Treat Your SPA Self

When times are tough and financial situations have you cut your spending, doesn’t mean you have to stop pampering yourself! Professional pampering can be incredible, including the fancy robe and padded table and luxurious setting, but you can have just what the doctor ordered right at home.

First, you can set the mood by lighting candles, preferably a soy candle since they are earth friendly, natural, last longer, and emit significantly less soot. Next, lets gather some of the spa products you may want to enjoy. Here we reveal some of the secrets the spas keep from you:

Refreshing Face Massage
Most spa facials involve some kind of face massage to boost blood flow and help the products absorb better. The key ingredient in most of the products is a grape extract. “Grapes contain hydrating glucose and powerful antioxidants that fight skin-damaging free radicals” says Regine Berthelot, head aesthetician at Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa, in NYC.

How to create your own:

• Take a warm shower to open up your pores

• Cut a chilled red or green grape in half

• Slide the flat side of the grape over your skin, starting between your brows and moving out toward your temples. Sweep up to your forehead, then down your nose and over your cheeks.

• Finally, you may want to follow up with a Revealing Mask, which tightens the appearance of pores and evens out your tone. Try Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Revealing Mask, $42.

Citrus Burst Pedi
So you have been hiding your feet behind those boots and socks, and it’s time you reveal those beauties. Icky callused skin and unkempt moisturizing have left your feet unbearable to show.

Here we reveal a bursting technique:

• Submerge your feet in a bowl of grapefruit, orange, or lemon juice (you can use one or a combo of all three) diluted with equal parts warm water

• After 5 minutes, slough your heels and the balls of your feet with a pumice stone

• Then massage your entire foot with an oil-based sugar scrub (MAKE YOUR OWN by combining ½ c. brown sugar and ½ c. olive oil)

• Rinse it off, and slather on a body or foot balm (Try Thymes Essentials AHA Foot Cream, $18. It contains exfoliating alpha hydroxyl acid and hydrating shea butter.)

Now that we have revealed some of the secrets, we hope you indulge yourself to a nice day at your very own Spa at the comfort of your home. By cutting back on unnecessary expenses, you can still treat your body, mind, and soul with these homemade remedies.

Hope you enjoy!

Any spa secrets of your own? Please share! Just leave a comment below.