Relax with the girls; plan a spa day

Take time to pamper yourself, relax and reconnect with your girlfriends. Plan a Spa Day.

My friends and I have been gathering each winter/spring for several years now for our annual Spa Day. It started a few years after Jenni had two babies back to back. She hadn’t been out of the house for a fun afternoon in quite some time (as you can imagine that was a pretty tough thing to do with not just one but two babies). So, three of us gathered at my house and we focused on relaxation. The next year, we invited a few more women. I have to confess there have been times when it was such a large group that I had trouble relaxing (10 is a lot). And often my house has been left a disaster zone (it doesn’t take much). But it’s always been a great afternoon to hang out with the girls. Just for that, it’s worth doing.

Toast to friendship during your own spa day.

Now, we don’t put a big effort into Spa Day. The goal is not to have a salon-like experience, but rather to try some new things. We try to divvy up the work, too. Each woman brings one snack and one activity.

Over the years, we’ve slathered oatmeal and honey on our faces, oil and salt on our hands, and parafin wax on our feet (that one’s super messy). We did henna tattoos. We’ve done each other’s nails, made massage oil, and refreshed our sinuses with a steam inhaler. I look forward to the foot baths each year — they smell so good and look so beautiful.

The treatments we do are good for our skin, faces and feet, but nothing tops the fact that we are a bunch of women together for an afternoon. That in itself is soul-soothing.

The year I was pregnant, Amy drew fantastic designs with henna on my belly. I loved it.

It’s tough these days to take time out to be with friends. One has to be intentional about it. Spa Day is a way to do that. There’s a lot you can say over sugar scrubs and oatmeal-honey facials.

Here are some of our favorite recipes so you can have your own Spa Day:

LEMON FOOTBATH

Sea salt

Sliced lemons

Fresh mint

Mix with hot water and enjoy.

Ah. The aroma and look are almost as good as how wonderful my feet feel afterwards.

REFRESHING ROSE FOOTBATH

Epsom salts

Rose petals

Rosemary sprigs

Mix with hot water and enjoy.

ORANGE & SALT SCRUB

Table salt

Vegetable oil

1 T. orange juice

2 slices of an orange, squeezed

1 T. sugar

Mix all ingredients together. Rub mixture on hands (or feet). Rinse and cap off with lotion. The salt exfoliates and the oil cleanses and detoxifies your skin.

REFRESHING STEAM

Hot water

Tea bags, such as vanilla, peppermint, chamomile, lemon

Boil water. Pour in a bowl and begin steeping tea bags. Drape a towel over your head so that it holds in the steam. Inhale deeply for as long as you want. This steam cleans your pores and sinuses.

This stuff works great on dry skin in the middle of winter, as well as for massages.

ENERGIZING MASSAGE OIL

1/2 c. sunflower oil

1/2 c. grapeseed oil

1/2 c. almond oil

3 T. dried lavender blossoms

20 drops bergamot essential oil

Using a glass measuring cup, measure out required quantities of the 3 base oils and pour them into a small saucepan. Place pan over low heat; stir continuously with nonporous utensil until oils are completely blended. Remove pan from heat. Add lavender blossoms. Let blossoms steep in the hot oil for 10 minutes. Line nonporous cone coffee filter with filter paper. Pour oil through filter into 2 c. glass beaker; discard blossoms. Add 20 drops of bergamot oil to filtered oil. Using wire whisk, thoroughly mix oils to combine. Let perfumed oil cool. Pour into glass bottles with stoppers.

VARIATION:

Mint oil energizes and refreshes. To make, use basic oils listed, but substitute 3 T. of dried mint leaves for the lavender blossoms and 30 drops of grapefruit essential oil for the bergamot.

They might kill me if they knew I had posted this online. But they sure had fun with this sticky facial!

OATMEAL-HONEY-YOGURT FACIAL

1/4 c. plain yogurt or buttermilk

1/2 c. oatmeal

2 T. honey

Finely grind or process the oatmeal in a blender or food processor. Set aside. In a small bowl, stir together honey and yogurt. Add oatmeal. Mix thoroughly until a smooth paste consistency has been reached. Smooth over face and neck. Leave on for 15 minutes and then rinse with warm water. Can be used daily.

Feet feel so soft after a salt or sugar rub. Try it yourself and you'll be amazed.

LEMON EXFOILIANT

Lemon

Brown sugar or salt

Mix lemon and brown sugar or salt and apply with a rubbing effect over hands and/or feet especially in rough areas. Rinse with water and notice how fresh and soft the skin feels.

Click here to see recipes.