5 Ways to Create a Relaxing Spa Day at Home

When you live a busy, stressful life full of meeting everyone else’s needs but your own, nothing feels better than a little bit of pampering.

However, if you’re like most women, your budget doesn’t necessarily allow for this luxury after buying enough food to feed the family, shelling out massive amounts of money for after-school activities and everything else required to keep a home (and family) afloat.

It’s time to give yourself some of the luxury you deserve – and you can do it by creating your own spa day at home. Pack the kids up and send them to Grandma’s house, turn on your favorite soft music, pour yourself a nice glass of wine and let the pampering begin…

#1: Muscle relaxing massage

You may be wondering how on earth you’re going to massage your own muscles unless you grow arms that protrude on your backside, but it is possible to give your overworked muscles some much needed attention even if you are solo.

Simply put a hot pack or wet towel in the microwave for a few seconds and then place it on your back, shoulders, neck or any other area that needs attention.

Once your muscles have had a few minutes to warm up and relax, you can use rollers, balls or any number of self-massagers that you can find in most any retail store on your back to start to smooth out the kinks. Lie on the floor with the ball or roller under you or it between you and the wall and get a self-massage that feels almost as good as the real thing.

For your neck and shoulders, you can put a dab of massage oil on your fingers and knead the muscles yourself. Just close your eyes and imagine that it is someone else giving you a remarkably soothing rubdown.

No one says you have to do-it-yourself though, so feel free to bring your spouse in on your spa day. Take turns giving each other relaxing massages and feed the sensuous side of your relationship all while giving and getting the relaxation that you both crave.

#2: Skin glowing facials

Keeping your face clean and clear can be costly if you always leave it up to the pros. However, you can take your own skin from dull and dreary to rosy and clear by making and using your own skin glowing facials. Here are some options:

• Papaya – This all natural fruit is just as pleasing to your skin as it is to your taste buds. Simply remove the pulp and rub the inside of the peel all over your face and neck and its enzymes will help exfoliate the dead cells, repair damage from too much sun and leave your skin feeling silky smooth. (Leave the residue on your face for roughly 15 minutes before you rinse it off.)
• Lemon and yogurt – You can almost smell the clean and refreshing feel just reading these two ingredients. Just mix together the juice of a lemon with two tablespoons plain non-fat yogurt and your skin will look and feel phenomenal. This also reduces the appearance of age spots and decreases your number of blemishes, so enjoy that as well if this is your choice.
• Green tea – Not only is this one ingredient wonderful for your insides, but it turns out that it is great for your outsides too. Brew two cups, one to sip on and one to soak into a sponge or cotton balls and put them on your face and eyes while you relax. This is so good for you, you can even do it daily as a way to unwind and soothe yourself!

#3: Full body skin treatments and moisturizers

Not only does it feel good to smooth and soothe the skin on your face, but a full body skin treatment session may be just what the doctor ordered to get you to decompress every so often. If this is the relaxation you had in mind, here are some treatments and moisturizers you can give to make your spa day complete:

• Brown sugar and honey – You may want to add these ingredients into your green tea to sweeten it up, or you can simply rub them onto your body to remove any dead skin and let your gorgeous new skin shine through. Use about 1 cup of brown sugar and enough honey to give the mixture moisture so it rubs on easily.
• Brown sugar and grapefruit – If you like the idea of brown sugar to exfoliate your skin but want something that is a little more fruity, swap the honey for grapefruit (use ½ of a grapefruit, pink if you’d like) and not only will you lose dead skin, but you’ll also make your skin glow.
• Avocado and cocoa powder – This may sound a little unconventional, but when you make a mixture of avocado (use ½ an avocado) and 1 tablespoon cocoa, your skin will breathe a sigh of relief.

#4: Mani & pedi like the pros

Most spas offer manicures and pedicures designed to make your fingers and toes look red carpet ready. If you’d like that sort of treatment without the high price, a DIY package is probably well within your budget.

You can use one of the scrubs mentioned above to get your hands and feet silky smooth to start. Then, use the clippers and file to create the shape that you’d like, whether rounded or more of a square style.

Probably the most time consuming part of the process is picking out what color hue you want to adorn yourself with. Once you have that, simply paint and then top with a clear coat to prevent chipping or peeling.

You can easily do your fingers, but may find your toes a problem if you aren’t quite as flexible as you used to be. This may make pedicure spa days perfect for a girls night in. Grab a few cocktails and paint each other’s toes while catching up on the latest gossip – and maybe even starting some of your own.

#5: Aromatherapy to smooth the edges

If you are scent-ual, then you may be able to relax and rejuvenate simply by spending some down time in a room or home full of your favorite scents. You can get oils and put them in a diffuser to spread them around the house or burn candles if you find that the flicker of the flame soothes you after a long day, like a fire in a fireplace on a cold winter’s night.

Different fragrances have the ability to do certain things so here are just a few that you may want to consider based on the goal you’d like to achieve:

• Lavender – relaxes you and makes you sleepy
• Eucalyptus – gives you energy
• Ginger – known to ease headaches
• Peppermint – rejuvenates you
• Tea tree – great for your immune system

There are hundreds of different scents from which to choose; you can even mix and match if you like. Just sit and breathe in the goodness as the stress and strain leave your body every time you breathe out.

Do these at home spa treatments and save your hard earned cash. You can have the pleasure of pampering…even if it is at your own hands. The benefit of that is that you know exactly what you like, and exactly how you like it. No explanation necessary.