You don’t need to go far for that luxury spa

Who doesn’t love spending time in a luxurious spa getting pampered, relaxing and enjoying some quality time? The reality is that heading to spas can take a big chunk out of your budget. Plus, often times when you are in the mood for it, you have nothing booked. Which is why I personally try to book myself a spa-like moment in the comfort of my own home by simply transforming my bathroom or my bedroom into an oasis of self-care.

Chances are you already have everything you need to pamper yourself at home but just in case you don’t, here are a few items that I keep using over and over.

YOU WILL NEED

• A candle or a few just to set the olfactive mood as well as lighting mood. I personally enjoy the scents of lavender as well as eucalyptus. A diffuser will do as well if you don’t have candles but I like the fact that the candles will help with creating the lighting mood as well.

• Talking about Eucalyptus, I love having a few branches attached to the top of my shower head as the scent will lightly diffuse while showering. Best of all, Eucalyptus branches are widely available at your supermarket’s flower section.

• A dry brush for the body. Now, with good care, this will last you for years.

• A hamam glove also called a kessa for exfoliation. I personally prefer this over body scrubs but please go ahead and splurge on a body scrub if you prefer. I used to love the Ren Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium scrub

• Splurge on a good deep conditioner for the hair

• Splurge on some good face masks and scrubs

• Bath salts. I personally love Epsom salt, as it does the job and doesn’t cost a fortune. Plus, it does not get in the way of the other scents you might be using during your pampering session.

• Almond oil

• Manicure kit and half a lemon

• Towels and Bathrobe as well as a headband. I use the Aquis turban that can be used for both

SET THE MOOD

Start by setting up all you will need for the various treatments you plan to have on that day. Prepping just like your therapist means you will be able to fully focus on your treatments. Once this is done, it is time to dim the lights and turn on the candles before changing into your bathrobe.  I am a big fan of podcasts and audiobooks but when it comes to an at-home spa session, I rather choose some calming music. A quick search on Spotify will give you a pretty wide choice varying from nature sounds to healing sounds. If you use some mediation apps, some may offer soothing music as well.

RITUALS

I don’t always do everything at once, as it depends on the time I can allocate to it. So, this is really the ideal “package” for me and ideally I like doing it just a few hours before bed time. I start with dry brushing while the shower is running on hot water to create some steam. This steam will come in handy for my next treatment. It will also help to subtly diffuse the eucalyptus scent coming from the branches that I have hung just above my shower head. Few big breaths under the steam will already relax me.
I then focus on washing my hair, followed by a deep conditioner. I will then wrap my hair in a bonnet to help it work harder. Next comes the body scrub with the hamam glove. For the hamam glove to work best, make sure your body has been seating in the shower steam for awhile. Seeing the dead skin shed is the best feeling ever. Trust me. Coming from a place where having a hamam is a weekly affair, I often hear my mother saying that a hamam scrub is like shedding your problems away.

Once I am done with the shower, it is now time to step out and envelop myself in luxurious bathrobe and my Aquis turban.  Before the beds of my nail dry, I push the cuticles away (hand and feet) and I will then proceed to focus on my face scrubbing and masking. This is then followed by a bit of gua sha or I would use the Carita my CLE light therapy depending on my mood. The mask of the day will be picked depending on the need of the moment. While the mask is drying, I will have an express mani/pedi and take advantage of all this down time to use my teeth whitening tray. I use dentist-grade whitening products but heard good thing about the Crest whitening strips. I never overdo it as I am always worried about over-sensitising my teeth. Then again, that could only be me.

For details on my express how to mani/pedi see here .

I sadly don’t have a bathtub in my house but if I did, I will end the ritual with a good soak in epsom salt bath before rinsing off my deep conditioner. I will finally end the session with slathering moisturiser on myself from head to toe. I love using almond oil on my body especially as I am not really diligent about doing it on most of days. And finally it will  be time to slip into fresh pyjamas before heading to bed with a good book.

SCHEDULE IT IN ADVANCE

We all know the importance of taking care of our well-being. However, with all the best intentions, it is easy to fall out of the wagon. This is why I try really hard to actually schedule those session at home. Instead of binge-watching anything on a screen, I head to my bathroom to bring a dose of positive escapism to my mind. My daughter sometimes joins those at-home spa sessions, which makes them automatically more chatty but nonetheless as restorative. I finally feel that I am showing her that it is ok to take some time for yourself - Something I am still learning about.

Do you have your own at-home spa routine? We’d love to hear yours, so share them in the comments below!