How To Turn Your Bathroom Into A Luxurious Spa

There is a saying that you have to love yourself first before you can love others. We know its a cliché, but it's true:  If you carve the time into your busy schedule to practice good self-care, you will love yourself more and consequently love others more too. If you want to cultivate more self-care or if you are just stressed and don't have the time to go to a spa, why not create a spa at home?

Give yourself permission to have some downtime. After all, as we like to say, we are human beings and not human doings. In this blog, we suggest some calming and nourishing things you can do for a luxurious spa moment in the comfort of your own bathroom. By the way, you don't need to practice it by yourself. Light up some candles, pour a glass of wine, and this can easily become romantic spa time.

PREPARATION

Step 1:  Heat up your bathroom.

Most of what we are about to suggest, you will perform naked and you won't feel comfortable if you are cold. So either turn the heater up or use one of those portable heaters.

Step 2:  Make yourself comfortable.

Take a blanket, towels, and/or a comfortable chair to sit on, put on your favorite music, light up some candles, pour some wine or a cozy tea, whatever it takes to set the mood to a relaxing atmosphere.

Step 3:  Pull the products you are going to need.

• An exfoliating face mask and mixing ingredients (for example honey or yogurt if you are mixing your mask with something other than water)
• A body buff
• Bath salt or a relaxing essential oil
• A body and a face moisturizer.

EXECUTION

First, let's exfoliate.

We don't want to sound like a broken record, but exfoliation is important because it removes dead skin and promotes cell re-growth and renewal. Apply an exfoliating mask on your face, like our B Green Mud Mask, and while the mask is working, use the body buff, like our Moisturizing Body Buff, to exfoliate your body. We recommend exfoliating before getting into the water to give the product some time to work on your skin. Once you get into warm water, the steam will open up your pores even more. When you are almost done, turn on the water in the tub or the shower, so you step right into your warm bath when you are finished exfoliating. That's also a good time to sprinkle bath salts or essential oils into the water.

Second, let’s enjoy the warm water.

Remove your mask and body buff with warm water. Splashing water on your face triggers the mammalian diving reflex. This reflex will make your body believe that you are going for a swim underwater, so your heart rate will drop, and you will feel calmer. After you have cleaned your body, take the time to be fully present by focusing on your breath. Notice your breath for a minute and then start controlling your breath by breathing in for five seconds, holding for five seconds, and then very slowly breathing out again. Control your breathing for a couple of minutes and then start noticing your body. Start at your toes and then all the way up to your head. Notice where you might be holding tension, where you might be experiencing some pain and let the warm water do its work! When you’re finished, step out of the shower or bathtub and dry your body.

Third, let’s get hydrated and moisturized.

Once you have stepped out of your bath, your skin will be the perfect clean slate to fully absorb the lotions you will use next. Your skin will not only be clean, but your pores will be open, and your blood circulation will also be better. Pick a body and a face lotion that will both hydrate and moisturize your skin. Hydration is important to improve the amount of water in the skin, and a moisturizer will create a barrier, so you don't lose moisture afterward. Consider the use of creams and lotions also rich in antioxidants like our Carrot Facial Dream Cream, our Luxe Body Butter and our Eco Body Lotion.

Now that you have completed your home spa and you are feeling nourished, calmer and happier, give yourself a pat on the back for being so kind to yourself. If you try this routine, we would love to know how it worked out for you. Please leave us a comment on our social media platforms or send us an e-mail to info@sallybskinyummies.com.