Welcome to our spa at home guide

Part of the Spabreaks.com Guides

Wellbeing should be something that we take care of all the time. From facials to manicures and pedicures at home, beautiful products and advice available from talented therapists at some of the world’s leading spas and spa hotels, mean that you can relax and unwind from the comfort of your own space and on your own schedule.

You can adapt your manicure or pedicure as you see fit, but here’s our quick guide to treating those hands and feet:

1. Remove any traces of old nail polish first.
2. Cleanse and exfoliate hands or feet with a luxurious scrub, taking your time and enjoying the scents. Massage hands or feet with a rich nourishing cream, taking care to gently push cuticles into place with cotton buds if needed.
3. Clean and shape nails as you choose your nail file.
4. Apply your base coat, leaving a good five minutes for it to dry, and then apply two coats of polish, leaving it to dry for at least five minutes each time. Finally apply a top coat of clear polish for good measure.

Spas often have age restrictions when it comes to certain facilities as well as treatments. In general, therapies are not available for anyone under the age of 16. So one of the benefits of being at home is that you can start to introduce your kids to spa-style wellbeing practices that can really inform how they care for themselves, and how they learn to relax and unwind.

Naturally you need to be careful when it comes to products used on children’s skin, so make sure you read any labels and follow advice. Beyond that, there’s no reason they can’t join you in your spa experience.

Here are a few tips:

• Choose essential oils that are known to support children’s wellbeing to scent the room. For example, mandarin is known as the children’s oil in France. Its fruity aroma dissolves tiny tantrums and the refreshing scent cools hysterical outbursts.
• Let them take part in choosing the relaxing music for your spa day.
• Use child friendly body creams to encourage them to massage their hands and feet.
• Make caffeine free herbal teas for you all to enjoy together, such as mint or chamomile - add honey to taste if they prefer.
• Encourage them to join you in dressing in their robes and slippers to sit and relax.
• Create face masks using home ingredients such as oats, avocado, natural yoghurt and honey, and let them remove them with warm clothes.
• A manicure or pedicure is an easy way to introduce a child to spa experiences. You could simply file and massage a gentle moisturiser into their hands and feet, or if you are happy to apply polish then it’s a great way to help them take a little time to sit quietly while it dries!

Planning a teen spa day at home is, in itself, not that different to the one you might plan for yourself. A lovely combination of relaxing space, nice scents, music, herbal teas and a planned treatment can be wonderful for them to enjoy on their own, with friends, or for parents to share a little wellness with their kids.

However, teenagers do have different needs to adults, especially when it comes to skincare. The main thing is how you wash the skin. While teenagers tend to be overzealous, it’s best to keep cleansers simple and gentle, finishing with a lightweight moisturiser.

Incorporating healthy eating into your spa day is also a lovely way to help teenagers enjoy their food and take care of their skin at the same time. Why not prepare a healthy lunch and pretend you’re looking out across the lawns of Champneys?

Choose an essential oil to help them relax. For teenage girls, for example, you might choose bergamot and geranium. The onset of menstruation can cause many symptoms from bloating to mood swings. These two balancing and uplifting essential oils harmonise to help alleviate symptoms.