Home Spa Ideas

5 Sexy Home Spa Treatments You Two Can Share When You Get Home From the Honeymoon

You can both feel pampered in privacy with these DIY recipes.

We love to go spa-ing for an entire day — heck, even an hour will do. It’s a luxury we don’t take advantage of often enough. Hear that DH? And speaking of men, it can be a battle to convince them to join us for a round of beautifying relaxation. He might hesitate when you suggest a massage for two, but it’s probably not that difficult to persuade him to join you (as long as you don’t tell his buddies). But you no longer have to leave home to feel pampered or get beauty benefits. Here are some do-it-yourself treatments both of you can enjoy in private.

Skip the body scrub…Try the Sweetheart’s Chocolate-Honey Scrub

From the National Honey Board and Christopher Watt Esthetics in West Hollywood, California.

Recipe:
2 cups honey (100 percent pure is best)
1/2 cup grape seed oil
6 tablespoons grated unsweetened chocolate (or dry cocoa powder)
2 cups kosher salt

In a rubber mixing bowl, combine honey and grape seed oil. Stir in chocolate and salt, mixing completely. Consistency should be grainy and thick. Apply scrub to skin and gently massage all over the body. Remove with warm, damp towels, or rinse off in shower. Makes 2 treatments.

Beauty benefit: The rough texture of the salt ex-foliates the skin while increasing circulation and ridding the body of toxins. Honey provides a moisturizing effect and fights damaging free radicals, as does cocoa, which contains antioxidants.

Skip the deep-conditioning treatment…Try the Yolk Hair Masque

From Shizuka New York Spa in New York City.

Recipe:
1-2 egg yolks

Whisk one or two egg yolks without the whites (use more or less, depending on length of hair) in a bowl until frothy and light colored. With a towel around your neck and shoulders, massage the yolk mixture into freshly shampooed hair, but do not massage into scalp. Leave on for five to ten minutes but no longer — it will begin to smell. Thoroughly rinse hair until water runs clear, and finish with another shampooing.

Beauty benefit: The high fat content (cholesterol) is densely saturated with protein that will deeply replenish parched, coarse, chemically treated, or straightened hair, adding luster and shine.

Skip the facial…Try the Banana and Avocado Face Mask

From The Ritz-Carlton Spa in Naples, Florida.

Recipe:
1 small ripe banana
1 small ripe avocado
2 tablespoons plain natural yogurt
2 drops vitamin E oil (slice open the vitamin and squeeze out contents)

Mash the banana and avocado together to form a thick lime-green-colored paste. Add the yogurt and vitamin E oil, and mix well. Cleanse and gently steam your face over a bowl of boiling water, covering your head with a towel. Massage the mixture into your face and leave on for 15 minutes; then rinse. This mask can be left on for up to 25 minutes, though for sensitive skin 10 minutes is enough.

Beauty benefit: The potassium and natural oils in the banana and the high fat and protein (plus vitamins A, D, and E) in avocado moisturizes and refreshes dry or sun-damaged skin.

Skip the pore-tightening mask…Try the Tomato Tightener from India

From Shobha SoHo in New York City.

Recipe:
1 small or medium unripe tomato (the greener, the better)
1 teaspoon honey

In a blender, puree tomato and honey to a thick pulp. Cleanse face well and ex-foliate with your favorite product or washcloth to ensure pores are open. Using two fingers, gently massage the pulp into your face. Let it sit for 20 minutes, and then rinse off with cold water. Put leftovers in Tupperware, and place in the fridge, where it will last for up to a month.

Beauty benefit: The tomato acts like an astringent to tighten pores and remove excess oil, while the honey is a natural moisturizer that will soften the skin once the oil is removed.

Want to be pampered for real? Check out great spa services where you live!