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Life is stressful. We all know that, yet we keep going. Which can be a good thing, but we all need a break sometimes. You need some time to relax! Time to sit back, put your feet up. Take a break from all the madness going on in your life. Be kind to yourself and treat yourself as you should be treated. We all love a good spa or pamper day, but we don’t always like spending the money.
According to statistics, the spa industry was raking in more than 18.3 billion dollars in 2019. This came from more than 190 million visits, and people spending almost $100 per visit on average (*).
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So while going to a physical spa and being pampered by professionals is lovely, I know for me there are more times that I want a pamper session than times I want to fork over $100 for them. Therefore, I present the complete at-home spa day experience!
All these products will make for an amazing spa experience, and can be delivered to you super quick with amazon prime. If you don’t already have amazon prime, grab your free 30-day trial here! (they even send you a reminder before your trial ends so you can cancel it in time, no strings attached!)
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In preparation:
A proper spa day needs a bit of planning. Make sure that you have everything you need in the house. Put your phone on don’t disturb, and prepare yourself for ultimate bliss. If wanted, you can get yourself a nice fluffy robe, or maybe a more elegant one.
Read my article on your complete self care toolkit to make your own self care box so you’ll always be prepared for an impromptu spa day.
PREP YOUR SPACE
Turn on your favorite playlist
Light that scented candle you’ve been saving, light some incense sticks or get your essential oils going. My favorites are lemon, frankinscence or jasmin for those tropical spa vibes, but you might prefer something calming like lavender or chamomile.
Create some mood lighting with a salt lamp
Have your bowls, products and towels within reaching distance. If you can, put your towels on the radiator so they’re nice and warm then you need them.
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SNACKS
An important part of any spa day is food.
Prepare some fruit water by infusing your water with cut up fruit, vegetables and/or herbs. My favorites are lemon, cucumber or mint. You can combine anything and experiment to your heart’s desire.
If you want to keep your spa day healthy, opt for a green smoothie, juice or salad. Snack on cut up vegetables with dip, or a delicious fruit salad.
If you want to enjoy some more sugary snacks, prep some baked goods ahead of time, buy some sweets on your grocery trip or make the most delicious stuffed dates with nut butter and chocolate.
TREATMENTS – YOUR SPA MENU
Dry brush
Dry brushing is so good for your skin! It stimulates the circulation of your blood and lymph system, which allows your body to get rid of toxins a bit more easily. It stimulates the nervous system, and helps get rid of dead skin cells.
It is always best to brush in the direction of your heart. Brush hard enough that you can feel it, but not so hard that you irritate the skin. Brush long strokes on your limbs, circles on your joints, and counterclockwise on your belly.
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Bath (bombs, oil, salts)
When you’re done dry brushing, it’s time for a nice bath. It is a great way to start your at-home spa day off properly, and an even better way to relax fully. I always love bringing a book or my ipad (in a waterproof case) in my bath because I love the hot water, but get bored really easily.
Add some bath bombs or pre-made salts to your bath to make it smell amazing and help your skin. So many of these products have added benefits such as moisturizing the skin. You can also opt for an epsom salt bath, which has the added benefit that the magnesium relaxes your muscles even more. This is perfect after a workout or to relax you at night.
To make your at-home spa experience even better, you can also add your own things to the bath such as:
- Frankincense essential oil to relax
- Lavender essential oil to relax
- Chamomile essential oil, flowers or tea bags to relax
- Lemon essential oil for a pick-me-up
- Oatmeal for your skin. You can sprinkle this in, or put some in a cloth bag. It might sound strange but this also makes an amazing scrub!
If you can’t take a bath, it is still really relaxing to put some essential oil on the floor of your shower, or on a washcloth or small towel and put that in your shower. The steam will help the oil spread, still making your bathroom smell amazing.
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Hair mask
Once you’ve settled in your bath, it is the perfect time for a hair mask. Let it sit while you’re soaking away in the hot water, and let it work it’s magic on your tresses. You’ll come out of that bath with hair like a goddess!
You can opt for a bought hair mask such as the coco & eve like a virgin hair masque or the moroccan oil intense hydrating mask, or for a more affordable option there is the love beauty & planet 2 minute magic masque. My personal favorite is the olaplex 3 hair perfector repair treatment, but this is one you put in before you wash your hair.
Face mask
The next step in your at-home spa day is to apply a face mask. The steam from the bath will have opened your pores so the mask can sink in and give you the full benefits. If you don’t have a bath, consider getting a facial spa to steam your face and open your pores.
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I wouldn’t recommend applying a clay or peel-off face mask in the tub though. They usually work by drying out, which is hard to do with all the steam from the bath. Instead, take a moisturizing mask like one of these korean face masks, or maybe this one with papaya enzymes to help your skin glow.
A simple at-home facemask is a tablespoon of oatmeal with half a banana. Mash them together and apply. It won’t look pretty, but who cares? You’ll be glowing afterwards.
For a face mask out of the bath I really love a green clay mask. I make it myself by mixing this powder with some apple cider vinegar and tea tree oil. You can also get a ready-made version here.
I also started using The Ordinary AHA+BHA a couple of months ago and it has made the biggest difference for my skin. Apply it to dry skin, leave it n for max 10 minutes and rinse it off. It’ll sting, but it really helps with scarring and to even out your skin tone.
Exfoliate
To get the glowing skin we love, scrub your skin to get all the remaining dead skin off. The dry brushing is a good start, but in my experience it’s not perfect. Get your hands on a delicious premade scrub, or make your own!
To make your own scrub, simply mix some sugar or salt with oil. Add some essential oils to make it smell good if you like. Sugar scrubs are generally softer as the sugar dissolves, while salt scrubs are harsher on the skin. You can also use coffee grounds for a scrub, which works excellent as well. It’s a good, cheap zero waste option but is so effective. Don’t use salt, sugar or coffee on your face, as they’re too harsh for your delicate skin.
If you don’t want the hassle of another product, get yourself an exfoliating glove, which you can use with any body wash you already own.
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Moisturize
Once you get out of the bath, it’s time to moisturize your body. Again, so many products available depending on your preference.
If you like something to sink in fast, use a simple body lotion. If you need something a bit more intense and spa-like, opt for a body butter or coconut oil.
Facial
By now, you probably have cleansed your face and used a face mask. After that, it’s good to tone your face with a mix of apple cider vinegar and water on a cotton pad, to make sure your skin is clean.
After that, I put some serum on my fingers and massage it onto my face.
For the full at-home spa experience, put the serum on your face and use a jade roller or rose quartz roller on your face. Facial rollers are said to help with the lymphatic system in your face and give you better skin and a beautiful glow.
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Massage
A good spa day is not complete without a massage, and neither is your at-home spa day. Whether you’re alone or together, a massage is always a good idea.
It helps the muscles relax and can stimulate the lymph system to help with draining toxins from your body. Give yourself a massage, or massage the other person. You can get creative, or get some tips from this youtube channel.
Manicure
We’re almost at the end of your at-home spa day! Make sure you have everything you need ready. Depending on how extensive you want your at-home manicure to be you might need:
- Nail polish remover
- A bowl with warm water to soak your hands
- A hand towel
- A cuticle stick
- Cotton pads
- A nail file (how pretty is this one?)
- Hand cream
- regular nail polish
- Gel nail polish
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For the full manicure experience, follow the following steps
- Remove all old nail polish
- File your nails to the shape you’d like them
- Soak your nails in the bowl of warm water
- Push your cuticles back a little. Be careful not to overdo this!
- Put some moisturizer on your hands and let it sit for a couple of minutes
- Swipe a cotton pad with nail polish remover over your nails to make sure you get all the moisturizer off. The moisturizer will prevent the nail polish from staying on your nails properly.
- Base coat, color coat, top coat
- Moisturize your hands again
- Voila!
Pedicure
The last part of your at-home spa day; a pedicure! You can of course choose to switch the manicure and pedicure around, whichever suits your preferences.
A pedicure is very similar to a manicure, except that you’ll probably want to spend a bit more time scrubbing the skin of your feet.
Soak your feet in a nice foot spa, then get started on your pedicure with this complete kit. You can use gel nail polish or regular nail polish on your toes to give them that extra touch.
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Wow, you must look like a reborn goddess right now, am I right? I really hope you have enjoyed your at-home spa day as much as I do mine. In all honesty, it’s not as relaxing as going to a real spa and having someone else do all this for you. Then again, your bank account will thank you for this.
You can do it alone, with your friends or maybe even with your partner. Make a fun day out of it, and go all out. Remember to properly hydrate throughout the day to help your body even more, and don’t forget to eat.
If you want a day that’s more about getting your life together, take a look at this 3-step self-care day. You can also take a look at my tips to handle anxiety or how to stay calm if you need some more mental health care.
Also, take a look at this post on making your own self care kit to always be prepared for a self care day!
Let me know what you always include in your at-home spa days, I’d love to hear from you!
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