A day all to yourself, spent pampering your mind and body, relaxing and refreshing…there’s just something special about a spa day!
Not only are they a great way to wind down after a stressful week, but they can also do wonders for your skin, hair and nails – so there’s all the more reason to indulge a little.
Holding your special day at home is even better because you can choose everything yourself, to your tastes and preferences, with your favourite scents, entertainment and snacks right beside you.
With so much to choose from for your spa day, we’ve made the planning part easier by compiling some of our favourite spa day products.
That way, you can get through the planning faster, and be enjoying your at-home spa day sooner!
THE BEST HOME SPA PRODUCTS IN AUSTRALIA
Picking out the perfect skincare product (or any other product!) is always a challenge, so we’ve assembled this quick guide. Here’s what you need for the perfect spa day at home:
- Best bath product: L’Occitane Lavande Lavender Foaming Bath
- Best body scrub: Sabon Body Scrub – White Tea
- Best body lotion: Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Balm
- Best face mask: Fenty Skin Cookies N Clean Whipped Clay Pore Detox Face Mask With Salicylic Acid And Charcoal
- Best facial moisturizer: Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream Moisturizer
- Best hair care: Bondi Boost Pink Salt Scalp Scrub
- Best nail care: Revitanail Nourishing Oil
- Best foot scrub: Sothys Hands & Feet Sublimation Scrub – Orange Blossom & Cedar Wood Escape
- Best scented candle: Jo Malone Lavender and Moonflower Home Candle
1. Best bath product: L’Occitane Lavande Lavender Foaming Bath
Hot water alone isn’t enough if you want to have a real spa day – that water needs to have at least a few bubbles, preferably scented!
Start your spa off the right way with this lavender foaming bath from L’Occitane, which is enriched with lavender essential oil.
The calming properties of lavender, combined with the cleansing power of the formula’s rich foam and bubbles, transform an ordinary bathtub into a soothing haven.
L’Occitane also offers a rich and creamy bubble bath containing Shea Butter, plus an almond milky bath formulated to hydrate your skin, making it hard to choose just one.
If you’re not into coloured water and froth but do want a bath that will relax you, then bath salts might be just the thing for you – like these mint and macadamia recovery bath salts from Endota.
Designed to relax your muscles, nourish your skin and calm your senses, this recovery bath is a peaceful start to your spa day.
It’s also vegan and cruelty-free – allowing you to relax in more ways than one.
2. Best body scrub: Sabon Body Scrub – White Tea
Sometimes you just need a full body scrub to gently exfoliate and nourish your skin, and this white tea body scrub from Sabon is just the thing to do it.
Containing Dead Sea salt and enriched with natural oils, it leaves the skin soft, smooth and renewed, making it the perfect addition to your spa day.
This delicate white tea scent goes well with most other scented products, but if you would prefer another, bolder scent, Sabon has a range of variations so you can choose the scrub that best suits your tastes.
Other scents include patchouli, lavender and vanilla, rose tea, citrus blossom, lavender apple, mango kiwi and more – pick your favourite or maybe try them all to give each spa day its own feel and delectable aroma.
3. Best body lotion: Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Balm
If you don’t feel the need to do a full body scrub – or want to make sure your skin is extra-soft and hydrated – then once you step out of the bath it is time to apply some body lotion.
With its nourishing blend of nut oils, this geranium leaf body balm will leave your skin soft, supple and hydrated when you apply it after stepping out of the bath (or shower, if you feel like using it every day).
A natural geranium leaf scent – with hints of citrus – makes it ideal to pair with any other scents you may be using.
Aesop also offers a resolute hydrating body balm with a distinctively spicy aroma, as well as a rind concentrate body balm containing the scent of a Sicilian orange grove.
Want to make completely sure your skincare products are vegan and free of preservatives? Then Dr Bronner’s range of organic hand and body lotions is worth a try as well.
With versions available in peppermint, patchouli lime and orange lavender, this range is certified organic and uses only the finest essential oils to nourish your skin the natural way.
4. Best face mask: Fenty Skin Cookies N Clean Whipped Clay Pore Detox Face Mask With Salicylic Acid And Charcoal
You probably don’t need to put the cucumbers on over your eyes, but it’s undeniable that face masks are an iconic – and important! – part of a spa day, including one at home.
Putting clay and charcoal on your skin might sound like you’ll be getting it dirty, but this Fenty Skin whipped clay pore detox face mask will instead leave your skin fresh and revitalised, and it helps clear up your dirty pores to boot.
Just apply an even layer on clean skin – wet or dry – massage it in, and leave the mask to do its magic for 10-15 minutes before rinsing.
This cleansing facial treatment is a great way to make your skin look amazing, though if you want to take it beyond your special spa day and incorporate it into your normal skincare routine, it’s recommended to use it 2-3 times per week on non-consecutive days.
5. Best face moisturizer: Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream Moisturizer
Following up your facial cleanse with a moisturizer ensures your skin is both clean and well-hydrated, and this rose deep hydration moisturizer from Fresh delivers 72-hour deep hydration to keep your skin glowing.
Containing hyaluronic acids to hydrate the skin and damask rose extract to strengthen the skin’s barrier and lock it all in, it’s the perfect way to finish off a gentle spa skincare programme, or as a moisturizer for everyday use.
A soft and sweet scent just adds to its appeal.
If your skin needs a little more work to restore it to its full beauty, then you cannot go past the Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer from First Aid Beauty.
It’s quick absorbing to provide immediate hydration, with meadowfoam seed oil, avocado oil, shea butter and ceramides – that’s the restorative power of FAB Ultra Repair Cream.
6. Best hair care: Bondi Boost Pink Salt Scalp Scrub
Hair feeling a little left out after all the attention you’ve given your skin? Then add a little haircare to your spa day with this pink salt scalp scrub from Bondi Boost.
Just like a normal body scrub – or possibly even better – it unclogs the pores, buffs impurities and dead skin cells, and cleanses oily skin to leave the scalp healthy and purified without harming your hair.
Helpful for those with oily or dry scalps and hair, it contains pink Himalayan salt and other natural, organic ingredients.
Just massage it into your wet hair before rinsing, and for a full hair treatment pair with a conditioner or nourishing hair mask – and watch your hair shine.
7. Best nail care: Revitanail Nourishing Oil
After all that scrubbing and massaging, your fingers might be a little tired, so make sure to take care of them – and your nails – with a manicure.
Once you’ve cleaned, cut and shaped your nails, try out this nourishing oil from Revitanail to condition your cuticles and nourish your nails.
Containing anti-microbial tea tree essential oil, it helps your nails and cuticles look great and feel healthy and is suitable for use on natural, acrylic and gel nails alike.
Do your nails need a little extra love? Revitanail also offers a 2-step revival kit to strengthen and repair damaged nails.
8. Best foot scrub: Sothys Hands & Feet Sublimation Scrub – Orange Blossom & Cedar Wood Escape
They might not be as visible as your face and hair, but your feet need caring for as well!
An exfoliating scrub is a great way to revitalise and soften those bad boys, and this Sothys orange blossom and cedar wood hands and feet scrub doesn’t just make you feel amazing but smells great too.
Ideal for hands as well, you’ll want to use this luxurious French brand all over.
For those who’ve had a busy week, the Cowshed Revive Foot Scrub is specifically designed to care for tired, overworked feet.
It has a refreshing herbal scent, moisturising and exfoliating at the same time – making it an ideal addition to a revitalising spa program.
9. Best scented candle: Jo Malone Lavender and Moonflower Home Candle
Sweet smells are an essential part of any spa day – they’re relaxing, and the romantic atmosphere that a scented candle offers is almost as important as the aroma!
Serene lavender is an ever-popular scent for a relaxing spa experience, and this gorgeous candle from Jo Malone combines lavender with moonflower for a truly luscious way to wind down the day and welcome in the evening in your home spa.
With a burn time of approximately 45 hours, you can use it again and again, and its blue glass jar adds to the elegant atmosphere perfectly.
If you prefer a refreshing daytime spa to kick off more relaxation, the Rohini Floral Lavender Eucalyptus Glass Candle is another amazing choice.
Soothing lavender, fragrant eucalyptus and aromatic cedarwood combine to create a fresh and cleansing – yet still serene – scent, all in a gorgeous glass package. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a bath filled with bubbles!
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT PRODUCT FOR A HOME SPA DAY
Even with all our favourites listed here, there are just so many great spa products out there, and some tough choices to make! If you’re trying to make a final decision, or just trying to make sure the day is as perfect as can be, make sure you consider these aspects as well:
- Skin type: Oily, dry or somewhere in between, most people have slightly different skin types. Make sure the products you pick out work well for your skin type, especially when it comes to facial creams – some sites will list which types each cream works best with.
- Allergies: Allergies can wreak havoc at the best of times, and the middle of a restful day is one of the worst times for them to hit. If you have any allergens often found in soaps and skincare products, check the ingredient list of any products you buy.
- Hair type: Different hair types can have different needs – especially if your hair is very curly, or if you’ve got a hairstyle to keep! Consider adding a few extra steps to your spa day focusing on hair if it needs it. It can also be worth buying a specially designed product for your hair type.
- Price: We’re all prone to overspending, especially when it comes to special treats! If you want to avoid spending too much money on your home spa day, prepare a budget and stick to it, or buy your care products when they’re on sale.
- Clean up: One of the tragic downsides of organising an at-home spa day is the fact that you’re the one who has to tidy up after it’s over. Not a fan of cleaning? Try buying products that won’t make too much of a mess in your bathroom, and keep the program simple.
- Extras: Outside of skincare products, there are plenty of other things you can add to your spa day to make it extra special. Snacks, drinks, books, music – or calming ambient noise like birdsong – and freshly picked flowers are all popular extras.
FREQUENTLY ASKED HOME SPA DAY QUESTIONS
What is a home spa day?
A home spa day is what it sounds like – a full spa day, but instead of spending lots of money at an expensive spa, you do it at home. You might not be able to do everything you can get at a real spa, but it is cost-effective and is a great way to relax and unwind.
What should I do on a home spa day?
There are many different spas all over the world, with different offerings – and home spas are just the same. We recommend caring for your skin, hair and nails, but it is just a recommendation, so feel free to add anything else you love from a spa experience or cut out anything that doesn’t work for you. It’s meant to be relaxing, so just think about what you like to do to chill out.
What should I buy for a home spa day?
Any of the normal daily or weekly products you use to clean your body and care for your hair, skin and nails will work for a home spa day just fine – and might be more cost-effective. But buying special products, especially those with a nice scent or from a more exclusive brand, can give you that luxurious feeling you don’t get every day. You can always keep it simple and just buy the basics or go on a shopping spree for new products. If you don’t know what to get and want to try something new – which isn’t in this guide – you can always ask your friends for their favourites, ask a store assistant at your favourite store or read more about the products available online on your favourite retailer’s website.
Should I do a home spa day instead of going to a spa?
A spa establishment offers some things you might not be able to get at home – like massages. However, you can replicate some of the great things a real spa offers at home, by buying the right products and outfitting your bathroom with the right gear. You can typically do this for less than you might pay at a ‘real’ spa, though if you have a small bathroom or share it with your family you might have a few challenges setting it up. Both going to a home spa and going to a specialist establishment have their positives and negatives – it really depends on what you prioritise when it comes to your relaxation.
