How To Have A Home Spa

February 25, 2022

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So you want to have a spa day at home? Of course, you do, it’s the greatest idea ever. And what’s even better is that it’s really easy (and rather fun) to recreate a relaxing indulgent self-care day in your very own home.

To help get you started, we’ve put together a handy ‘at home spa day’ checklist. It’s full of pampering ideas to try at home, DIY spa treatments and lots more.

We cover everything from how to set the mood for your stay-at-home spa, relaxing music recommendations and best bubble bath buys. We’ll also look at that age-old (although it looks so young!) beauty question of ‘do collagen face masks work?’.

We have some tips for how to give the perfect hand and foot massage, we’ll run the rule over the best face masks, cleansers, moisturisers, eye masks available, and more importantly, we’ll look at what makes having a spa day at home so much fun. So, if you’ve booked some alone time at home, or want to spoil friends and family for Mother’s Day, and are ready for a slice of self-care, then, stick the kettle on, and read on.

Preparing for your home spa day

The first step to turning your living room, home office or bedroom into a private home spa for your day of indulgence is, and this is the case for most big projects, making sure you have refreshments. Stock the fridge up with your favourite drinks, some nice fruit, maybe some extra special chocolate, and, if you’re so inclined, maybe put a bottle of white wine or prosecco in the fridge, just in case you fancy a cheeky glass later. You’ll need your comfiest clothes, and a comfy chair too, so base your location on wherever your favourite soft chair is.

Setting the mood

For many of us, most of the time our homes are pretty far from being Zen. From kids practising violin (bless them but also ouch), dogs muddying the kitchen floor (just mopped, obviously), or your partner hogging the hallway to make it look like a home office, life doesn’t give us many chances to take five. The good news is that it’s super simple to set the mood for your chill zone and create those Zen vibes we all crave and should start to prioritise. The first thing you’ll need is candles. Lots of calming scented candles. We like lavender scented ones, and pomegranate scented ones, too from brands like Daylesford and Apothecary. One is enough but two is better in our opinion. You know it makes scents. Music is next, make sure you have a playlist of your favourite chilled out tunes at hand, instrumental works best but the choice is yours. You’ll need some hot towels too, so treat yourself to fresh new soft face cloths, soak in hot water, and let the relaxation begin.

Start setting the mood

Making your own foot spa

Making your own foot spa is a simple, quick and very effective way to enjoy a spa-like experience at home. All you have to do is fill a basin or bucket with hot water, bubble bath (we like Neal’s Yard aromatic foam), some bath salts from brands like Apothecary or Westlab, and some body oil to treat your tired muscles. Then soak for 20-30 minutes, dry in a soft towel, then moisturise and move onto your next treatment – isn’t this fun?!

How to give a foot and hand massage

An at-home spa day wouldn’t be complete without a relaxing foot massage, and it’s easy to learn how.

These six steps will help you get started:

Make sure you’re sitting comfortably.
Use both your thumbs to warm up the tissue of the foot.
Push your thumbs away from each other going from the heel to the toes.
To massage your toes, extend and squeeze each one individually and then squeeze them all together in one hand. Repeat these actions until they start to warm up.
In areas that are sore, use your knuckles to knead the skin, again moving from the heel to the toe until you start to feel it loosening.

Moisturise with your favourite lotion or moisturiser – we like this cocoa butter.

These are simple tips to get started but if you have serious foot pain or want to learn the art of massage, we recommend speaking to a specialist.

And don’t forget your hands, giving yourself a simple hand massagehas been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood and sleep quality too. Take 15 minutes to rub, extend and pinch your fingers and hands, finishing with some well-chosen hand creme or products will make you feel better.

Having a facial at home

Let’s face it, no spa day is complete without a cleansing facial and having a facial at home is now quick and easy thanks to the brilliant products available. But let’s start with the simplest (and cheapest): the humble cucumber. The classic method of laying thinly-sliced peices of cucumber on your eyes to reduce puffiness from tired eyes is scientifically proven to work due to its high water content and Vitamin C. If you fancy something a little more indulgent, there are collagen sheet masks that cost less than £5, that are suitable for all skin types, only take 15 minutes, and can really brighten and clear your skin. They’re also quite fun. Before using a face mask, be sure to wash your face with a gentle cleanser and warm water to remove any makeup, dirt or residue.

Don’t forget your hair!

Wellbeing starts right at the top and massaging your scalp can help detox and freshen your scalp. So, when you’re planning your stay-at-home-spa day make sure you leave some time to massage or exfoliate your scalp too.

And that’s all you need to turn your home into a solace of self-care and we strongly recommend giving it a go. Taking some time to yourself and indulging in a little pampering and DIY beauty treatments has never been so important.

Enjoy your spa day and please tag us in any pics using #Ocadolife – bonus points for shots of cucumber eyes.

Take care.