Create your own spa at home

A bit of self-care and pampering can go a long way in improving your mental wellbeing and allowing you to escape from your stresses.

You might not be able to escape to a real-life spa right now, but with our tips you can create your own personal spa at home. With our help, you can experience a skin-softening soak, a revitalising facial and a blissful foot spa, all from the comfort of your own home.

Read on to discover our guide to creating the ultimate at-home spa experience to melt away your stress and leave you feeling pampered and relaxed.  

Content/Quick links

• Diffuse essential oils
• Choose your spa music
  
• Calm your mind
  
• Treat your skin
  
• Nourish your hair
• Upgrade your bath
• Freshen your towels
• Create a foot spa
• DIY facial
• Don't forget to moisturise
• To sum up

Diffuse essential oils

One of the most distinguishing features of a spa is the smell. From the second you walk through the door of a spa, you will notice the calming aroma which triggers a deep feeling of relaxation.

You can recreate the aromas of a spa at home using essential oils. You should make sure that the scent isn’t overwhelming; there should be just enough of the aroma for you to notice without it being overpowering.

The type of essential oil you’ll choose will depend on the feeling you’re trying to evoke. If you’re feeling stressed or emotional, cedarwood and sandalwood are great for restoring balance and clarity. Eucalyptus can enhance your sense of deep breathing, similar to the way a steam room might. If you’ve been struggling to sleep at night, lavender is ideal for helping to bring on a deeper sleep faster. If you’re just looking for pure luxury, rose oil may be the right scent for you.

An electric essential oil diffuser is the easiest way to diffuse your essential oils. However, if you don’t own a diffuser, you can also add a few drops of your essential oil to the hot wax in a burning candle, creating your own scented candle.  

Choose your spa music

Background music is an essential part of any spa. The right music will calm your mind, allowing you to rid yourself of any negative thoughts. If you live with others, playing music can also help to drown out any household sounds, allowing you to focus on the here and now of your home spa experience.

Choose music that makes you feel calm. Some people may enjoy ambient music featuring the sounds of the ocean or whales, whilst others may prefer soothing instrumental music. Whatever music you choose, make sure it isn’t too overpowering, as this can detract from your calming experience.

The right soothing music will help you de-stress and make you feel removed from reality. If you’re struggling to find a perfect soundtrack for your home spa experience, there are plenty of ready-made playlists on YouTube and Spotify to choose from.  

Calm your mind

Getting your mind to relax can feel easier said than done, but it’s important to begin your home spa experience by clearing your mind of any stresses. This will facilitate full relaxation, enabling you to enjoy your spa experience.

Sit for half an hour, or however long you need, without your phone or any technology and allow your body to release and relax. Simple breathing routines can help you with this. Take a long, slow, deep breath in and hold it for a couple of seconds. Then slowly release your breath along with any tensions in your body. Repeat this until you feel deeply calm and relaxed. You can also try yoga or meditation if you need to relax more deeply.  

Treat your skin

You can treat your body to an aromatherapy massage from the comfort of your own home. One of the most popular treatments on a spa’s menu, aromatherapy massage combines the power of essential oils with massage therapy, benefitting both the mind and the body.

During an aromatherapy massage, fragrant essential oils are applied to the skin using a carrier oil such as jojoba, sweet almond or grapeseed. Each essential oil has its own therapeutic properties, along with a catalogue of benefits.

Combine aromatherapy massage with relaxing essential oils such as lavender or bergamot for ultimate relaxation. As your sense of smell and your emotions are closely linked, these oils are able to tap into your emotions, directly impacting your mental wellbeing and promoting restorative sleep.

If you’ve got a partner at home with you, ask them to massage your favourite essential oils into your skin using a carrier oil. If you’re alone, you can do this yourself. The more you practice, the more you’ll begin to learn which massage strokes are most beneficial to you and what you enjoy the most.  

Nourish your hair

Your hair is an area which is often neglected. You can combine nourishing hair oils with an aromatherapy scalp massage to leave you with silky smooth hair and deep relaxation.

Scalp massages are a great way to enhance your relaxation. In fact, a 2016 study found that scalp massages can also help to lower blood pressure and reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

When you combine a scalp massage with aromatherapy, you can help to stimulate hair growth, nourish your hair and ease any headaches and tension.

Bergamot is a popular essential oil for hair health and for aromatherapy scalp massages. This essential oil helps to soften and tame curly hair, leaving it silky and smooth. If you want to feel like you’ve just left a spa, bergamot oil is a great option. Combine bergamot oil with jojoba oil for healthy hair that shines.

You can also use bergamot oil combined with jojoba oil, coconut oil or avocado oil as a hair mask. Lather the mixture onto your hair and leave it for at least 15 minutes. When you rinse off your hair, you’ll be left with spa-quality locks. 

Upgrade your bath

Every home spa experience should include a long, hot soak in an aromatherapy bath. You can choose to simply lay submerged and allow your mind to rest or lose yourself in your favourite book.

Bathing has been proven to lower your levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. A soak in the bath also helps to stimulate the release of endorphins, helping to improve your mental wellbeing.

Adding essential oils can turn your bath into a spa bath, intensifying the effects of bathing. Aroma preferences are very personal, and you will be drawn to the scent that your body needs most. There are many essential oils to choose from which each offer a wide range of benefits.

When you add essential oils to your bath, they are absorbed through your skin and begin to penetrate your body. These essential oils impart benefits to both your mind and your body including improving your mental wellbeing, alleviating pain, detoxifying your body and allowing you to sink into deeper relaxation.

For deep relaxation and calm, volant’s Relax blend of essential oils is a great choice. If you’re looking for balance and clarity, sandalwood or cedarwood are ideal options. If you need help sleeping, essential oils such as frankincense, lavender or chamomile are great options.

Before adding essential oils to your bath, you should mix them with a carrier oil or a tablespoon of full-fat milk. This will allow it to disperse easily throughout the water and reduce the risk of skin irritation.

If you don’t have a bath, you don’t need to miss out. Before getting into the shower, mix a few drops of essential oil with a carrier oil and massage it into your body. You can also try adding a few drops of your favourite essential oil to your shower tray. The steam will cause the aroma to fill the air like your own personal sauna or steam room.  

Freshen your towels

There’s nothing better than wrapping yourself in a fluffy towel when you step out of your relaxing bath feeling totally zen. You can step this up a level by making your towels smell luxurious.

Simply add a few drops of your favourite essential oils to a clean spray bottle and top it up with water. Then, spritz your towels with the spray and feel like your home is really a spa. You can also use this spray to freshen up your dressing gown and bedding for the ultimate home spa treatment.

Find the perfect recipe to freshen your towels here 

Create a foot spa

Our feet are often the most neglected part of our body. Your feet work hard all day, carrying the weight of your body around, but we rarely take the time to treat our feet. A home foot spa is the perfect way to treat your feet, helping you to relax and recharge after a long day. Adding essential oils into your foot soak is a great way to relieve stress and anxiety, helping you to sink into a deeper relaxation and improving your mental wellbeing.

Try mixing two tablespoons of carrier oil with ten drops of your favourite essential oil in a large bowl or bucket. Top the bucket up with warm water and then add two cups of Epsom salts. Mix until dissolved and then plunge your feet into the mixture and relax. For a real touch of luxury, you can also try adding dried flowers such as lavender, rose or chamomile.

You can find more footbath recipes here

If you really want to treat your feet, you might like to make your own foot scrub. You’ll be surprised at just how easy it is. Simply mix together two cups of Epsom salt, one cup of coconut oil, ten drops of peppermint essential oil and a few sprigs of chopped rosemary.

When you massage your foot scrub into your feet, you’ll notice the cooling sensation that leaves your feet feeling refreshed and relaxed. The peppermint oil acts as an analgesic, soothing any aches and pains to revive your tired feet.

When you’ve finished with your foot spa, massage your feet with a carrier oil combined with your favourite essential oils. We recommend volant’s organic Spa blend of essential oils with its softening and calming antibacterial properties. Use gentle thumb pressure to relieve any soreness and leave your feet feeling refreshed and relaxed.  

DIY facial

No spa experience is complete without a facial. Begin by treating your face to a facial sauna. This will help to detoxify your skin, opening your pores and eliminating toxins. Once your pores are cleared, essential oils and other facial products will more easily penetrate and benefit your skin.

To create a facial sauna at home, simply fill a large bowl with boiling water. Add a few drops of essential oils of your choice, lower your face over the bowl and then drape a towel over your head and relax.

The type of essential oil that you’ll choose will depend on your skin type. For dry and sensitive skin, chamomile or lavender oil are great choices. If you have oily skin, choose geranium, eucalyptus or cypress oil. For mature skin, frankincense, patchouli and rose oil are ideal.

Your DIY facial sauna should last for 5-10 minutes. Always take care around boiling water and remove your face if it begins to get too hot.

Massaging your face helps to encourage the regeneration of skin cells, helping to counter the effects of aging. A gentle face massage will improve the blood flow to your skin, bringing a healthy and youthful glow. The right technique will also help to encourage the flow of lymph which helps to eliminate toxins.

As with the facial sauna, the essential oil you’ll choose will depend on your skin type. Whichever essential oil you choose, you’ll need to mix it with a carrier oil before applying it to your face.

Jojoba oil is great for acne-prone skin, helping to balance the production of excess oil on your skin, leaving your pores clean and clear. Grapeseed oil is a powerful anti-inflammatory, with exceptional abilities when it comes to toning and tightening your skin. Sweet almond oil is perfect for use on sensitive skin, soothing and moisturising even the driest skin. However, be sure to avoid sweet almond oil if you suffer from a nut allergy.

Begin your facial by cleansing your face and then apply a small amount of your treatment blend onto your fingertips and spread it evenly over your skin. Make sure you avoid your eye area. Start at the centre of your brow, moving your hands towards your ears and down to your neck. Continue to massage your face, working in outwards strokes. Apply more of your treatment blend as required, until your massage is complete.

To sum up

If everyday life has left you feeling stressed and burnt out, a home spa experience could be just what you need. A bit of pampering can go a long way in improving your mental wellbeing and giving you the escape you need from the stress of daily life.

For tips, assistance or support, you can contact an aromatherapy expert here: support@volantaroma.com.