The Mabnol

Having a spa day at home can be just as relaxing and beautifying as a day spent somewhere expensive. Pick a day when you won’t have any interruptions, turn off your mobile phone, and light some candles to set the scene.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Taking a Restorative Bath

Draw a hot bath. Fill your tub with water at just the right temperature, whether you like it piping hot or just this side of warm. While the tub is filling, dim the lights and light some candles. Beyond that, you can help yourself relax even further by doing a few of your favorite things. This will make you feel great. For example:
- Pour yourself a glass of wine, juice, tea, fruit punch or some infused water.
- Play chill music.^[1] Try searching the web using keywords such as "spa playlists" or "spa music".
- Light some incense.^[2]
- Set out a fluffy towel or bathrobe.^[3]
Add bath salts, essential oils and other ingredients to your bath. This is a great way to enhance your bath and give you the benefits of aromatherapy as well. You don’t have to limit yourself to bath salts. Feel free to add bubble bath, bath oils, bath beads, bath bombs, and anything else that helps you relax.
- If you want, you could add milk and oatmeal to your bath, since these have a moisturizing effect and are great for dry skin.
- Or try adding almond oil, jojoba oil or even a spoonful of coconut oil. You’ll come out of the bath with baby-soft skin.
Try a skin mask.^[4] At a spa you might be offered a choice between a seaweed mask and a mud mask. The former isn’t easy to do at home, but you can easily make yourself a “mud” mask using cosmetic clay. After it sits on your skin for a few minutes, you rinse it off. It leaves your skin feeling refreshed and smooth.^[5]
- Mix up ½ cup of cosmetic clay and of water to make a thick paste.
- Rub it over your arms, legs and torso.
- Allow it to dry while your bath is running.
- Rinse it off in the bath.
Massage your sore muscles as you soak. With all the hard work you do between spa days, you might have a sore back, legs, arms or neck. Take time to knead your muscles with your fingers to loosen yourself up in the warm water.
Exfoliate your skin. Use a loofah or a body scrub to completely exfoliate your arms, legs, and torso. Your skin will feel soft, smooth and healthy when you get out of the tub.
- Use gentle circular motions to slough off the dead skin.
- If you’d like, shave your legs and other body parts after you exfoliate.
Dry your skin and apply a nourishing lotion.^[6] Use a towel to pat your skin dry, then seal in the moisture by applying a lotion or body cream to your arms, legs, and torso. After your body is covered in lotion, put on your bathrobe to give it time to absorb into your skin before you get dressed.

[Edit]Giving Yourself a Facial

Gently exfoliate your face. Wet it with warm water and use a washcloth or a facial brush to scrub away the dead skin. Be sure to use a gentle circular motion instead of applying pressure, since your facial skin is sensitive and could stretch and wrinkle if you handle it roughly.^[7]
- Facial scrubs also work well. Buy one at the store or make your own by mixing up the following ingredients: olive oil, 1 tablespoon ground almonds or ground oatmeal, and 1 teaspoon water. Use it to scrub your face, then rinse it off with warm water.
Give yourself a steam treatment. Fill a small pot with water and heat it on the stove until it begins to steam. Drape a towel over the back of your head and hold your head over the pot to allow the steam to caress your face. Hold it there for two to three minutes to get the full benefits of the steam.^[8]
- Be sure not to hold your face so close that it feels extremely hot. Your face should feel very warm, but not uncomfortably hot.
- Increase the pleasure of a facial steam by adding a few drops of essential oil to the pot. Lavender, tea tree oil and rose water all have a relaxing effect.
Do a face mask. Doing masks at home is a lot of fun, and they leave your face as soft as a baby’s skin. Use a facial mask from the store or mix up a recipe using household ingredients. Apply it to your face for fifteen minutes, then wash it away. Here are a few popular mask options:
- For dry skin: Mix 1 teaspoon honey and 1 teaspoon olive oil
- For regular skin: Mix 1 teaspoon honey and 1 smashed banana
- For oily skin: Mix 1 teaspoon honey and 1 teaspoon cosmetic clay
Moisturize your face. Trap in the moisture from your facial treatments using a good cream on your face to end the process. You can use either a storebought cream or a little facial oil, like jojoba, argan, or almond oil. These oils balance your skin without causing acne.
- If your skin is very dry, use coconut oil. However, if you’re prone to getting clogged pores, coconut oil might lead to pimples.

[Edit]Doing a Mani and Pedi

Remove your old polish. Start with a clean slate by removing the old nail polish from your fingernails and toenails. Use acetone-free nail polish remover if possible, since acetone dries out your nails.
Soak your fingers. Prepare a bowl of warm water and soak them for five minutes with your nails completely submerged. This will soften the nails and cuticles to make them easier to shape.
- Don’t use oils or soaps in the bowl of warm water. It’s better to use plain water so there won’t be residue on your fingers when you paint them.
Trim and file your nails. Use fingernail clippers or scissors to shape each of your nails into crescent shapes, rounding off the edges. Use a nail file to smooth rough spots and even out the shapes, so that all of your nails look professionally trimmed.
Push back your cuticles. Take a cuticle pusher or orange stick and gently push back your cuticles so they’re no longer visible on your nails. Be very gentle, and do not rip or trim the cuticles, since you need them in place to protect your fingers from infection.^[9]
Apply your polish. A good manicure has at least three coats: a base coat, a color, and a topcoat. Some people like to apply more than one color coat to ensure maximum coverage. Let your nails dry completely between coats to prevent smudging.
- The best method for painting your nails neatly is to paint one stroke on either side, then fill in the middle.
- If you want to paint a design on your nails, do it after the color coat, then add the top coat last to seal it in.
Soak and exfoliate your feet. Feet often get neglected in daily care, but this is your spa day, so take the time to do it right! Soak your feet in the tub or in a bowl filled with warm water. If your feet are dry or callused, use a pumice stone to remove the rough spots.
- Some tough calluses need extra help coming off. Try a callus shaver or another instrument designed to remove dry skin.
Trim and polish your toenails. Shape your toenails with clippers, making sure to round off the edges to prevent ingrown toenails. Either go all out and do a three-coat pedicure, or simply apply a coat of clear polish to protect and enhance your toenails.