How to Relax with a Home Spa

There's nothing quite like a spa experience or vacation to make you feel relaxed and rejuvenated. With a tempting array of treatments to improve your health and well-being, what's not to like? But for some folks with a busy lifestyle, trying to fit in a salon experience is out of reach right now. So, how about a home spa where you can chill out and treat your body to a day of pure relaxation? Here's how to relax with a home spa.

Set the Date and Prepare

To truly relax with a home spa you need to set aside some time for yourself. Mark this day in the calendar and don't fill it with any other appointments or visitors. Nothing else should be arranged for this day so you don't rush, but chill out and focus. Today is a day for you and you only. As you prepare for your home spa, make sure you gather all the things you need for the day. If you are using a new product, do a small patch test before you use it on yourself for the spa. Make sure you have fresh cotton sheets and towels ready and all your lotions together so you can experience the luxury of a day of pampering without being distracted by having to find something.

Prepare Your Space

We are so connected these days that emails and texts are a distraction. If you are going to truly relax in your home spa, keep your computer turned off and your cell phone on silent and in a drawer or bag. You do not want to be disturbed or tempted to check even one message.

Make sure the refrigerator is stocked with chilled water as you will need to rehydrate during the day. There should also be some salads and healthy foods close by for your meals.

Get in the mood for a spa day by doing some yoga stretches or taking time to do a quick walk around the block. When you are indoors you can use soft music or silence if you prefer to create a relaxing atmosphere.

Your bathroom should be stocked with everything you need for your treatments, including several fluffy towels so you can wrap yourself up and not worry about clothes being stained from the products.

Remove any jewelry and your glasses. jewelry can become uncomfortable in a steam environment and glasses will fog.

Open the Pores

You should by now, be ready to begin your spa day with a steam-room experience. For this, you will need to stop any air conditioning in the bathroom and ensure the door is closed. Dim the light and add an aromatherapy candle to create a spa atmosphere. Scents associated with relaxation include lavender and lemon. Alternatively, place a few drops of essential oil into a diffuser so it mixes with the steam. Calming oils include rose, clary sage, and geranium. Take a warm shower first of all so you remove any makeup and residual skin oil and maximize the effect of the steam experience. It also minimizes the chances of any makeup or running down your face with sweating and irritating your eyes. 

Wrap yourself in a towel and let the hot water in your faucet and shower run so it creates a steam effect in the room. This should be turned to the hottest level and run for at least 15 minutes. Be careful not to splash yourself with the water and don't forget to turn the level down again afterward to avoid scalding. Place a towel under the door to keep the steam in the bathroom. Close all the window and blinds to retain as much steam as possible within the room space. 

Once you have a steam-filled room, sit back and relax so your pores begin to open. To create more steam, turn the hot water on again. Keep the door closed so the hot temperature does not set off a fire alarm. Sit in the steam for 20 minutes to give your pores a chance to open and prepare for the next stage.

Exfoliate Your Skin

Once the steam evaporates you can move to the next stage of your beauty therapy, which is exfoliation. Use a gentle exfoliant for your face and a body-exfoliating treatment for your other areas. Don't forget your feet, as this is a good opportunity to get rid of hard skin. Exfoliate your body using firm strokes. This stimulates the cells and helps remove toxins as well as dead skin from the body. There are natural exfoliants such as a salt rub or coffee which are effective. You can buy cosmetic ones which are often perfumed. A gentler exfoliant should be used for the facial area as this is more sensitive.Use an exfoliating mitt is another good way of removing dead skin, especially after a steam room.

Use the shower to remove any of the exfoliating products. This is a good time to think about a deep conditioner for your hair, which can be applied as you cleanse your skin. This gives it time to work its magic on your hair, restoring moisture to the hair follicles and oil-producing glands in the scalp.

Skin Cleansing

Taking time to cleanse your skin is an integral part of your home spa experience. It's the ideal opportunity to use a face pack and allow the product to deep-clean your face and neck. Apply the pack and then relax so it has time to set and be effective. This is a good time to get a glass of water and sit quietly wrapped in a towel, relaxing. There is very little time with a standard beauty routine to take the opportunity for a deep cleanse in this way each day, so do make the most of the moments you set aside.

Once the face pack is done and rinsed away, you can take the time to apply a toner and some face cream. Rich body lotion or body oil can also be applied to your body so you rehydrate after the steam and exfoliation. Your skin should be feeling soft and smooth by now.

Manicures and Pedicures

A home spa day is ideal for some hand and feet treatments. Use the time to eradicate dry skin and moisturize hands and feet. In colder weather, hands and feet are less exposed and sometimes ignored, but you can treat them on your spa day. Take care to clip and shape your nails and apply cuticle treatments to both hands and feet. Even if you don't apply any polish, those hands and feet will look wonderful by the time you're finished.

Time to Reflect

After a home spa experience, the time to relax also means taking a minute or two to reflect on how the day felt for you. You just spent the best part of a day treating your body to some wonderful things and caring about yourself for once. After rushing about and leading a busy life, this downtime is perfect to take a pause and reflect. One of the positive things to do here is to think about small changes you can make as a result and integrate them into your life. This means the good work you started today can continue and keep you as healthy-looking as possible.

Write down three things that you can take away from today's experience to improve your health and well-being. Will you make time for a home spa every few months or even some time to yourself to relax. There are opportunities to think about improving your sleeping habits and also to take the time for a salon treatment from time to time. Small changes can make a big difference to your routine. It begins with one simple step.

Home spas are designed to motivate and inspire you to feel good about yourself and to take care of your body. Integrating them into your routine will give you the space to relax, pamper your body, and recharge your energy levels. Take the time to make a date in your calendar today.