A day at the spa can get pricey. Once you decide to have a day at the spa with your girlfriends, it gets a lot more expensive. Instead, you can host a spa party at home to relax, hang out, and not worry about how many people you have to tip. If you all chip in, you can have a spa day at home almost for free.
Keep the Party Small
Keep the guest list to four people or less. Many more than that and you’ll cross the line from spa party to facial assembly line.
Split the Spa Party Supplies
When your friends agree to come, tell them to bring their robes. If possible, ask if they’ll share the cost of the supplies or bring some of them with them. See my facial post for a list of possible recipes. Since everyone has different skin, it might be easiest for each woman to bring her specific facial products. You can supply yours and the cucumbers.
Get Rid of the Husband and Kids
This will not be a great spa party if your husband or kids are wandering in demanding attention. Tell them to make plans to be out of the house for the day. Maybe they can go to a friend’s house for playtime, beer, and sports.
Set the Scene
Get out clean towels and washcloths, fluffy pillows, several glass bowls or plastic tubs for foot soaks, candles, and soothing music. Arrange comfortable chairs, or maybe your deck chairs. If it’s warm, plan to have the spa party outside. If it’s too cold out, then arrange them in the living room with lots of clean towels around. Just before the party, fill the bowls with clean warm water and either a foot soak powder or some fresh lavender and lemon slices. Place a clean towel on the floor next to each bowl.
Make the Menu
Spa party food should be light, so iced tea, water with lemon, a veggie platter, a cheese plate, and maybe a shrimp dip should be enough. If you need sandwiches, choose light options like cucumber sandwiches or turkey and cheese with lots of lettuce. You can also get really fancy with Giada De Laurentiis’ spa party recipes.
Start the Party
When your friends arrive, start by sending them into the guest room to change into their robes and pull their hair back. Then send them directly to the bowls to soak their feet and start relaxing. As you progress through your facial products, you’ll need more warm washcloths, but everything should go smoothly. Make sure to take a break to eat.
Emerge Refreshed
At the end of the spa party, you’ll feel relaxed and refreshed. If you planned properly, you should be able to just toss the dishes in the dishwasher and the towels in the laundry. You don’t want to deal with extensive clean-up.
This spa party should cost around $50, maybe less if you split the tab. That’s certainly a far cry from the $400 you and your friends would have to spend for a day at a spa, or the $175 each it would cost for a party catered by a professional home spa party company. In this new age of frugality, you don’t have to give up all the luxuries, you just have to find a way to enjoy them for less.
