Tips to Turn Your Bathroom Into A Relaxing Spa
Do you look longingly at photos of beautiful resorts in exotic locations and luxurious spas in travel magazines, and wish you could be instantly transported to one? Part of the magic and allure is the opportunity for escaping stress and chores. Of course scenery and the travel play a part too.
Fortunately, you don’t need to travel far to get some well-deserved relaxation. Look no further than your own bathroom for your next mini-vacation!
What defines the most luxurious aspects of a spa, besides a staff dedicated to your every whim, is how airy, open and clutter free they are. The only things in a spa-like bath, other than the plumbing fixtures and cabinets of course, should be just the essential things that will help make you feel good.
Here are some easy tips to turn your own bath into a spa.
- Keep your bath open, airy and clutter free. Clear all the clutter from the counter, floor and overflowing cabinets. Go through your hair products, makeup drawer and shaving corner and toss everything that is more than a year old or the wrong color. You won’t use it anyway, so why keep it! Make room in the drawers or in baskets for the products you do use and store them handy, but out of sight.
Toothbrushes, shavers and hair dryers should also be stored out of sight. Same thing goes for magazines, extra toilet paper rolls and cleaning supplies.
- Have fresh towels on hand, and lots of them. A damp towel from two days ago isn’t very luxurious. Pamper yourself with a clean one for every shower! It’s amazing how lovely this feels. Save money by buying less expensive towels. Make them all the same color and you will save time on laundry, too.
If you have some money to spend and the space, install a towel warmer for true luxury!
- Aromatherapy is more than just lovely scents from fragrances, flowers or candles. It’s the lack of undesirable odors as well! Relegate the cat box, diaper pail and dirty clothes hamper to the laundry room or a bathroom that’s less frequently used. A working exhaust fan also helps clear unpleasant odors and excess moisture that can cause mold or mildew.
Relaxing scents include chamomile, jasmine, rose, lavender and sandalwood to name a few. Scented oils, soaps, candles, flowers or even a fragrant cup of tea will provide a luxurious, relaxing and aromatic experience.
Minerals, special clays, salts and other bath additives help your regular old bathtub feel like a spring-fed pool. A warning however: keep all oils, minerals, soaps and small candles away from children. The beautiful packaging and delectable aromas are far too often mistaken for food or candy.
- If you don’t have a tub, a luxuriously long shower is also a delight. Of course a long soak in a warm bubble bath strewn with flower pedals is wonderful. The hardest part is setting aside the time, but it’s completely worth it. It can be a part of your decompression routine after the kids are down and your chores are finished for the day.
- Put the lights on dimmers, and add a window or skylight if you can afford it and it makes sense with your house. Different levels of lighting automatically create different moods. Lower lighting levels are relaxing and romantic, but you need brighter lights for applying makeup, shaving or cleaning. Trying to relax with the same bright lights you use to tweeze stray hairs or clean toilets is pretty much impossible!
Step away from the ordinary and treat yourself to your own mini spa. A little effort to keep your bathroom clean and airy will pay off big when you do get to pamper yourself! Enjoy!