Photo credit: Katleho Seisa
What’s my biggest beauty secret of the season? Pushing pause on my to-do list and indulging in some classic TLC… it’s as simple as you make it. Below is a roadmap I created for the perfect at home spa day – it’ll have you glowing brighter than your neighbor’s holiday lights!
In order to mimic the experience of taking a full day at the spa, take your time to prepare your environment ahead of time. Put your cell in airplane mode, turn off any flashing lights, take time away from children, pets, and other recipients of your ongoing care. Bonus if you turn your wifi OFF for the day! Transport yourself “off grid” at the proverbial fountain of youth. This is your moment to fully, deeply and truly relax. You’ll get as much out of it as you put into it. No white coats or chemical prescriptions needed. Below I’ve shared my At-Home Spa day toolbox, but feel free to amend the recipe as needed!
Balance & Ground
Whether it’s following my lead, doing it with a bosom buddy or taking a sick day off work, do something out of the ordinary to ease your system out of auto-pilot. Like every morning, I started off with some gentle yoga. If you’re feeling low-energy, there’s a variety of restorative yoga poses to mix and match. For the ladies, I recommend Reclined Butterfly, Supported Spinal Lift and Supported Fish to open the heart, hip centers and throat chakra. If alternatively you wake feeling high energy, rise and shine with some invigorating vinyasa and sweat those toxins out!
Nourish & Detox
As much as I love my daily homemade matcha, oat milk and honey latte, I specifically wanted to take a day off caffeine. Think of it as an essential gift to your wired, overstimulated nervous system. You only get one! Personally, I opted for skipping the stimulants. First thing in the morning I made myself a spiralina smoothie (sweetened with date, banana and almond butter) and set some Kusmi Tea to steep. If imported French tea isn’t for you, choose your own signature brand. I personally feel the super fresh floral burst afforded by Kusmi can’t be beat! I opted to NOT use Kusmi’s detox line because many use caffeinated green tea as the base.
First I steeped a large mason jar of Kusmi tea’s Winter Blend, using half oat milk. Once this blend cooled, I put it in the fridge to drink later as an after-noon pick-me-up. The Rooibus, spices and cocoa in this blend make it better than a cup of coffee! If you’re off-caffeine, I suggest something like this mixed with honey to taste or alternatively a nice mushroom or Dandelion-based coffee. In the meantime, I made a hot cup of Kusmi’s Happy Mind tea with Moringa, Ginger, Tumeric and Dragon Fruit. Cleansing and stimulating, Happy Mind tea promotes just that – never start off Spa day with a bad attitude! Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory action and Dragonfruit’s immune-boosting properties bring the body back to its natural balance.
Find it here.
Be Still
In addition to lighting, make sure you’re not letting anyone clog the airwaves with sound pollution! If not total silence, I suggest putting on some Healing vibrations. I opted for the 3-hour Love & Accept Yourself To Heal Yourself | 528 Hz Self-Love Music Therapy available for free on Youtube. After your yoga and breakfast, I suggest taking some time to journal and/or write down some affirmations now that your mind is clear. Envision what you truly want and write it down on paper to come back to whenever you lose your way.
Beautify
No Spa-day is complete without your Age Defying At-Home Facial! I know there’s many products on the market but personally I do not like the paper masks as they tend to droop off my face. One of my top picks this year is Skin Rx’s Hydra Firm Gel Mask. I like the consistency of the gel and a small container seems to last forever. Packed with peptides, rose, marine algae and strawberry seed to strengthen the skin barrier, this masks feels like heaven and helps keep your face feeling and looking like a gem. In addition to its age-defying properties, this mask strengthens the skin barrier, reduces the impact of daily stressors and helps protect against environmental pollutants. Put a couple of cucumbers slices over your eyes for a cooling effect and recline while your mask does all the work! Once you test-run your Hydra Firm Gel Mask to make sure you don’t have any adverse reactions, you can play with wearing it overnight for an even deeper rejuvenation.
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Cleanse & Relax
After you’ve lavished over your skin, treated your mind, heart, spirit and stomach, it’s bath time! Don’t underestimate the cleansing power of water or the impact it has on your overall feeling of peace. Protecting your peace is the name of the game. I like to light candles, bring along my favorite crystals (usually rose quartz for love and and amethyst for intuition) in addition to enhancing the dip with all-natural detoxifying bath salts.
Epsom salt, which can be found at any drugstore, soothes achy muscles while also allowing the body to sweat out dangerous toxins. To dial it up a notch, elevate your salt soak with a premium, handcrafted Himalayan sea salt blend or bath bomb perfumed with your favorite essential oil. One of my absolute favorites is Skin Flo’s Uplift Natural Bath Salt with detoxifying Himalayan salts and Dead Sea salts. Cleansing, softening and nourishing for your skin, this floral blend will not only fill your bath with pretty petals, but exudes the aroma of roses, lemongrass, bergamot, and lemon. When I’m feeling royal I might also throw in a rose gold Keeper’s Collective bath bomb. These simply luxurious bath bombs are also enhanced by grounding aromatherapy. My set came with bombs scented like honey citrus, honey lavender and rose gold.
Find it here.
