How to Have a Spa Day at Home

“My hands have been so dry and sensitive from all the handwashing lately,” says Vargas. To soothe them, she applies the lavender and honey-scented Burt's Bees Hand Cream right before bed. “The shea butter is great for soothing and repairing overnight,” she says. You can also squeeze in a quick hand massage as you work the cream in. It's an easy way to add some self-care to your evening.

Vargas possesses a wealth of knowledge when it comes to whipping up face masks in your kitchen. “I have a great recipe in my new book, Glow From Within, for a matcha glow mask," she says. “It strengthens your capillary walls and increases circulation, giving your skin a smooth, pillowy softness.” To DIY it, mix 1½ teaspoons water, 1 tablespoon matcha or green tea, 1½ teaspoon honey, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Apply it for 10 minutes, then rinse off to enjoy the hydrated results.

Lip masks are by far the easiest masks to do—just pick an extra-hydrating balm and slather on a thick layer before bed, or whenever your lips are chapped. “Right before I turn off the lights, I like to apply Sara Happ Lip Slip,” says Vargas. “The weather has been making me feel super dehydrated, and I always feel like my lips are plumper in the morning when I show them a little love before bed.”

It might seem obvious, but when was the last time you took three extra minutes to light a candle before hopping into the tub? “I've started trying to slow down during my shower time instead of racing through to be out in five minutes,” says Glamour senior beauty editor Lindsay Schallon. “One thing that helps me focus on self-care—instead of the dozens of Slack notifications coming through each morning—is lighting a candle and taking a few deep breaths in front of it.” Any candle that brings you joy will do the trick, but she particularly loves one with a sense of personality. “No matter how crappy I feel, anytime I pull out this candle from Urban Outfitters, my mood is immediately lifted. How couldn't it be?”

Whether you want something made for Instagram or a scent that'll mentally transport you anywhere but your house, there's a bath bomb for that. “I used to think bath bombs were silly, but then I tried one of Ouai's new Chill Pills and realized the escape I'd been missing,” says Schallon. “They're made with hemp, jojoba, and safflower seed oil, so they leave your skin feeling so soft. Plus, the jasmine and rose scent truly smells like a fancy spa.” 

“Even though I haven't been walking as much, my heels are still dry and cracked,” says Schallon. To help soothe aches and treat calluses, she loves Asutra's Therapeutic Foot Soak. “It comes in a few different scents, but my favorite is the tea tree and eucalyptus. I've started pouring them into a big bowl of warm water and letting my feet bliss out while I catch up on Netflix at night.” The best part? The soak comes with a pumice stone so you can buff away dead skin like they do at the salon.

Whenever we have a question about our skin, celebrity esthetician Renée Rouleau tops the list of people we'd want to ask. She's able to diagnose exactly what we need with a single look, so we figured she'd also know the best tricks to doing an easy at-home facial. “A weekly facial is a great way to give yourself a boost of skin-smoothing and brightening results to keep your skin on track,” she says. Exfoliating peels are her product of choice, especially if you're experiencing breakouts. “Apply a thin layer of my Triple Berry Smoothing Peel and leave on for 3 to 10 minutes, depending on how sensitive your skin is,” she suggests. “It uses five different acids to gently lower the pH of your skin, which dissolves cellular buildup to provide a really nice exfoliation.”

If you don't have breakouts, but do have dry patches, cream masks are your new best friend. “For dry-skin types, it’s best to use a cream mask since the main benefit is to provide oil-based hydration,” says Rouleau. We love her Pure Radiance Creme Masque, which she swears by to condition and soften. Best of all, it's easy to use. After applying a thin layer, you can either wipe off the excess after 15 minutes or simply leave it on overnight. “It’s great for when you want to give a moist, bouncy look to your skin,” she says. (We always want that.)

Esthetician and founder of Peach & Lily, Alicia Yoon, once convinced me to try an 11-step routine that delivered glass-skin results. For something a lot more manageable, she also has a one-step tip you'll love just as much. “For super-busy or exhausting days, your skin-care routine might be the last thing on your mind,” she says. “The Lazy Day All-in-One Moisture Pads were formulated specifically for those days." Each presoaked round comes loaded with toner, serum, and moisturizer, so you can swipe once and be done. Alternately, you can use multiple rounds on your forehead and cheeks as a mask. “Let them soak in for 15 minutes, remove, pat in, and your super-hydrated skin will have that dewy, postfacial glow,” she says.

“When you're feeling tired, the Korean half bath—ban-shin-yok—is a great at-home spa experience that requires very little effort,” says Yoon. All it you need to do is fill up a tub with very warm water to the same height as your belly button (when you're sitting). Everything above that should remain outside the water for 15 to 20 minutes, or however long you'd like to sit. “If you've had a long day or are balancing a lot, I highly recommend this relaxing break to get your system energized,” she says. “The contrast in temperature between the lower and upper half of your body is what helps boost circulation. Before you know it, you'll likely find yourself sweating and feeling invigorated. I usually sit and drape my arms over the tub with a good book in hand.” While the technique doesn't entail any add-ons to be effective, it gets even better with a scoop of your favorite bath soak. We particularly love the seaweed-infused African Botanics Kalahari Desert Detox Bath Salts for their soothing, relaxing effect.

If you've had a lymphatic drainage massage before, you know how relaxing the process feels. Surprisingly, it's not that difficult to do at home. “To give this drainage a boost, gently massage your body away from extremities and up toward your collarbones,” says Yoon. “For everything above the neck, massage down toward your collarbones using a small amount of pressure.” We love her tip for streamlining the whole process: Just make it part of your shower routine. “A great way to incorporate this massage is to do these motions while applying body wash, or when applying body lotion right after your shower,” she says. Yoon prefers to make it a postshower step with the velvety Aromatica Calendula Juicy Cream.

Yoon taught us this quick routine for a nightly glass-skin massage, and we're hooked on the firming, circulation-boosting effects. “Once you nail these moves, all of this takes just a few minutes,” she says. Since you don't want to create drag on your skin, layer on a serum first—Yoon likes the Peach & Lily Glass Skin serum for its silky texture and luminous results. Then follow her instructions:

1. Using two fingers, stroke from the top of your eyebrows up toward your hairline, applying a bit of pressure to help smooth out your forehead lines. Do this across your whole forehead.

2. Lay four fingers flat on each side of your face. Gently glide them from the center of your face out toward your ears, and then sweep down toward your collarbones along the sides of your neck to help with lymphatic drainage. Repeat five times.

3. Place one index finger above your upper lip and the other right below your lower lip. Move them toward your ears, then back the other way. This helps tone the muscles around your lips.

4. Place two fingers on your chin right under each corner of your mouth, then make a V with your index and middle finger as you massage upward. Your cheekbones should land in between the two fingers—this helps sculpt them. (Watch how to do the movement here.) Repeat five times.

5. Using your ring fingers, gently trace your orbital bone (aka your eye socket) to help boost circulation around your eyes. Go around five times.

Yoon says A-listers love the Layering Essence treatment at Eco Your Skin, South Korea's biggest spa. It involves spraying an entire bag of the spa's signature treatment on your face, which leaves skin plump and bouncy. “The glow is undeniable, and your skin feels calm and well rested,” she says. Surprisingly, you can do the same thing at home. “The spa created a special formula that sinks into your skin very easily while delivering all the beneficial ingredients,” says Yoon, whose favorite version of the essence is the Moisturizing edition. “Pat it on clean skin, and see how much your face drinks up in one 30-minute Netflix episode,” she says. “For nonfacial days, you would just pat on a single layer as the essence step in your skin routine.”

Shani Darden, Garnier consulting esthetician and founder of Shani Darden Skin Care, has an unbelievable beauty routine we would love to emulate. (It comes with a five-figure price tag, and it clearly works wonders.) Her advice for at-home facials is much more accessible, so we'll be copying these tips instead. “The first step for any facial is to cleanse,” she says. “I love my Cleansing Serum because it removes all impurities without stripping your skin.” Combine that step with exfoliation once or twice a week, and you're well on your way to glowing. “An essential part of an at-home facial is exfoliating, and I love a chemical exfoliant like the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Pads," she says. “They remove the dead layer of skin on the surface to brighten and allow products to better penetrate.”

Another power combo Darden loves is the sheet mask and serum pairing. “Garnier’s SkinActive Sheet Masks are amazing because they contain half a bottle of hydrating serum to deeply hydrate your skin,” she says. “After masking, follow up with a hyaluronic acid serum—like this one from iS Clinical—to really plump up your skin.”

In addition to hand creams, Glamour beauty associate Bella Cacciatore likes to wind down with a hand mask. “When my nails have been bitten down to a stump and my cuticles are dry and picked over, I like to use this mask as the final step to an at-home mani to seal in moisture,” she says. “The formula instead the foil mittens comprises coconut oil, macadamia oil, shea butter, and rose hip oil to moisturize and soothe dry skin.” The mittens are made using the same technology as space blankets, so the foil locks in your body heat to allow the oils to really penetrate your skin. “After one use my cuticles are soothed, my hands are more presentable, and my skin is as soft as a baby's butt,” she adds.

Another way to make your shower routine feel more like a calming ritual than a normal routine is to sneak in an extra scalp treatment. Leonor Greyl CEO Caroline Greyl has this process down to a science. “Once a week, I apply a fortifying oil like Leonor Greyl Régénérescence Naturelle to my scalp and L'Huile de Leonor Greyl on my ends," she says. After leaving them on for 20 minutes, you can shampoo or rinse them off. The combination smells like summery florals and leaves your hair rejuvenated and shiny. “I don’t blow-dry my hair anymore so it can also have its own time to rest,” says Greyl. 

We've covered facial exfoliants, but the rest of your body could use the same care. “I love using an exfoliation product that really feels like I'm scrubbing dead skin cells away,” says Greyl, who likes this elegant version from Clarins that's loaded with bamboo powder. After stepping out of the shower, she applies more oil to seal in hydration. “My skin has been dryer than usual, so this helps to smooth and hydrate,” she says.

If you've opted out of gels and manicures right now, you can easily still give your nails the spa treatment. “I removed my gel nails and just let them breathe,” says Greyl. “I apply some oil to them every day now. Personally, I use Regenéréscence Naturelle, but any good oil with fortifying properties will work.” Focus on your cuticles as you work the oil in, and your nails should be in better shape in no time.

Our favorite skin-care tools and devices can closely replicate much of what you'd experience at your favorite spa—from microcurrent to microneedling. Greyl's pick is a Fascia Stimulating Tool she uses daily while watching TV. “I'm in my 50s, and my skin is not as firm as it used to be,” she says. “I use this mostly on the contours of my face, and it's fantastic.” Pair it with an oil or serum to ensure you don't drag your skin (which can cause it to sag instead of firm).

“I've been taking more time for my face lately,” says Greyl, who's enhanced her weekly hydrating mask routine with a pair of eye patches. “While I have my other mask on, I use these Talika eye patches to give more hydration to the delicate undereye area. It's a good way to multitask.” These particular masks adhere well to your skin, so you can easily wear them while reading or working.

“Every Sunday night, I look forward to two things: the meatballs cooking since 10 a.m., and steaming my face,” says Glamour beauty assistant Talia Gutierrez. “The warm steam softly penetrates my face, essentially massaging and loosening my pores, which allows any congestion to make its way out.” She personally loves the Dr. Dennis Gross Pro Facial Steamer, since it's made to leave your face plump and hydrated. But she also recommends laying a warm cloth on your face for five minutes to get a similar effect. Bonus if you add a small drop of lavender oil on your temples for an extra-calming effect. 

The easiest way to make your bathroom feel less…bathroom-y? Add plants. “I love eucalyptus in my shower, so much so I'm usually one of the first customers at my local farmers market to grab the best-priced bundle before they're gone,” says Gutierrez. “After explaining its destressing benefits to my roommates, they no longer thought I was crazy by asking to hang leaves on our shower head. I use two rubber-bands, one to wrap the eucalyptus ends together, and the other to connect to the shower head.” She recommends hanging it as high as possible so it doesn't get tangled in your hair. And if you really want to cultivate a spa vibe, look to Instagram for inspo. “Biodara and The Sill have some of the best #eucalyptusshower photos if you need ideas,” she says.

Indie Lee, founder of the eponymous skin-care line, bases her whole brand around tenets of well-being, so we knew she'd be the one to ask for easy beauty rituals. “I'm loving our I-Waken Resurfacing Mask,” she says. “It's especially great for us moms who barely have a minute to squeeze in our skin-care routine right now. It helps wake up tired and dull-looking skin, and only takes five minutes to give me a gorgeous glow.” Add this step after your morning (or evening) cleanse, and you'll see exactly what she means.

“I am huge into beauty tools,” says Lee, who likes to pair her daily routine with a quick gua sha session to boost circulation. Her combo of choice is one layer of her Daily Vitamin Infusion, worked in with the Wildling Facial Gua Sha Empress Stone. “I find it really allows me to be mindful and present while I apply my skin care, which has been a grounding practice lately,” she says. Plus, the beauty benefits are immense—if you need more detailed instructions on using tools like jade rollers or gua sha stones, see our guide.

Consider this a shortcut to a mini aromatherapy massage session. “I always have this gel with me,” says Lee. “It’s packed with thermogenic properties that are so soothing, and really help to ease any discomfort and tension. The scent helps to provide a small sense of calm during crazier days.” Whether you're applying it to sore muscles postworkout or you're just in need of some prebedtime stress release, a thin layer instantly alleviates tension.

Lee says the best way to make your DIY spa session more relaxing is to add a calming drink with beauty benefits. This is best done before bed—and you can easily add a mask, bath, or face rolling session to the mix. “Falling asleep can be a struggle, so I love using Beauty Chef's Sleep Powder,” she says. “I mix it with warm almond milk, add a sprinkle of cinnamon, and it tastes like a yummy bedtime turmeric latte. Within 20 minutes, I'm drifting off.”