Going to spas is one of my favorite things to do, but it can also be very expensive. For the longest time, I thought spa stuff could only be done there. I don’t know what I was thinking. Then while the world was shut down, I started doing face masks at home. Spa nights are my favorite way to relax and prep for the week. Creating my own home spa nights is a time for me to slow down and be in the moment. Since starting this routine, I am so much more happier and comfortable in my own skin. Creating a home spa night can be as lavish or as basic as you want it to be. I started out with just products.
Spa Time
My most detailed home spa night is a head-to-toe complete body treatment. To be honest, these may happen once a month. During the summer, I probably do more total body treatments. I will start spa nights after dinner on Sunday nights. This has worked best for me because it relaxes me before bedtime. I’m not sure where I read it, but the article said it’s better to do spa treatments in the morning. When I do any services in an actual spa, I’m so relaxed afterwards. So I could never do it in the morning, but everyone is different. The biggest thing is finding what works for you to bring contentment to your life.
Dry Brushing
Dry Brushing has been something that I have done for a while, because I love to spray tan and it’s good to exfoliate your skin before a tan. I have used a variety of different forms to dry brush. My favorite is the either the glove or handheld brush. Dry Brushing before the shower can be done either outside the shower or while you are in the shower. It helps get dead skin off your skin and leaves your skin glowing. One thing that I have been doing lately is after dry brushing, I’ll wash my body with body cleanser from Cetaphil. Then follow up with my normal body wash.
Hair
Hair treatment is one that I can’t wait to get back to because I currently have extensions. I miss doing deep hair treatments because it makes my hair so soft and smooth. There are so many kinds out there, so find something that you love doing and works for your hair. Most of the time right now it’s plain shampoo and conditioner. If you are wanting to try something different, I woudl recommend trying bar shampoo and condition. I have been using them for a few weeks and absolutely love them. For hair treatments, a popular one that I have seen around social media is Olapex.
Body
Body Scrub is my favorite thing to do in the shower. I would do a body scrub every day if it didn’t dry out my skin. There are so many different types of body scrubs out there with different textures depending on if it’s made with sugar or sea salt. I personally like the salt-based body scrubs because I like the way the exfoliate feels. After removing the body scrub, I like to use body wash. Sometimes, I like to get extra clean by using Cetaphil cleanser. Depending on my mood and what products I have available, I will use the same scent throughout my whole shower. My new favorite brand is Tree Hut because they have a full line of affordable spa products with different scents.
Skin Care
I never thought I would be a person with a morning and evening skincare routine. But here we are with different products depending on the time of day. Let’s start the skin care part of spa night with a cleansing balm followed by a cleanser. I use the cleansing brush for the balm and a facial cleansing scrubber for my cleanser. Right now, I love the brand Good Molecules because it’s all affordable and the packaging tells you what order the products should go in.
After I wash my face and make sure it’s completely dry, I will micro-needle brush my skin before I put on a face mask. Depending on the week, I rotate between a mud mask and a sheet mask. It depends on what I have at home because I am trying to use everything before buying more or new. Both types of masks stay on for about 20-30 minutes. Then depending on the mask, either throw away the sheet mask or scrub off the mask. I use the opposite side of my cleansing brush to get off all the mud masks. From there, I follow my evening skincare routine. Next step would be toner to get any residue or anything left from my mask. Again let the face completely dry before putting on the next product. I am really bad about that though. It’s pretty much do what I say, not what I do.
Eyes
After toner, I like to follow up with eye cream that I put on with eye roller. Sometimes I’ll put in the fridge before my shower to get it cold, but most of the time it’s with the rest of my spa tools. I also have eye masks that I go on under my eyes that I sometimes use instead of eye cream. It depends on my mood and how much time I have. If I am doing an eye mask, I will do a hands and feet mask. Also I am loving eye masks right now, I thought they were spa times, but you can wear them everyday. I had no idea.
The serum is a product that I am currently obsessed with, but I can also overwhelm myself with because there are so many different types of serums. After I put my serum on, I use gua sha on my face and neck. I personally like to start at my chin and go up my face working from the middle of my face and work towards my ear. I have found that using the gua sha with my serum as opposed to the moisturizer gets the product in more. If I don’t use my gua sha, I have a jade roller or ice roller that I use. It just depends on what I feel like using that night. Next up is a moisturizer, and I use my fingers to rub in the lotion. Sometimes, I use face oil but it depends on my face and how I’m feeling, to be honest. I don’t use face oil as much as I should, but I have noticed during the fall & winter I use face oil more for spa nights and daily use.
Hands & Feet
My hands and feet are very similar to my face mask. I have a scrub and lotion that I have received from a friend who sells Mary Kay called Satin Hands & Feet. I sometimes use this and put my feet in fuzzy socks for about 20 minutes. Other times I have used sheet masks for my hands and feet. Pro tip: if you are doing this alone. I would recommend making sure all the masks are open before putting them on. My other pro tip would be to start with your feet and then your hands. I’m speaking from experience on this one.
Lips
Most of the time I use a scrub then a mask followed by chapstick. My favorite lip balm is from Bath and Body Works ironically called My Favorite Lip Balm. I use it all day, not just at night. If I don’t use the scrub then I will use a sheet mask. I want to like using the lip masks but it just feels awkward. I’m not sure if it’s just a me thing or they are just uncomfortable.
Tools
When I started doing spa nights I didn’t have any tools. I just used the product and my hands. Over time I have researched and purchased different things. I purchased travel size or minis before I would purchase the actual size. I would also look out for deals or specials before I purchased. Purchasing after the holidays is another great way to get spa tools without spending a lot of money. The tools I started with were a mini jade roller that was smooth and the other had ridges, and came in a small pink bag from Sephora. When I am traveling I usually bring those instead of my others. Gua Sha was my next purchase followed by micro-needle. But I like I said I started out with nothing and it worked fine too.
One thing that I have recently been loving is reusable masks. I have a few for my whole face and neck and really love them. The directions say you can leave them on overnight or however long you want. I personally have only left them on for 20-30 minutes. I do want to try them overnight, but I’m afraid I will ruin them.
Overall
I have chosen Sunday nights for my spa nights, but you can pick any night or morning to do your spa treatments. I am so glad that I started doing this because it slows me down and grounds me. It’s time to be in the moment and not think about anything else. Normally I read or scroll on Pinterest. I make sure during this time I am doing stuff that brings me joy and makes me happy.
