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[title]Asha’s Himalayan Rejuvenation Treatment
Ingredients and tools Robe, peppermint oil (available at Merz Apothecary, $8.25 for 0.33 ounces), pot of water, exfoliating gloves (available at Merz,$5), olive oil
1. Change into a bathrobe and heat a large pot of water on the stove. Meanwhile, turn your shower water on so hot that it creates steam in your bathroom; adjust the nozzle so the water won’t hit you when you step inside.
2. Shake a few drops of peppermint oil into the pot. Stand with your face over the pot and breathe in the steam for about ten minutes.
3. After de-robing, use the exfoliation gloves to scrub your body from chest to toes.
4. Apply olive oil all over your body. Then, step into the back of the shower (so you’re not getting wet) and breathe deeply for about five minutes.
5. Turn the water temp to warm, step under the spray and gently wipe away the olive oil (no soap).
6. Put on your robe and relax on the couch or in bed; meditate for 20 minutes.
—Liz Plosser
Asha’s treatment $175
DIY version $13.25
SAVE $161
Bliss Spa’s Youth as We Know It facial
Ingredients and tools Plastic bags, four washcloths, plain yogurt ($1), lemon (50 cents), olive oil, canned pineapple ($1.50), banana (50 cents), cucumber (50 cents), moisturizer, honey
1. Heat damp washcloths in microwave, then mash up half of a cucumber and put in the fridge. Meanwhile, cleanse your face with a mixture of a quarter cup of yogurt, a drizzle of honey and the juice of half a lemon. Remove with a hot towel.
2. Make your own skin-smoothing, enzyme-based exfoliant by mixing half a cup of mashed pineapple with a tablespoon of olive oil. Apply to the face with your fingertips using a circular motion. Remove with a hot towel.
3. Create the at-home equivalent of a firming mask by mashing one banana with a tablespoon of olive oil. Once the mask is on your face, place a hot towel in a plastic bag and position it under your neck as you relax on a couch or bed. To de-puff under your eyes, scoop some cooled, mashed cucumber and place atop closed eyelids and around your eyes. Optional but highly recommended: Have your S.O. massage your feet.
4. Remove mask with a hot, damp towel after 10–15 minutes. Finish by hydrating skin with your favorite moisturizer.
—Liz Plosser
Bliss facial $185
DIY version $4
SAVE $181
mySpa at Fairmont’s Aroma-Harmony massage
Ingredients and tools Vibrational Gift Kit Set ($70 at mySpa at the Fairmont)
1. To simulate mySpa’s massage, which is all about balancing your chakras, you’ll need to buy the Vibrational Gift Kit Set at the spa. But at least it’s a one-time cost, and it’s still cheaper than the treatment! For best results, you’ll also need to recruit a friend.
2. Dig into the accompanying chakra bible, your guide to understanding how to balance your energy centers with help from the kit’s essential oils. Choose the chakra that’s being overused or underused and add a few drops of the appropriate oil (for instance, if you’re working on the seventh chakra, you’ll use rosemary and ginger) in the bath, rub it directly on your body (or have a friend massage it on for the Aroma-Harmony massage effect) or dab it on your pillow before you go to sleep.
3. Take long, deep breaths of the oil’s aroma for at least 15 minutes. “Focusing on a scent and taking time to breathe—that can take you somewhere,” mySpa massage therapist Amanda Powers-Shell says. “[Scents] can trigger your brain to take you to another place from the standpoint of acceptance or relaxation.”
—Jessica Herman
MySpa massage $145
DIY version $70
SAVE $75
Tiffani Kim’s ear candling
Jessica Simpson recently tweeted a photo of herself doing an at-home ear candling treatment, and if she can follow the simple directions, you can, too. While critics have shown ear candling does not offer measurable health benefits, Jacklyn Kim, president of Tiffani Kim Institute, contends that those suffering from chronic migraines, vertigo or sinus issues should do the service about every six months.
Ingredients and tools Ear candles ($8 at wallysnatural.com), paper plate with a hole the size of a dime in the middle, damp towel, matches, scissors, rubbing alcohol, a cup of water, friend
1. Sit upright (or lie on your side) and place the damp towel over your head and around the ear, making sure to leave the ear exposed.
2. Have your friend insert the candle into the hole of the paper plate (which will catch the wax) and then place the candle in your ear at a 10-degree angle.
3. Light the end of the candle. Make sure no smoke escapes from the opposite end as it’s placed in your ear, and you’ll feel the smoke flow into your ear.
4. After the candle burns down a couple of inches, cut the ash from the flame end with scissors (repeat each time the candle burns down two inches). Do not allow the candle to become shorter than four inches.
5. Remove the candle from the ear and extinguish in the cup of water. You can use up to three candles per ear. Use rubbing alcohol to clean your ear when finished.
6. Repeat steps 1–5 on your other ear.—Kevin Aeh
Tiffani Kim treatment (with neck massage) $90
DIY version $8SAVE $81
Urban Spa Chic’s Seasonal pedicure
Ingredients and tools Bowl of water, hand towels, socks, hair dryer, shampoo, plastic wrap, plastic bags, nail clippers, a file, sugar scrub such as LUSH’s Sugar Babe ($5 at lushusa.com), a whole avocado, a few tablespoons of honey. From ulta.com: cuticle oil ($6), buffer ($4), polish ($2), clear top coat ($5), nail-polish remover ($3).
1. Fill a large bowl with hot water and a few drops of shampoo or bubble bath and soak your feet for ten minutes.
2. Clip, file and buff your nails. Cut away dry skin with a cuticle trimmer.
3. Scrub your legs with sugar scrub. Remove the product using damp hand towels you heated in the microwave and kept warm in plastic bags.
4. Slather on a hydrating mask of avocado mashed up with honey. Wrap your legs and feet in plastic wrap and slip on socks that you’ve just heated under a hair dryer. Wear the socks until they cool off, then remove the product with warm, damp towels.
5. Strip the nail bed of any remaining oils with nail-polish remover.
6. Apply two thin coats of nail polish and a clear top coat.
7. After the polish has dried, rub cuticle oil on the skin surrounding the nail.
—Jessica Herman
Urban Spa Chic pedi $48
DIY version $25
SAVE $23