The decadent skin treatments available at most spas can run you anywhere from $30 to $200 and beyond. Shelling out that type of dough multiple times a month can be more painful than whatever you seek to treat. The good news is that you can bring a version of some luxury spa treatments to your home for a fraction of the cost. Is there anything more relaxing than getting pampered and knowing you saved a couple of Benjamins in the comfort of your own home? I think not. Once you've found and mastered your favorite spa treatments, you can pretty much indulge yourself every night of the week.
Of course, getting a professional's opinion and treatment is always going to be the most effective option, these homemade spa treatments are a decent DIY substitute. Bringing the spa experiment to you has a number of benefits as well, whether you're on a strict budget or just like the idea of making your own scrubs. Having control over mixing your ingredients for treatments means you can play around to see how your skin and hair reacts to various salts, oils, and herbs, which could lead to finding your "miracle" mix. Plus, you don't have to leave your house. Ready to give the at-home spa experience a try? These 10 treatments are easy to whip up from the comfort of your own kitchen.
1. Chocolate Sugar Scrub
You'll need:
- 2 teaspoons cocoa
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 6 ounces brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 18 drops of vanilla essential oil
There are plenty of chocolate treatments on the spa menu similar to this DIY. To make your own antioxidant-rich scrub, combine the cocoa, coconut oil, raw sugar, and cardamom in a ceramic mixing bowl. Add 18 drops of vanilla essential oil. Moisten the scrub by filling up a spray bottle with distilled water and spritz until desired consistency is reached — this is a good way to control the amount of water added. Transfer to a sealable container and get ready to indulge in chocolate.
2. Cold Stone Facial Treatment
One of my favorite spa treatments has always been stone treatments, mostly because new age stuff makes me squeal with delight, but also because certain stones have been rumored to have substantial healing powers for longer than spas have even existed. Cold stone facials can be used similar to cold stone massages; by placing the stones directly on the skin the blood vessels narrow and then they dilate again upon removal of the stone. According to sources at LiveStrong, this process supplies fresh blood and oxygen to the skin which increases circulation. Marble is frequently used for cold stone facials but according to sources at Healthy Holistic Living, selenite may support skin issues related including acne and emerald is known to treat dry skin issues. Even if they don't offer a miraculous cure for your skin woes, massaging your face with a cold stone just feels amazing.
3. Seaweed Body Wrap
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, evidence continues to suggest that seaweed contains anti-aging properties due to the minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants packed inside. As Organic Facts reported, seaweed actually "possesses the ability to detoxify and cleanse the body." You can purchase seaweed online and prepare a seaweed body wrap at home by soaking dry, unflavored pure seaweed in water at room temperature. For a full body wrap, soak the seaweed in a bathtub. Drain the water while you apply the seaweed to different parts of your body (you may need to pre-cut pieces for different areas of the body) and place yourself in the tub for 20 minutes. To make your experience more pleasing, feel free to set up the room in advance with candles or an aromatic diffuser — after all, seaweed smells a bit fishy. This is definitely a fun at home spa treatment for couples and singles.
Nagai Deluxe Sushi Nori 50 Count, $13, Amazon
4. Superfood Face Mask
My business is centered around tailoring skin treatments to fit the individuals' needs and a spa is a great place to find a personal alchemist to make a well-balanced meal for your face. You can play around with natural ingredients at home by making a hearty mask filled with your favorite antioxidant- and vitamin-enriched ingredients from your kitchen.
If you're not sure where to start, try one of my favorite mask recipes, which uses a combination of brown rice, dried rose petals and chamomile buds. Place about a half cup of organic, GMO-free rice in a pot and fill with enough distilled water to completely cover the rice. Cover and let sit overnight. Use a blender, mortar and pestle, or even a freshly cleaned coffee grinder to powder a tablespoon each of rose and chamomile buds down and store in a sealable container.
Once the rice is ready, combine all your ingredients in a blender, using a low power setting and transfer to a sealable container. Apply this mask on damp, makeup-free skin and rinse off once it begins to dry on your face. Keep your mask refrigerated and it should keep for a week. This treatment is gentle enough for daily use, but be sure to do a test patch on the inside of your elbow to make sure no irritation is present.
5. DIY Massage Oil
Sadly, you will definitely need an extra pair of hands to get a full-body massage, but you can get ready for action by whipping up your own massage oil. To make my favorite oil mix, fill up a two ounce bottle with a lightweight oil like jojoba, then add 30 combined drops of essential oils that are calming and balancing like vanilla, lavender, or vetiver. Stay away from any essential oils that are too potent and stimulating (like lemongrass) unless you're confident in your aromatic blending abilities.
6. Spa Bath Bombs
Whether you're at the spa or at home, bath time is a great opportunity to lift the aches and pains of your mind, skin, and joints. You can make bath bombs at home by using the foundation of this DIY bath bomb recipe from Aura Cacia. Customize your bath bombs by adding a tablespoon of your preferred dried flowers and essential oils that tailor to your skin's needs to make your at-home spa experience extra special.
7. Custom-Made Facial Steam
I couldn't resist adding one of my own weekly spa-regimens to the list. Facial steams are an excellent way to gently cleanse your pores and use calming ingredients like lavender or passion flower to help detox your mind from stress. Add your favorite cleansing, rejuvenating herbs to your steam session and follow a few basic guidelines: Heat your water temperature between 100 and 110 degrees and keep your face between five and 10 inches from the water during steaming. You can choose botanicals that you find aromatically pleasing or check out these facial steam recipes for inspiration.
8. Organic Micro-Exfoliating Treatment
You'll need:
- 1 tablespoon organic, green grape skin
- 1/2 tablespoon organic, lavender buds
- 1/1/2 tablespoons of raw honey
This recipe is a take on a $290-all-natural treatment that gently exfoliates with fresh lavender powder to replenish the skin. Use a seed grinder to grind up your organic lavender buds into a powder that still has some roughness to it. Add to your raw, organic honey (yes, you'll need the good stuff) and grape skins, then mix manually or with a hand-held blender. Apply after steaming your face on makeup-free skin, gently massaging the face and neck and rinse with lukewarm water.
9. Aromatic Body Steam
Yes, you can create your own, mini version of an aromatic steam shower without installing a thing. Aromatic diffusers can be purchased anywhere, but for smaller spaces, I love Aura Cacia's aromatherapy diffuser. The moist heat of a room filled with steam can help support the respiratory system as well as our skin by increasing circulation. The heat will help open up the pores and cause perspiration which flushes out dirt and bacteria.
Aura Cacia Essential Oil Diffuser, $35, Amazon
To put your diffuser to good use, place it in your bathroom, let the shower run hot, turn the diffuser on, and re-enter in about 10 minutes. Enjoy the aromatic properties of essential oils for 15 minutes and flip your diffuser off — according to Self.com, the recommended time in a steam shower is also 15 minutes. For best results, follow-up your steam by cleaning your skin in the shower with the water temperature returned back to normal. Since you've likely worked up a sweat by turning your shower into a steam room, take a shower to rinse off the impurities you may have flushed out of your pores.
10. At-Home Platza Treatment
Did you know you can get this Russian-spa experience at home? This is definitely ideal for anyone who can't take the extremities of the full-platza experience, but still yearns for the benefit of venik, the bundle of oak used for platza treatments. Having had a few platza treatments while living in NYC, particularly when I lived in a mostly Russian part of Brooklyn, I'm more than happy to do this spa treatment at home.
Platza is performed by taking a bundle of oak leaves and twigs and soaking them in hot water and essential oils. The venik is fluttered over the body to allow the skin to heat from the oak and pressed on the body before compression techniques and a gentle slip and slap takes place on the skin. Though it may sound and look like a harrowing tale of abuse, I always left feeling refreshed. The combination of tool and technique is believed to improve circulation. Once you buy venik and infuse it to your liking, create a space in a steamy shower where you are elevated as the heat from the steam rises. Get a friend to gently graze you with the bundle of oak.
Image: Ashley Batz/Bustle (1); Kristin Collins Jackson (10)
