April 25 2024

At Home Spa Day Ideas + Recipes

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We all deserve some pampering, especially when we are stuck at home, so why not de-stress and treat yourself with these At Home Spa Day Ideas?

With top to toe self-care ideas, this awesome list will have you feeling chilled out, pampered and relaxed in no time at all!

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At Home Spa Day Ideas

With a family to look after, kids running around, work, and other activities, finding time to have a full “home spa day” may be a bit tricky.

But finding time to relax and de-stress is so important for your mind, body, and spirit—even if it is just 5 or 10 minutes.

Put the kids to bed early and you might get an hour or two, or you might be able to get a morning or afternoon to yourself and if you can manage it, a whole day would be the ultimate!

Or why not get the kids involved – giving them some time to decompress, turn off screens, and just chill out for the day.

With all of these awesome at home spa day ideas you can tailor your relaxation experience to suit you, you and your partner, or have a spa day as a whole family.

Setting Up Your Home Spa

What comes to mind when you think of a spa? For me I think of soft and low lighting, candles, chilled music, and the aroma of essential oils filling the air.

This is something that you can create at home pretty easily.

Make your space warm and comfortable – turn the heating on if needed, place cushions around to relax back onto, tidy the space.
Turn down the lights, or close the blinds/curtains – add light back in with candles – real or artificial ones. Always be safe when using a naked flame.
Light a scented candle – the scents of essential oils are known to stimulate the area of the brain that controls moods and emotions.
- Lavender is great for relieving stress and its calming and relaxing properties can aid sleep.
- Citrus is uplifting and can clear your mind and ease tension.
- Rosemary helps to combat mental fatigue and physical exhaustion.
- Cedarwood or sandalwood can help calm your emotions and make you feel centered.
Essential Oils – or you could use a room spray or essential oil diffuser if you don’t want to use candles.
Put some calming and relaxing music on – keep the volume low enough to be in the background, but loud enough so that you can hear and enjoy the sounds.
- Spotify has many curated lists for meditation and relaxation.
- Search YouTube and you’ll be presented with a variety of playlists that will help to create a spa atmosphere at home.

Setting aside time for an at-home spa day isn’t just about pampering yourself—it’s also about embracing wellness in all forms.

According to the sleep-tech firm Simba, the impact of sleep on mental health is profound, suggesting that relaxation techniques not only soothe the body but also promote better sleep, leading to improved mental clarity and emotional balance.

Spa Treatments at Home

As we explore the soothing world of at-home spa treatments, it’s essential to remember the profound impact relaxation can have on our sleep patterns and, subsequently, our mental health.

If it’s just you in your spa then create your own menu of treatments from the list below. Or if you’re having a spa day with your partner or whole family, have everyone pick something they enjoy.

Meditate

Sit for 20, 30, 40 minutes – or however long you like – in a quiet space – you can have some music playing, and be at one with your self.

There are some great self-guided meditation apps including Headspace that you could try, as well as videos on YouTube.

For further information read How to Meditate (NY Times) but the basics are simple:

Sit in a position that is comfortable for you and relax.
Close your eyes or not – whatever is most comfortable.
Breathe in and out, deeply, mindfully, slowly, gently.
Your mind may wander, that’s okay.
When you feel ready you can open your eyes (if you closed them).

Meditation is great for mental health, as is sleeping well. Read more about the impact of sleep on mental health on the sleep-tech firm Simba’s website

Relax in the Bath

Take a long bath but upgrade your bath experience! Items marked with an asterisk (*) have got recipes further down the page that you can try out.

Fill it with lots of bubbles in your favorite scent.
You could use bath bombs* instead to add some color to your bathing experience.
Or how about Epsom bath salts* to relieve stress?
Channel your inner Cleopatra and have a milk bath – yes, they are really a thing.
Switch off the main light and light some candles (real or battery) for an ambient glow.
Place towels on a heated towel rail or on the radiator so they are snuggly and warm when you get out of the tub.
Just lie back, relax and soak for as long as you like.
Or if you want to read, grab your favorite book or magazine.
Make sure you have a glass or cup of something to delicious to sip – whether that be Prosecco, fruit juice, Infused Water, herbal tea, or something else – the choice is yours!

Herbal Teas

They’re not true teas made from tea leaves but are made from dried fruits, flowers, spices, or herbs. Some have health-promoting properties, but you should check with your doctor if you are on medication if you are able to drink certain herbal teas as some may not be suitable to drink with certain medications.

Chamomile for calming and aiding sleep
Ginger and
Echinacea both help to stimulate the immune system
Hibiscus is good for stress-relieving
Rosehip is high in vitamin C

If you’re in the UK try Teapigs for a range of herbal tea blends including Lemon & Ginger for lifting your mood, and Valerian for reducing anxiety and aiding sleep.

Turn Your Shower Into a Sauna

If you don’t have a bath or are not a “bath person” why not turn your shower into a sauna?

Before you start, make sure your skin is clean and clear from make-up, lotions, etc., so that your skin will benefit from all of the steam. Remove jewellery, and contact lenses/glasses.

Close the bathroom door and any windows to keep all the steam inside the room. Place rolled-up towels to block off the gap at the bottom of the door, and pull down blinds/curtains on the windows if you have them.
Add a few drops of your favorite relaxing oil – lavender, vanilla, and rosemary are all great for de-stressing – to a washcloth and place at the bottom of shower cubicle or bathtub (depending on where your shower is)
Alternatively, why not make a DIY Shower Steamer from Sustain My Craft Habit? In this recipe, the eucalyptus helps clear your sinuses while the lime feels refreshing and sweet.
Shower steamers are also known as Shower Melts – try these ones from Country Hil Cottage
Turn your shower onto the hottest temperature for about 15 minutes. Leave the shower curtain open so that the steam fills the room.
To generate extra steam you could also run the hot tap on your sink.
Place a towel on the floor, on a closed toilet, or on a stool, and sit and relax in the steamy environment.
Have a bowl of iced water and another washcloth nearby to cool off if you need to.
Similarly, drink plenty of water before, during, and after your steamy experience.
Finish your sauna session by taking a lukewarm, or even cold shower.

Get Comfortable

After your bath or shower, dry off with a fluffy towel and change into some comfy clothes – whatever that looks like for you – you want to be comfortable for the treatments that you’ll be giving yourself next. It may be a luxurious dressing gown and slippers, or yoga pants and a vest, leggings and a loose top, or even your pajamas!

At Home Facial

Facials are a popular spa treatment, here is how you can DIY a facial at home. When your treatment is over, avoid putting on any make-up for several hours, or even until the next day if you can. This will allow your skin to reap the benefits of your facial and adding all that make-up may cause irritation.

Pull your hair back from your face. Tie back and use a headband to pull pack any of those wispy baby hairs too.
Remove your make-up and wash your face with your favorite cleanser.
Exfoliate your skin with a facial scrub to remove dead skin cells and to brighten up your skin. Rub in circles on your skin before washing off and pat-drying with a towel. You could use your favorite brand or try one of these homemade recipes:
- Homemade Sugar Scrub Recipe with Coffee, Cacao & Peppermint – The Rising Spoon
- Don’t forget your lips! Try making this Copycat Lush Popcorn Diy Lip Scrub from About A Mom or DIY Honey Lavender Lip Scrub, also from The Rising Spoon
or try one of these crazy simple face scrub recipes using things you probably have in your kitchen right now:
- Stir together 1 teaspoon each of sugar, honey, and milk.
- Stir together 1 teaspoon each of ground oatmeal, honey, and olive oil.
- Stir together 1 teaspoon each of ground almonds, honey, and water.
Give yourself a facial massage which will help to increase circulation. Use two fingers on each hand to apply gentle circular motions across your forehead and moving down your temples towards your cheeks and nose, finishing by massaging your lips, chin, and jaw. Try one of these 5 Homemade Face Massage Cream Recipes for Younger Looking Skin from Massage Gear Guru. You could also try using a Jade Roller which is said to help decrease puffiness and smooth fine lines and wrinkles.
Do a steam treatment by filling a bowl with boiling water and then holding your head over the bowl with a towel covering you to trap all the steam. The steam will help open your pores ready for a face mask. You can buy face steamers online (or you may already have one, so use that!). You could add a drop of essential oil to the water to give an aromatherapy experience. Or if you don’t have oils, herbal teabags like chamomile or peppermint can be dropped into the water to give off their aromatics!
Put on a face mask that will help draw out impurities from your pores. You can use a store-bought one or try Breanne from Essential Moves To Wellness Two-Ingredient Homemade Face Masks. Or this DIY Nourishing Brown Sugar and Honey Facial Mask from Ann’s Entitled Life.
Lie back and chill while your mask does its thing. Place a couple of slices of cucumber over your eyes, or even cold chamomile tea bags will both help to cool and soothe puffy, dry, or irritated eyes.
Remove mask – peel or rinse away and pat dry with a clean towel.
Tone your skin. Not everyone likes to add toner to their skin, but if you do, now is the time in your facial to do it. Use a store-bought toner and apply with a cotton pad to brighten skin and restore balance. Or you could make your own using one of these easy recipes:
- Mix together 1 tablespoon each of apple cider vinegar and water.
- Mix together 1 tablespoon each of witch hazel and water.
- Mix together 1 tablespoon each of rosewater and water.
Finally, moisturize your skin using a moisturiser that suits your skin type. Moisturiser helps your skin from drying out. Avoid ones that contain alcohol as these cause skin to dry out. If you want to have a go at making your own, check out these 8 Homemade Moisturisers.

Exfoliate Your Body

Exfoliating gets rid of dead skin cells and brings back a radiant glow to your skin. Pay special attention to areas prone to hard skin that you may forget about such as elbows, knees, soles of your feet. Use a store-bought scrub, or make your own sugar or salt scrub using the recipes below. Apply in circular motions on your skin, leave for up to ten minutes, wash off and pat dry with a clean towel.

This Strawberry Sugar Scrub smells divine and is so easy to make.
These Homemade Pumpkin Sugar Scrub Bars have all the smells of fall!
Crayons & Cravings’ DIY Brown Sugar Scrub uses just 3 ingredients.
This Exfoliating Coffee DIY Sugar Scrub Recipe from Sustain My Craft Habit smells amazing and is great for winter skin.
Make this cooling Cucumber Mint Sugar Scrub Recipe from The Inspiration Edit.
Krystyn from Really, Are You Serious made this Lemon + Rosemary Sugar Scrub with her daughter.
This DIY Lemon Sugar Scrub from To Simply Inspire with leave skin fresh and glowing.
The DIY Coconut Lime Mint Sugar Scrub from Moms Who Save is a great exfoliator and smells so refreshing.
Elaina from The Rising Spoon says her DIY Chai Vanilla Sugar Scrub this warm and cozy scrub will leave you feeling pampered in no time.
The DIY Salt Scrub Recipe from Country Hill Cottage will exfoliate, moisturize, detox, and tone.
Try making Eco Living Mama’s DIY Salt Scrub Recipe – with Himalayan Salt and Essential Oils.
Or take a look at these 8 Homemade Salt and Sugar Body Scrubs on Tree Hugger.

Moisturise Your Body

Want to give yourself an all over moisturising treatment? Then treat yo’ self!

Slather yourself with your favorite moisturiser, body oil, or body butter. You can self-massage or your partner could do it for you.
Try making your own moisturising products like this Whipped Body Butter from Crayons & Cravings or one of these lotions from Soap Queen

Manicures & Pedicures

Taking care of your hands and feet are so important, and a DIY mani or pedi is actually quite simple to do at home.

Both are pretty similar in steps – it’s just that one is on your hands and fingernails (maincure) and the other (pedicure) is on your feet and toenails so I’m going to combine the instructions into one below.

Remove any old nail polish from fingernails or toenails using nail polish remover and cotton wool pads or balls. I prefer to use acetone-based removers as they work quicker. But you can use acetone-free if you prefer.
Pedicure Step – soak your feet in a bowl of warm water for 10-15 minutes (or longer if you like). You can add a squirt of body soap to the water, or even a scoop Espom salts to help relieve and relax tired feet. Soaking will also help your toenails and cuticle soften. If you have one of those foot spas, now is the time to break it out of the box!
While your feet are soaking, file your fingernails into shape using a nail file. If your nails are quite long you can trim them down using nail clippers first. When filing your nails do it in one direction only and not back-and-forth as that weakens the nail.
Now it’s time to soak your fingernails in a bowl of warm water with a little bath soap added. After 2-3 minutes use an orange stick to gently push back your cuticles.
If you’ve been soaking your feet, it’s time to take them out and dry them off before trimming and shaping your toenails and pushing back the cuticles too.
If you like you could use a scrub on your feet like this DIY Citrus Ginger Foot Scrub from Ann’s Entitled Life and wash them off before continuing with your pedicure.
With clean and dry hands, feet, and nails you can now add polish if you like.
Apply a base coat and allow to dry before adding one or two coats of colored polish (allowing to dry in between) before adding the final topcoat. Don’t rush this part as smeared nail polish is just the worst!
With your fingernails and toenails in tip-top shape, it’s time to moisturize. Use your favorite hand (and foot) cream (or how about making your own hand cream using the recipe from Country Hille Cottage?)
Take the opportunity to massage your hands and feet if you are able, or maybe your partner could do it for you?

Hair Treatments

If you can’t get to the hairdressers right now and don’t want to risk cutting it yourself, the least you can do is treat your hair and keeping looking the best it can until you can get to a salon.

Make one of these DIY hair masks – choose one suitable for your hair type.
If you have a problem area then these 13 Easy At-Home Hair Treatments to Rescue Your Hair and Scalp may help.
Why not try making your own shampoo? Feast For A Fraction has a DIY Clarifying Shampoo recipe you can make.
Or how about a Simple DIY Hair Oil that Essential Moves To Wellness shares.

Make Your Own Bath Products

So way back in the bath section, I mentioned making your own products, and I’ve shared lots of ideas throughout. However, these bath bombs, bath salts, and other homemade cosmetics needed their own section – enjoy making your products!

Bath Bomb Recipes

Instead of bubbles drop in your favorite bath bomb. I love the amazing bath bombs from Lush, but if you can’t get them you can always make your own! They are so much fun to make.

My Cupcake Bath Bombs with Whipped Soap Frosting are based on the Disney Villain Maleficent – perfect when you’re feeling a little bit wicked!
Ottowa Mommy Club shows you How to Make a Luscious Lavender Bath Bomb.
These DIY Bath Bombs For Kids (And Moms) In 5 Easy Steps from Moms Collab are made without citric acid.
When stress takes hold, have one of these Anxiety Reducing Bath Bombs from ConserveaMom ready to drop into the tub.
Simple In The Country shows you how to make Lavender Bath Bombs with Earl Grey Tea and why they are so good to use.
These Avocado Bath Bombs from the Happiest Camper are made using fresh avocado.
Unleash your inner mermaid with this pretty Mermaid Bath Bombs from Sarah at Ruffles and Rain Boots.

Make Your Own Bath Salts

Epsom-based bath salts are rich in magnesium and great for treating sore muscles, aches, and pains and help to relieve stress. The very basic recipe is as simple as 1 cup of Epsom salts + 1 teaspoon coconut oil + 5 drops of essential oil. You could get fancy with soap colorants and other ingredients like dried flowers or petals.

Learn How to Make Scented Bath Salts with Ottowa Mommy Club
Jessica Welling Interiors shows you how to make Quick & Easy Homemade Bath Salts
These Homemade Sea Salt & Lavender Bath Salts from Wandering Hoof Ranch are great for instant stress relief, calming, and relaxing experience.
Try one of these 15 Soothing DIY Bath Salts.
Or check out My Tiny Laguna Kitchen’s gorgeous herbal bath salts

Handmade Soap

With the right soap making supplies which you can buy online you can even make your own soap. Try this Homemade Lavender Soap from Feast For A Fraction, these cute DIY Watermelon Soap Bars from Kimspired DIY, or check out the following soap recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog:

Healthy Food & Drink

No spa day experience would be complete without something healthy and delicious to eat. Take a look at these recipes to make and enjoy during your at home spa day.