra relaxing experience for clients.
You will want to create this same feeling at home by dimming the lights and putting some aromatic candles that you enjoy around. Use a salt lamp as an added benefit to purify the air and provide a focal point as you relax.
Also, you can put on an essential oils diffuser and let the led lights light up the room and the soothing smells relax you.
Play some music
The next thing you will want to do to create a relaxing atmosphere is to play some relaxing music. A good choice would be lyric-less music like classical music, or nature sounds.
I like to tell my Amazon Alexa to play relaxing music and let her play a loop of very relaxing songs.
Tip: This would be a good time to disconnect from any electronic devices. Leave your phone in the room, I don’t know about you but notifications from my phone can be a distraction. Also, reading through social media feeds can often cause me more anxiety than I need. Use this time to relax!
Refresh
Staying properly hydrated is a must for any good spa day and there are two things that go into a good spa drink, refreshing and relaxing. So, what makes a good spa drink?
Healthy but refreshing drinks like, sleepy tea, fruit-infused water (I.e, coconut or cucumber water), and lemon juice are some great choices. My favorite is a nice spa fruit-infused detox water.
If you aren’t a fan of any of those drinks, put your favorite tea into a thermal bottle that way it doesn’t cool down before you have had time to enjoy it.
GATHER YOUR AMENITIES
Clean towels (preferably 2), a good bath rub, and some comfy slippers are essential for a proper spa day. If you don’t have a good set already, try some Turkish cotton bath towels. They are more affordable than the more expensive Egyptian cotton towels yet they are very thick and feel amazing.
If you will be making homemade treatments, it will be best to get those made ahead of time. That way you can have all of them with you ready to go when the time is needed. Some of the recipes can be refrigerated ahead of time, the others just need to be stored in a cool place.
Some optional items you may want to gather are:
- headband
- face cloth
- bath pillow
- good book
- essential oils
DURING
Take A Calming Spa Bath/shower
Since your spa day will probably consist of treatments that will cause a bit of a mess, if at all possible I would honestly recommend you try to get as many of your treatments done while in the tub/shower, but if that is not possible then try to work a routine that is most relaxing to your circumstances.
Before you go on to apply your skincare products and before you do your manicure and/or pedicures, be sure to take a nice warm bath/shower.
For those who have tubs
There is a variety of ways to turn your bathtub into a spa bath just by simply adding some bubbles, putting in some petals, playing your soothing music, and adding a bath pillow.
Some tips:
- Add a few of your favorite essential oils to your bath to help you relax.
- Be sure to bring your favorite book.
For those who have showers
Not all of us have bathtubs, or in many cases, we even have small tubs that can be quite unenjoyable to try to relax in. If that is the case, you can still enjoy a nice steamy shower to relax your body.
You can even simply turn your shower into a tub with an inflatable tub. Pretty funny, but it works!
Homemade Spa Day Ideas
Hair mask
Hair masks are a great way to treat your hair with highly hydrating oils and other nutrients that it may need to help it grow, hydrate, or help with any other issues you may have. This item can bring you amazing results in one use because of the amount of time it will be left in your hair.
Since you will be required to wash this item out of your hair, it is best to complete this step while you take your shower or tub and let it sit for 20 or more mins. Then rinse it well.
Hair Mask Recipes
Coconut oil, sugar, and essential oil mask
Good for: Dandruff
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of raw unrefined coconut oil, 4 teaspoons of raw sugar, 5 drops of peppermint oil, 2 drops of tea tree oil.
Honey, egg, and apple cider vinegar mask
Good for: Dry Hair
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon of honey, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of ACV.
Cinnamon and coconut oil mask
Good for: Hair that won’t grow
Ingredients: Equal parts cinnamon and coconut oil.
Honey, ACV, and coconut oil mask
Good for: Dull hair
Ingredients: Equal parts raw organic honey with apple cider vinegar and coconut oil.
Avocado, egg, and olive oil mask
Good for: Damaged hair
Ingredients: Half an avocado, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of olive oil ,and 1 tablespoon of honey.
Time for Your Face
Soaking in the tub and waiting for that hair mask to run its course is a great time to focus on your face.
Before you get into all the good things like steaming, face masks, and exfoliating, now would be a good time to remove any unwanted hair that you have delayed removing.
Facial cleanse
Now that you have removed the unwanted hair, the first step in your facial is to give yourself a spa level cleansing.
Start with an oil-based cleanser to melt away makeup and remove unwanted, dead skin cells.
Next, choose either a foam- or cream-based cleanser.
If you rather make your own homemade blends, here are a few recipes as well as the proper ratio for mixing. It may take a few tries to figure out which blend works best for you.
Tip: Some exfoliating cleanser work as both a cleanser and exfoliate to give you two steps in one. Watch the video below to see some great cleansers.
Combination, Oily or Acne Prone skin
30% castor oil 50% core oil: grapeseed oil, hemp seed oil, safflower oil 20% luxury oil: tamanu, sea buckthorn oil, argan oil optional: up to 0.5% essential oil: lavender, tea tree, palmarosa, lemongrass, geranium, grapefruit, sweet orange, neroli.
Normal skin
20% castor oil; 60% core oil: sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, ricebran oil, sunflower oil, olive oil; 20% luxury oil: evening primrose oil, rosehip seed oil, argan oil, jojoba. Optional: up to 0.5% essential oil: lavender, geranium, sandalwood, frankincesce, cedarwood.
Very Dry/Sensitive skin
0%-10% castor oil
80% core oil: avocado oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, rice bran oil, sunflower oil
20% luxury oil: neem oil, jojoba, argan.
Homemade Cleanser for Oily Skin
1/3 Castor Oil or Hazelnut Oil and 2/3 Olive, Sunflower or other oil
Homemade Cleanser for Combination Skin
1/4 Castor or Hazelnut Oil and 3/4 Olive, Sunflower or other oil
Homemade Cleanser for Dry Skin
All nourishing oils like olive oil, or a very small amount of Castor/Hazelnut Oil added to the nourishing oils.
Exfoliate
After cleansing it is time to exfoliate or rather remove a layer of dead skin cells and excess oils in order to ensure that the ingredients penetrate and you get the most out of the other steps.
Here are a few homemade exfoliating masks you can try:
Yogurt
- 1tsp yogurt (plain whole milk yogurt with no sugar)
Baking Soda and Honey Mask <- Click for full recipe
- 3 tsp of baking soda
- 1 tbsp of honey
- 2 vitamin E capsules (optional)
Milk and Oatmeal Mask <- Click for full recipe
- 1 tbsp of oatmeal powder
- 2 tbsp of Milk
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Rice Flour and Green Tea Mask <- Click for full recipe
- one green tea bag in half a cup of hot water for 15 minutes and allow it to cool down.
- one tbsp of rice flour
Coffee Mask <- Click for full recipe
- half cup fresh ground coffee (Fresh are best, but dry used grounds will work, too)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Face Mask
Now that you have exfoliated your face, it is time to choose a face mask that is appropriate for any skin issues you may be having. These face masks are great because they require almost no prep yet they have so many benefits.
All you have to do is sit back and relax and let them work their magic. This can be enjoyed as you lie in your tub which would be a great way to let the steam from your tub open up your pores as you wait.
Or you can wait to do this step after you have showered and washed out your hair mask. Then simply do a facial steam with your facial mask by hanging your head over a bowl of hot water with a towel over your head. Be careful not to burn yourself.
If your skin is oily and prone to breakouts, reach for a facial mask that is clay-based or contains vitamin C.
If it your skin is generally dry, use a face mask that is formulated to replenish hydration.
However, if you want to save money, you can always make your own homemade face masks. Mix the following ingredients well and let them sit on your face for 15-20 minutes and then wipe them off for amazing results.
Butter Hydration Mask
Will leave skin feeling smooth
- 1/2 cup of buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons of yogurt
Nourishing Honey and Oatmeal Facial Mask
Good for acne
- 1 tablespoon of raw honey or Manuka honey
- 2 tablespoons of cooked oatmeal
Honey Citrus Mask
For dull dry skin
- 2 tablespoons of orange juice
- 1/4 cup of honey
Breakfast Mask
Good for oily skin
- one egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1/2 cup of oatmeal
Moisturize
After removing your facial mask, it is time to put on your favorite moisturizers.
But first, you will want to work on those dark circles under the eyes and if you have a face roller this would be a great time to pull it out. If not the good old fashion DIY ice rolling trick will work.
This can be done by taking an ice cube an running it along the puffy areas of your skin.
Now you are ready to finish off with some skin moisturizer to lock in all that skincare you just applied.
Relaxing Massage
There is nothing more relaxing than a massage, okay maybe there are some things I can think of more relaxing than a massage. However, a massage not only relaxes your muscles, reduces painful muscle contractions, and spasms, but it seems to soothe the mind as well.
The cool thing about a massage is you can either massage yourself, get a massage from someone, or use a massage machine.
Massage machines are great because the come in many variations from handheld to ones you sit in.
To add to the pleasure of your massage try one of these homemade massage oil recipes.
Pedicure and Manicure
Now for the last part and what would seem like the most difficult part of your day, your mani and pedi.
I like to pull out my foot scrubber and let it do its magic on my dead skin, which will work really easy after soaking in a nice tub.
Then all that is left is a nice trim and file, add some hydrating creme to my cuticles, I am done.
You can go the extra step of adding some polish if you like to make yourself feel extra pampered. My daughter and I like to paint our nails together when we have our mother-daughter time.
There are even some nice pedicure sets you can invest in at Amazon first to make this day feel more like a spa day.
Last Thing You Need to Know About Homemade Spa Days
Having a spa day at home is easier then it looks, don’t you think? I am sure we all feel a bit more stressed than usual lately and we could all use a spa day so I hope you find these tips useful and you manage to find some time to pamper yourself to a homemade spa day at home.
We all deserve a little pamper time!
Have you ever had spa day at home?