Go To The Spa At Home: Four Tips For Creating Your Own Pampered Paradise
You shouldn't have to go to a spa to enjoy a relaxing steam shower or a luxurious soak in a garden tub. Outfitting your home bath with a few high-end conveniences like massage jets, a sauna, or a whirlpool tub can elevate the art of relaxation to a new, never-before-experienced level. Toss in an attractive shower enclosure and some floor-to-ceiling tile, and you'll never want to leave home again. Here are a few tips to creating this desired ambiance:
Declutter
Most modern spas feature clean lines and a minimalist decor scheme, so if your current bath is cluttered or kitschy, the first order of business is to get sorting. Eliminate the extra fluff--anything that doesn't add function. According to the organizing experts at HGTV, there's a technique to help you divide and conquer the clutter that's claiming your bath:
- Sort--Make piles, baskets, bags or boxes to hold all the extraneous items in your bath. Sort them by category--keep, toss, sell or donate. Because the room that you're decluttering is the bath, most of your items probably won't make it into the sell or donate boxes. Nobody wants to buy your old, half-used cosmetics or lotions. But if you have lots of decor littering the space--things like artwork, sconces or figurines--these things can easily move onto other homes.
- Organize--Once you've determined what stays, you need to find a home for everything. Do your best to stow items out of sight and off countertops if you're hoping to create a minimalist look.
- Remove--Anything that goes needs to go immediately--to the curb, to the garage, or to the trunk of the car for delivery to the nearest charity.
Paint and Tile
Once all the clutter is gone and the walls are empty, it's time to install your new finishes--this includes everything from paint to tile to flooring. Have a firm idea in mind of exactly what look you're hoping to create, and then shop for the finishes that best help you accomplish it. Many modern spas incorporate the following features:
- Teak or bamboo flooring because they hold up well to moisture
- Earth tones or neutral colors because they're calming and echo nature
- Soft, ambient lighting to induce relaxation
- Porcelain, glass or natural stone tile for a high-end appearance.
Upgrade
If your budget permits, this is the time to add those upgrades you've always wanted--the luxuries that will genuinely turn your home bath into a spa-like space. Conveniences such as shower enclosures, steam showers, specialty shower heads, decorative bowl sinks and even comfortable seating will help to recreate the pampering paradise you envision.
Make Time to Enjoy
Once you've created the perfect space to soak all your cares away, make sure you set aside time every day to truly enjoy it. Bring in a few favorite books and invest in a luxurious collection of towels and bath sheets to complete the picture. Consider adding soft music or ambient noise to help drown out the sound of real life going on outside the door. This is your private getaway and lingering here means forgetting about the outside world for an hour each day.
The whole purpose of recreating a spa-like space in your own home is to give you a private retreat where you can go to recharge and revitalize your soul. Scatter around a few of the things that make you most happy--things like fresh flower arrangements, your favorite scented soaps and lotions, or one or two pieces of calming artwork. Remember, you're still going for a minimalist flair so you don't want to fill your new space right back up with everything you just removed. Go lightly on the finishing touches and you'll have a lovely space to linger and recharge from the day's events.
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