Experts Share Their Top DIY Spa Remedies

Too busy or too broke to hit up your local luxury spa? Bring the spa to your home with these do-it-yourself remedies straight from some of the spa world’s leading experts.

Ursula Ariza, massage therapist and esthetician at the Soho House's Cowshed Miami Beach

Before any eye treatment or exfoliation, I recommend cleansing the skin with the Cowshed Lavender Cleanser, follow with the Chamomile Toner over the entire face using gentle, upward motions.  Below are my recommendations for at-home treatments.

Eye de-puffer

My favorite emergency, at-home remedy is chilling some Cowshed Jasmine Toning Eye Balm.

• Place a small amount of Jasmine Toning Eye Balm in a tiny bowl and then place that bowl on top of some ice. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. Alternatively, place the Eye Balm in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• After cleansing and toning the skin and eye area, apply a small amount of the Jasmine Toning Eye Balm to the corners of the eye area and make soft, circular motions around the entire eye.  Follow the direction of the eyebrows and continue with slow circles around the eye, repeating several times.
• Next, incorporate pressure point massage along the eyebrows, at the outer corner of the eyes and then repeat soft, slow circles.

Facial exfoliant and mask duo

To brighten your complexion with this home exfoliant and mask duo, combine:

• 3 tablespoons ground or chopped oatmeal
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• whole milk (measure to desired texture is reached)
• 6 drops Cowshed Facial Oils (Evening Primrose to balance skin, Raspberry for anti-oxidant, or Cranberry for rejuvenation)
• After combining all ingredients, apply in small upward circular motions to the face, neck and décolleté
• Gently scrub for 2-3 minutes, leave on for five to ten minutes, then rinse off with a warm wash cloth
• Tone and moisturize skin

Nina Patino, Paul Labrecque esthetician

Detox/anti-cellulite body treatment

Mix used coffee grounds, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and a few drops of cognac into a paste and massage into skin using exfoliating gloves until body feels hot (5-10 minutes). Rinse off with warm water only (no soap!). Do weekly for 4 weeks.

Crystal Southcote, spa expert at The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Seattle

Body exfoliator

Our guests love using coffee grounds to slough away dead and dry skin on the elbows, feet, and body. Mix a little extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, or almond oil into the grounds to make a paste that also hydrates when massaged into the skin. Rinse with warm water and apply moisturizer.

Face scrub

Another favorite is an oatmeal scrub for the face. Use a food processor to finely grind oatmeal, add a quarter-sized amount of your serum or moisturizer and massage into face to exfoliate and increase circulation. For hydration, use a makeup brush to thinly apply a little organic, top-shelf honey after your scrub. Let it set and remove with a warm washcloth.

Eye treatment

For rough or stressful days, with little or no sleep, try using cooled chamomile tea bags over the eyes to reduce puffiness. Hint: steep tea bags in a bowl of hot water and then set in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning all you have to do is drain and place the cool herbal compresses over the gentle eye area.  

Me time

Roll washcloths, soak them in a glass baking dish with cold water and a drop of lavender oil. Wring the rolled towels out and place on a tray in your refrigerator. When you arrive home after a long day you can release with a cool lavender towel on the face — add a few slices of fruit to your water, grab a blanket and you are ready to relax.

Missy Hughes, spa director at The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort

• Cooler temperatures and windy days can easily lead to dry and cracked skin, which makes it much more susceptible to redness, irritation, and burning. The key to maintaining your silkiness is prevention with a few helpful tips, all of which can easily be done at home.
• Avoid taking extremely hot showers, as the excess temperature exacerbates the drying effect.
• After a shower, pat the skin, so that it remains damp. Immediately apply a lightweight oil or lotion to reseal the moisture barrier. Your skin has a natural barrier to protect it and to lock in moisture. Once the skin dries and cracks, the seal breaks and it takes more product and time to heal the damaged skin.
• Nourish the skin from the inside out by drinking plenty of water (about half your body weight in ounces is recommended) and eating nutrient rich oils such as olive, coconut, and flax seed oils.

Rose Guglielmo, esthetician at La Prairie at The Ritz-Carlton Spa

Winter takes quite a toll on the skin; to improve clarity as well as even skin tone, turn to moisturizing properties of raw ingredients and organic honey.

Simply mix the flesh of 1/2 an avocado with 2 tsp. of honey and massage onto dry or lightly dampened skin. Leave on for 15-60 minutes, depending on dryness. Rinse with warm water. Great for décolleté as well.

Global Chief Creative Officer, Cornelia Zicu, Global Chief Creative Officer at Red Door Spas

Cellulite

Temporarily reduce the appearance of your cellulite with freshly brewed coffee grounds. Mix a handful of these grounds with a firming body cream such as Prevage Body Total Transforming Anti-aging Moisturizer, until a paste-like consistency is formed. Rub this formula in upward and circular motions over your problematic areas.

Smooth skin

Mix a gentle, unscented body wash such as Spa 7/52 Body Wash sold at Red Door Spas, with a half cup of oatmeal, 2 tablespoons of powdered milk, a teaspoon of honey, 2 drops of lavender essential oil, 1 drop of olive oil, and half a tablespoon of coffee grounds. To get all-around smooth, velvety skin, rub the concoction and leave on for 10 minutes on drier patches on your body, such as elbows, knees, ankles etc.

Richard Anderson, Founder Perfekt Beauty, Inc.

Puffy Eyes

Remember the days of cold spoons and cucumbers? I’ve been using this do-it-yourself tips for years – freezing spoons and buying out the cucumbers at my local market. Here’s why it works: the cooling effect of a cold spoon, and the anti-inflammatory properties in cucumbers including Vitamin A and Vitamin C, work together to significantly reduce eye puffiness. It was this at-home remedy which helped me to create the per-fekt eye perfection gel which everyone has become obsessed with! We designed the product to be the first to have a palladium tip applicator which acts as that cold spoon, and the gel formulation in the product is infused with cucumber extract to instantly relieve tired, red, and puffy eyes. It’s truly a 360-degree multi-tasking product all in one – treating puffy eyes from the inside out, and outside in.

Lisa Vela, lead aesthetician for the leading global beauty and skincare brand AMOREPACIFIC

Firm Eye Area

Before heading out for a special event, try this amazing DIY tip for firming up the area around eyes instantly: place refrigerated green tea bags on eye area for 30 minutes.

The caffeine in the tea bags serves as a great remedy for diminishing puffiness, as it stimulates the delicate skin in this area and reduces swelling and the amount of moisture in the skin cells that causes bags under the eyes. The green tea also contains powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties that stimulate micro-circulation that reduces darkness around the eyes and helps perk them up so you look brighter. Try AMOREPACIFIC Intensive Vitalizing Eye Complex to get these results – and more!