Take advantage of some rest and relaxation time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve with our guide to recreating your very own at-home spa day experience.
From creating the right atmosphere to our favourite pampering products that are perfect for treating yourself, it’s easier than ever to make your bathroom, bedroom or living room into an oasis of calm (even if it is just for an hour or so!).
Here’s how to recreate a luxury spa day experience from the comfort of your own home.
Walk into any luxury spa and you’ll probably be captivated at first smell. All the best spas have aromas that leave you feeling instantly relaxed. Recreate that spa experience at-home by lighting your favourite candle and letting the scent fill the room before you even think about beginning your beauty rituals. Or, if you love aromatherapy, try Neom’s Wellbeing Pod that not only releases a fine mist of natural essential oil blends, but also humidifies the air around your home for instant spa vibes. There are multiple mood-boosting scents to choose from too, ranging from ‘Calm & Relax’ to ‘Make You Happy’.
Yes, cotton pyjamas are great but there’s no item of clothing that says ‘spa-ready’ like a fluffy robe. Just getting cocooned into one can help you reset an overactive mind. The trick to spa-like comfort levels with your robe is to size up, so the arms are roomy and your knees are covered. You can't go wrong with a classic fluffy House Robe by Soho Home, which will transport you to Soho Farmhouse in a flash. There's a hood too, for even more cosiness.
Shut the door to your bedroom or bathroom, and find your moment of calm. I always light my candles then shut the door for five minutes before re-entering for the scent to really hit me.
– Nicola Elliott, Neom founder
Luxury spas are increasingly giving us more control over the music played during a treatment – which can be a godsend for people who find traditional spa music, including forest sounds and 'whale noises', more irritating than relaxing. The same should be true for your experience at home! Put on songs that make you feel happy – even if that means something more upbeat that at your normal spa. A portable speaker, like this one from Sonos, means the music can follow you from bathroom to bedroom and lounge with ease.
Never underestimate the power of massage to help relieve stress – whether you enjoy a quick self-massage or can get your partner or a family member involved. If your mind’s racing, try using Aromatherapy Associates’ De-Stress Mind Bath & Shower Oil, as it not only provides the necessary slip for body massage – it has calming aromatherapy benefits too. Apply a few drops to cupped hands and then take three deep breaths before you begin massaging, using firm circular motions, focusing particularly on areas of tension, including your shoulders, hands and feet. Then, deepen your relaxation by slipping into a freshly-drawn bath.
Doing a 12-step facial like an in-spa expert might feel a little overwhelming but you can still achieve tension-relieving, face-lifting results at-home with the right tools, especially facial contourers like gua shas. First, take the time to deeply cleanse your skin – the slower the better to get that heart rate down. Then, rub your hands together to warm up your favourite serum or facial oil, and get to work, gently gliding a tool, like Odacie's Crystal Contour Gua Sha, across your face. It is designed to hug the contours of your face, helping increase blood circulation, encourage lymphatic drainage, reduce puffiness and give you a great post-facial glow; it's great for both before and after big events.
The right facial tools can relieve tension while giving your complexion a much needed boost. I love using gua shas to remove built up stress around my jaw as they also reduce puffiness and give my skin a gorgeous glow.
– Becki Murray, CF Beauty & Wellness Director
Face masks are a classic part of an at-home spa day – not least because they give you an excuse just to take 10-15 minutes to lay down and do very little! The latest generation of face masks are even better at instantly rejuvenating your skin too. If you prefer sheet masks, try Guerlain's intensely hydrating Super Aqua Masks (the eye masks are also great!). Or, for something extra indulgent for sensitive skin, we highly recommend Chantecaille's Jasmine and Lily Calming Mask. It really is like a nourishing cuddle for your complexion.
Not quite sure what to do when waiting for your hydrating face mask to work its magic? Why not pamper yourself from head-to-toe, by giving yourself a little head massage too. You can DIY it, or ask a partner or friend to do the honour, and product-wise, you can't go wrong with the multi-award winning Fable & Mane's HoliRoots. The lightweight vegan hair oil is infused with ashwagandha – a stress-relieving and hair-strengthening Ayurvedic root. Apply around two pipettes evenly over the whole scalp and massage in for a scalp treatment that will not only encourage deep stress relief but also promote circulation for healthy hair growth.
Even the most high-tech beauty treatments are now more accessible from your sofa – and leading that charge is definitely LED light therapy masks. Able to treat a whole host of skin concerns – from redness and acne to wrinkles – there's no surprise celebrities including Lily Collins and Suki Waterhouse love using Currentbody's LED Face Mask before big events. The technology harnesses the power of Red and Near-Infrared light to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and increase your skin’s firmness over time. It's easy-to-wear too, as it is made of flexible silicon.
No spa day is complete without a spell in the relaxation room post-treatment, especially sipping on a calming herbal tea to continue the spa atmosphere as long as possible. Continue the tradition at home, by trying your favourite blend from Fortnum & Mason's very (self) giftable range. Our favourite is this sleep-inducing Nocturne Botanical Infusion, which combines calming notes of lavender, valerian root and camomile with hints of cherry and lemon balm too. Brew for five minutes, and then relax in your favourite spot in the house with a big blanket and it is super easy to pretend you’re at your favourite spa.
Becki Murray is Citizen Femme’s Beauty and Wellness Director. As one of the only UK journalists to hold a Distinction-grade diploma in cosmetic science, she combines her unique knowledge with an editor’s eye to help you make smarter choices about beauty, wellbeing, and aesthetics. Becki also heads up CF’s spa guide so you could say she’s an expert in the science of relaxation too…
Lead image credit: Olivia von Halle
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