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A Homemade Spa Experience
I am an architectural design writer who often focuses on how environment can affect behavior. Before consulting privately, I received my MA in writing and ran a design boutique in Los Angeles.
I am an architectural design writer who often focuses on how environment... More »
Having just returned from The Broadmoor hotel in Colorado Springs, CO, where I spent a spa weekend with my mother, I'm left (with relaxed muscles, yes, but also with real life poking me in the back) wondering where that euphoric spa zen went. One who has experienced a spa of course enters back into real life refreshed and healthier. When done with the idea of reflecting, clearing a pathway physically and mentally for positive life experiences moving forward, or simply taking a deep breath between daily living, such an experience becomes more than a massage session: it becomes a teacher of how to more fully experience life.
Why leave that behind at the spa?? I'm reminded of one winter a few years ago when my first child was a baby and my husband traveled often; and I spent one snowy weekend with our then townhouse turned into a spa atmosphere. Well I didn't get that Swedish or facial, but I spent a blissful few days that I remember fondly. Taking from that weekend, and from additional helpful hints, here are some ideas on how to create a (temporary or permanent) homemade spa experience of your own.
Why leave that behind at the spa?? I'm reminded of one winter a few years ago when my first child was a baby and my husband traveled often; and I spent one snowy weekend with our then townhouse turned into a spa atmosphere. Well I didn't get that Swedish or facial, but I spent a blissful few days that I remember fondly. Taking from that weekend, and from additional helpful hints, here are some ideas on how to create a (temporary or permanent) homemade spa experience of your own.
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Starting with a minimalist, streamlined bathroom using neutrals or cool colors helps. Yet regardless of your bathroom, clear the clutter and provide only the essentials. Provide new hand soap, lotion, and stacked fresh towels.
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The element of water is important for rejuvenation, and using a backyard spa or pool adds to the experience.
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| If the only soaking option is a bathtub, make use of a large tub by soaking in high and warm water scented with lavender. Jet streams add movement to the water. Th temperature should be warming and enough to produce a light detoxifying sweat, but cool enough to be able to soak for 20 minutes. Bring in a tangerine and iced water for cooling internally. |
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For a better shower experience, having a special jet system can add a light massage to a normal daily routine. Create the idea of a steam room by closing off the shower area as much as possible, turning the heat on high, and inhaling deeply before washing.
With the right wall and floor materials, a large shower area can easily be professionally turned into a legitimate permanent wet sauna. Even a small extra room in a dwelling can turned into a dry sauna by bordering the entire room with specialized wood and adding a heater. Of course it all must be done professionally and safely to properly regulate the heat and insure that you experience a warm soul not a burning home!
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Another warming technique is to get into the good old fashioned sunlight for a few minutes. Morning and evening light is gentler on skin, and add water or hot tea and a few magazines for your sit.
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| For less intense indoor warming, sit by the fireplace in a robe or towel or pajamas and enjoy continued respite to calming or classical music, refreshing fruit and water, and natural light. |
| Enjoy the freshness of eating al fresco when possible. Anything distinctly out of the everyday routine communicates a heightened and deliberate experience. |
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| Pare down the kitchen, put away distracting everyday equipment, and set out fresh fruit and tea and a pitcher of water. Fan out a stack of new and positive magazines. |
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by Olga Adler
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| Many professional spas incorporate the concept of a reading room, a space simply for cozying up and reading or napping. This often requires a small out-of-the way space with intimately-placed furniture, reading material, and even a fireplace. |
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A reading space can even be a calming reading corner. The white against cooling tones with the contrast of vibrant flowers does the trick.
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by Kerrie L. Kelly
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| The reading room can be as simple as a place to come into quiet and grab on the go. |
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| Clear the bedroom and incorporate neutral tones and natural materials. |
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| White in the bedroom creates a blank palate and a clearing atmosphere. Of course keep work out of the space, and beyond that, add elements that help the mind concentrate and relax, like a plant, natural light, and even a window seat or other seating for respite. |
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Luxury doesn't have to mean opulence. Paying attention to textiles and pillow arrangements that invite good rest and cozy reading, providing another reading area for private lounging, placing a water carafe on a night stand for convenient hydrating, and inviting in good light makes a bedroom rejuvenating on the most fundamental level.
Ideabook updated on Feb. 27, 2010.
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