Imagine indulging in a resort vacation at one of the world’s most luxurious and exclusive spas. Perhaps the award-winning Golden Door Spa in California, with its highly nutritious, yet slimming and absolutely delicious gourmet cuisine, complete with fresh herbs and vegetables from the spa garden? Or the award-winning Mii Amo Spa at the Enchantment Resort in Arizona, with its soothing hydrotherapy baths and detoxifying body treatments?
While the benefits of spa vacations include pampering, enhanced feelings of pleasure, and deep states of relaxation, factors such as time and cost may not make them practical or affordable for everyone. Creating a spa atmosphere at home can be a smart alternative for those who do not visit spas but would like to experience some of the same enjoyable and healthy benefits.
Creating a spa atmosphere at home could involve the entire house or apartment, several rooms, or just a single room such as a bathroom. It could also involve the use of a jacuzzi, hot tub, workout and other more expensive fitness equipment. Or, instead, it could involve simple supplies such as bath oils, facial masks, incense and other items easily obtained at local stores and specialty shops.
But whether or not the spa is large or small, elaborate or simple, creating the right atmosphere can make a difference in maximizing health benefits and pleasure obtained from spa-related activities. Here are three important and interrelated components that contribute to the ultimate spa experience at home:
Tranquility
The spa atmosphere has an overall calming effect and affords a place to leave the stress of daily living behind. It also provides the opportunity to experience deeper states of relaxation. Whether it’s exercising, meditating, or enjoying a facial, the area in which the spa activity is performed should be free from clutter and other distractions that reduce focus or pleasure and increase stress.
This could mean attending to seemingly small or overlooked details such as taking down pictures that are “busy” and replacing them with scenes of nature or other images that have more of a pleasant or calming effect. It could also mean changing the location of a nearby computer or television set so they are no longer observed or heard while engaging in spa-related activities, and putting them in more appropriate locations where the focus is on work or recreation.
Keeping things organized, simple, and positive are also important. Put another way, it doesn’t help to create a harmonious spa atmosphere when frustrating or other stressful occurrences will continue to occur in the home, such as misplacing items that can’t be found when needed, or having arguments and harsh and hurtful words be spoken. While, in some circumstances, it may not be possible to avoid such occurrences completely, the goal should be to at least keep them out of the immediate spa area.
Multi-sense appeal
Pleasurable experiences are made even more enjoyable when most, or all, of the five senses are involved. A simple bath, for example, can become more relaxing and pleasurable by: the sight of a softly colored room or candles, the soothing background sounds of music, the smell of a delightfully fragrant bath oil, and the feel of a softly textured and warm massage cloth.
Imagination
Creating a spa atmosphere at home involves the use of the imagination to maintain interest and motivation. This could mean making periodic changes such as modifying an existing exercise workout for the home gym or advancing to a new skills level by taking on different and more challenging exercises. It could also mean creating a variety of different and healthy recipes and exploring new herbs or other taste sensations in a home spa kitchen.
Any routine or activity, no matter how stimulating or exciting it may be, will tend to lose its appeal over time. Being creative and looking for new activities and ways of doing things that one enjoys discourages boredom and encourages skills-development, enhanced self-confidence, and personal growth.
Creating the ultimate spa atmosphere at home can start with a single room in the house. But with increasing enjoyment and interest over time, this healthy atmosphere could eventually expand to the entire house over time, from relaxing bedroom to healthy kitchen. Relieving the buildup of chronic stress from the hectic pace of the workplace and everyday living, as well as promoting better health and enhanced well-being, become easier when principles of the spa experience are applied in the place an individual spends so much time day and night—in his or her own home.
