Take This Mini SPA Vacation At Home Before The Holidays

Soft, glowing skin and a refreshed, positive outlook. . .  Although nothing really compares to leaving the work to the professionals, taking time for yourself is one of the best things you can do to restore and rejuvenate. Any woman can turn her home into a spa, chock-full of natural and totally good-for-you beauty treatments that are easy to do.

Here is an at-home spa ritual you can recreate anytime you'd like. If you don't have the time to do it all at once, savor it over the next several days; it's like a mini spa vacation so take it now in preparation of the month ahead!

Set the mood: Choose at least an hour of time during your day where you won't be distracted by work or the needs of your family. Light some candles and play some music. Choose music or sounds that are relaxing and reduce stress:

Start with dry skin brushing. To stimulate your circulation, use a loofah or a long-handled brush to dry brush your body. Your strokes should move toward your heart in long, fluid motions. Take a nice warm shower to relax your mind and body. Towel-dry your body and hair and put on your robe. Apply a deep conditioning hair mask to restore and moisture your hair. While your hair mask sets, apply a face mask to your damp face and neck.

Relax. Spend the next 15 minutes savoring the peace and quiet of your home spa experience. Take another warm shower, rinse the hair masque completely from your hair and gently remove the face mask. End your treatment with a cup of tea or water and take a deep breath. When you're finished, be sure to mark your calendar for your next at-home spa appointment.

Until next time,
Helen

Four Warming Spa Treatments for Fall

October is a special month of the year. It’s halfway between July and December and now that summer is behind us and winter is ahead of us, it’s time to start thinking about getting cozy and spending more time indoors.

Begin by adding some new seasonal touches to your home like draping a blanket on a favorite chair, turning on the gas fireplace, bringing in some leaves and foliage that you’ve found outside, swapping your lighter waffle bath robes for the heavier, terry cloth ones and creating some aromatherapy blends with essential oils like vanilla, cinnamon, and clove.

Here are some fall spa services that you can receive in the coming weeks that will help take the chill out of the fall and winter seasons.

1) Hot stone massages are a great way to get warm. It feels like liquid heat is reaching the deepest part of your achy muscles as the smooth, basalt stones travel over your body. It’s truly a divine experience.

2) Dipping your hands and feet in a warm, paraffin bath is a must this time of year. The wax will lock the moisture in your skin and your hands and feet will stay soft for days.

3) Body wraps are also ideal spa treatments during this time of year. Not only will you be wrapped in a cozy cocoon of blankets, some body wraps are purposefully made with self-warming ingredients like Spirulina and Moor Mud, that will help increase your circulation which will raise your body temperature.

4) And what’s a spa without a bath? Taking an herbal bath is a great way to warm up. Infusing some chamomile or Earl Grey tea into your bath water will definitely benefit your skin and will help you relax and keep you warm from head to toe.

Remember to light some candles and make a cup of tea and which ever warming spa treatment you choose first, you’ve got a recipe for a nice spa day at home in October.

You can enjoy a spa experience at home .

You’d be surprised how easy it is to turn a spare room or a corner of your living room into a spa. New clients always ask me. “I want to get a massage or spa service in my home. How much space do you need?" If your spare room is full of boxes stack them in a closet. Now that's done let’s start with the massage table. A massage table is about 6 feet long and 3 feet wide. More importantly we need walking room around the table so if you can allow for at least a couple of feet around the table, we’re in business. Is there a window in your spare room? If so, make sure you can block light out with a blind or drapes. If other family members are home, make sure they know you are going to get a massage so they don’t disturb you. If you are home alone, turn your home phone and mobile off. Select some relaxing music, candles and we'll do the rest.
Is there anything you do in preparation for a massage? If we'd love to know.