Hi all! This is a continuation of How to Pamper Yourself with Spa Quality Treatments at Home Part I. It’s an exploration/compilation of all the ways you can enjoy a spa experience without the hefty payout often charged for an in-spa experience. Sure, it’s nice to indulge in paying for the luxury of someone else doing the work, but if you’re on a budget these ideas can save you tons of money.

Facial Steaming

One of my favorite ways to get a great glow and enjoy a beyond-cost-effective way to help clear the pores, is to just bring a pot of water to steaming. Once it’s steaming (you don’t want a rolling boil, and watch the heat, don’t hold your face too close), hold your face over the pot.

Put a towel over the back of your head so you can sort of “tent” your face and trap the steam that would otherwise escape.

This is a really great way to get those pores open and can even help prevent breakouts. I used to hold my face over the lava rocks in a sauna I would use periodically at my place of work. It had a very similar effect, and I noticed my skin would look ultra clear and bright for a day or two afterward.

The key here is to not hold your face too close though, you don’t want to end up with steam burns! You’ll know when you’ve gone too close because it will be immediately uncomfortable.

If you want to get extra fancy, you can add some sinus-clearing ingredients to the water like eucalyptus or mint oils for an added sense of refreshment and stimulation. You might even walk away with clearer sinuses AND a glowing complexion. Related: Jojoba Oils Sebum Like Properties - Is it Actually a Wax?

Home Saunas

This one is gonna cost money obviously, but home infrared saunas, or even non-infrared saunas are actually pretty affordable as far as in-home luxuries go. Related: Sauna Bathing=Healthier Skin? If you’re willing to put one together yourself, you can buy a kit and build it yourself for a very reasonable price.

We have had a home infrared sauna for many years now. We opted to have it built, so it did cost us a little more than a kit would have, but even so it was still pretty cost effective considering all the use it’s gotten.

Home infrared saunas offer a few things, if you believe the hype. They can help to detoxify your body by inducing a heavy sweat if you stay in long enough. They can sometimes help to lower blood pressure by inducing deep relaxation.

They can also stimulate circulation and encourage healthy skin by opening up the pores and warming the skin deeply. This actually could theoretically encourage collagen production since infrared saunas penetrate beyond just the first layer of skin.

The best part about infrared saunas though is that they offer a way to really warm the body with deep tissue heat penetration, and relax you into a state of less stress and anxiety. It’s a great way to decompress after a long hard day at work, no matter what your profession is. And if you live in a climate that gets cold in the winter, it’s a nice way to escape the cold and warm your bones.

Heating Pads

One of my absolute favorite ways to relax and enjoy some self-care is breaking out my heating pads. I have two, one that is smaller and works for smaller spot-treatments like the neck and lower back, and one that is a full upper body heating pad. Related: Magnesium Oils Relaxing Properties and More

The full upper body heating pad is fitted to the entire back region and even had a ‘collar’ that warms the neck. It’s really great when you’ve experienced a hard workout or some other strain that results in a sore back. Both are electric, so you just plug them in and they heat up right away. No worrying about toasting your heating pad in the microwave too much (which I’m guilty of doing).

I decided to stop using the kinds you heat in the microwave in favor of electric because it’s so much easier, and you don’t have to constantly go and reheat them again when they’ve lost their initial heat. They are wonderful, and very cost effective if you’re not needing a top-of-the-line pad.

We’re actually going to make this a three-parter, there’s lots to say about home spa and home beauty these days. So many options thankfully!