Heading to a spa right now may feel like discovering an oasis in the middle of a parched desert! Let’s face it...YOU are yearning for a spa day session...to rejuvenate and most importantly, to get you through the next few days of life. 

However, the experience of heading to the spa is not the same anymore. For an industry that relies heavily on touch and physical proximity to give the best customer experience, the pandemic has changed life forever. 

Even with lockdowns across the country being lifted, many are taking their time to head to a salon or spa, and rightly so. Those who have mustered up courage, have found the experience far from relaxing, thanks to the up-teen paperwork and the sanitisation procedures. 

The best bet, therefore until things improve, is to create your very own home spa! Have a spa day at home, call a bunch of friends over, or simply have a quiet spa night at home.

Although creating an entire spa routine may be time-consuming especially if there are other chores to do and a job at hand. However, a few DIY spa day ideas mentioned in this article can give you the much-needed break. Go ahead and pamper yourself ! You deserve it!

Below is the list of things to be kept in mind for your DIY spa day. Take your pick from the below procedures and make it your own as per your time and convenience.

PICK THE RIGHT DAY 

The first step to having a relaxing spa experience is to pick the right day. It’s important that your thoughts are away from deadlines, meetings, and other work pressures. If you have kids, ask your spouse or relatives or trustworthy friends to oversee them until you are done.

SET THINGS UP 

The whole point of spa day would be useless if you were to be running around for towels and creams mid-way during your spa session. Keep a checklist of all the items that you need beforehand and keep them ready within hand distance.

DISCONNECT

Our phones are the windows to the world and hence it’s crucial to keep at bay for a good home spa experience. Put your phones on flight mode so you’re disengaged from social media, official mails and calls. You won’t lose much from being disconnected from the world for a few hours.

RIGHT CLOTHING

Wear a comfortable bathrobe but one that is not a very expensive or a priceless one. If you want to apply oils and creams over your body, you wouldn't want an expensive bathrobe to get stained and creamed. Or if you want to go commando, make sure your curtains are drawn and doors locked. You don’t want a surprised, shocked visitor! Make sure to spread a towel on the floor or the bed depending on where you prefer to do your facial spas.

RIGHT MOOD

The lighting makes all the difference when it comes to creating a mood. Draw your curtains, dim the lights. Soft yellow lights would be great as it calms the mind. Light a few scented candles in your bath and in your room to get into spa mode. Play some calm, healing music on YouTube or any other app that will go on for at least a couple of hours. Diffuse some lavender or frankincense essential oils  to help you relax your senses.

YOUR POWER DRINK

Pick a refreshing fruit drink to start off with as you massage and moisturize your body. You can end your home spa routine on a soothing note with a warm herbal tea to calm your senses down.

PICK YOUR PREFERRED ROUTINE 

Depending on the time you can devote to your spa day, pick a routine that best works for you. It’s important to plan this out in your mind so that you are not scrambling around on your home spa day out. It would be great If you have a complete spa kit to take through your spa day. But don’t fret if you don’t! We totally believe in sustainability and you can make do with whatever is lying around your house as well.

A HEAD MASSAGE

If you have a hair mask then great! If not, then the good old oiling will work just fine. As you apply oil, make sure to use your fingers to massage your temples, scalp and forehead thoroughly. You’ll be surprised with how relaxing your own fingers feel!

A BODY MASSAGE

Make sure that you have a towel or a rug underneath you so you don’t soil the floor. Apply a soothing body oil all over your body and massage the oils right in. Tiffany Field, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami says self-massage is as effective as one given by a therapist.  There may be places where your hand may not reach, but that’s ok. The important thing is to feel relaxed.

EXFOLIATING BATH 

Wash and condition your hair and fold it up inside a towel. For your shower, don’t forget to throw in a bath bomb or you use a moisturising exfoliating scrub . If you don't have either, just throw in some epsom salt or even some basic sea salt into the bathtub and soak it in. Don’t forget to throw in a few rose petals or any flower petals for a little Cleopatra-like feel. To make a simple homemade body exfoliator, you could simply mix coconut oil and some granulated sugar into a thick consistency and apply it to your body to get the dead skin off.

FACE MASK 

Start by exfoliating your face with a face scrub. If you don’t have one, you could simply mix oatmeal flour, oil and yogurt as a gentle exfoliating facial scrub. Here are some more scrubs that you can make at home . Apply a store-bought face mask or lather on a DIY one. A simple recipe could be mixing avocado paste or a pumpkin paste with coconut oil and letting it rest for about 15 minutes before you wash it off. 

MANICURE AND A PEDICURE

There’s something inherently calming about having clean, groomed nails! A cute little manicure or a pedicure set is really useful if you are someone who prefers well-groomed nails. But a simple nail-cutter, nail filler, nail buffer, and a moisturiser would work just fine. Cut, file, and buff your nails and apply some moisturizer and soak it in a bowl of warm water. Ten minutes laters, pat dry your hands and top it off with your favourite nail polish color.

MOISTURIZE AND MASSAGE YOUR FACE

After a rejuvenating shower, pat dry yourself before you moisturize your body. You could use body oils (internal link to Kanya Oils), lotions or creams to lock in the moisture into your skin so that it feels soft and fresh. Massage your face with a gua shua, a facial wand or a roller. But if you don’t have one, your humble hands are as good as any other tool. You could also make a rounded spoon as your very own gua shua tool. 

LET PEACE DESCEND 

No spa is complete without a few minutes of complete body rest. This is also known as Shavasana or the dead-body pose in Yoga asanas. Lay still on the bed. Put on a cooling eye mask or just a couple of cucumber slices over your eyes and rest yourself. Watch your breath as it goes about inhaling and exhaling. Observe the effect that your massage has had on your body parts and feel a rejuvenated energy flow through you. Lastly,  don’t forget to offer a little prayer of gratitude to yourself, to the people around you, and the universe!

Putting life on the pause button for some self-care could recharge you in more ways than one. Hope you hit your pause soon. 

Are you planning a home spa session soon? Let us know how you gave yourself some tender, loving care!

Here is a printable tentative checklist that could help you set up your DIY spa day. Go ahead, add or delete items to this list...make it your own!

1-  Towels - Approximately 9

• A rug or a towel on the floor when applying oils before a bath
• To dry your hair after a shampoo and conditioning
•  Rolled up towel to support your head in the bathtub
• To dry your body after a bath
• A pair of small towels during your manicure and pedicure
• A big towel on your bed for relaxing...just in case
• A couple of small extra towels...if you need them.  

2 - Put your phone on flight mode

3 - Candles - the more the better!

4 - Healing, spa music on YouTube 

5 - Essential oils to diffuse 

6 - A refreshing cooler or a drink

7- Body Oils or Lotions to apply before a bath 

8 - A hair oil/ any oil/ hair mask

9 - Bath bomb/epsom salt/sea salt

10 - Exfoliating moisturising scrub for your bath 

11 - Moisturising cream or body oil post shower 

12 - A manicure-pedicure kit/nail cutter-nail filer-nail buffer

13 - A couple of nail paints

14 - A gua shua/facial roller/ rounded spoon

15 - A cooling eye mask or some cut cucumbers

16 - A warm herbal tea