Do-It-Yourself Spa

  There are days I'd love to go to a spa to partake of the services but the closest one is two hours by air away and that trip takes 5 hours or so to do.

I know other folks who would love to go but have children or other reasons they cannot partake of one on a regular basis.

It turns out you can have a lovely do it yourself spa at home for way less than you'd spend at a real spa.

You can plan a full day of activities or a few depending on the time available.  These suggestions are easy to do and take little effort.

1.  Facial steam - Heat up some water but not to the boiling point.  Add a few drops of essential oil, herbs or a tea mixture you like.  Place a towel over your head so it covers the sides of the pan and enjoy for 10 minutes.  The steam will open your pores and relax you at the same time.

2. Facial mask - mash some strawberries, or bananas, or make a mixture of yogurt, honey, aloe vera gel, and an avocado. Put on and let set 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing off.  Just do a web search to find a recipe that appeals to you if you do not like any of these.

3. Body exfoliation - can be done by mixing equal parts of brown sugar, oatmeal, and olive oil. Mix and then apply to skin slowly in circles.  When done, rinse it off under a shower.  You might want to do this in the bath tub due to the mess it makes.

4. Soak in a tub of hot water with oatmeal or a can of coconut milk.  Be sure to turn down the lights and light a couple of candles to add atmosphere to the process.

5. While soaking in the tub you can use my grandmothers trick of placing sliced cucumbers over the eyes to help with puffiness but I prefer used tea bags because I have them around the house.

6.  Hair mask - try one made out of avacado ( 1 whole one), 2 tbsp cream, and, 1 tbsp  honey all mixed together and combed through freshly washed hair.  Wrap in plastic and wait 15 minutes before rinsing. You could also use coconut oil in the hair before washing to help it.

7. Hands - mix equal amounts of olive oil and sugar.  Use to exfoliate hands.  Warm a small amount of honey and apply to hands.  Wrap the hands in plastic wrap before sitting down for 30 minutes.  When done, wash it off.

I would include my favorite but not everyone has a sauna at their houses.  I get invited over to sauna parties and they are great.  They have volcanic rocks on a wood burning stove that are heated and the hostess spills water on the rocks so a could of steam hits.  It opens pores beautifully.  I'll explain it more in another column.

I hope you find these hints  a help in planning ways to pamper yourself so end up at the end of the day feeling like a new person.  Enjoy and let me know what you think?