At Home Spa Day Ideas and Other Recipes for Bringing Resort Experiences Home

Aaah – spa treatments, yoga, entertainment, and chef-prepared meals. They’re all part of the pampering experience resorts offer families. No wonder it’s hard to return home to the daily routine. While the post-trip blues are a drag, there are many ways to create that resort feeling at home. Read on for ideas for creating an at home spa day (easy scrub recipes included), signature virgin tropical drinks and more ways to recreate that luxury resort feeling for the whole family when you’re between vacations.

Interesting, isn’t it, how quickly we get used to spa treatments, yummy meals, and resort activities on family vacations? No wonder it takes a while to settle back into a routine at home. However, from at-home spa days for parents to kids’ activities and signature virgin tropical drinks, there are many ways to recreate that resort feeling in your own home.

At-Home Spa Days

What’s a resort without a spa?

“When you think about a spa, the most common elements are candlelight, soft music, plush robes and slippers, and aromatherapy. If you have access to these items at home, it will be a great way to set the tone,” says Christina Stephens, Spa Director at Wymara Resort & Villas in Turks & Caicos.  

At-Home Spa Scrubs

Scrubs are easy to make and you can mix and match the type of exfoliant and essential oils to suit your taste. Keep the mixtures in glass containers to preserve the oils. Among Stephen’s favorites are a cinnamon vanilla latte scrub, Tropical Citrus Sugar Scrub, and Detox + Refresh Salt Scrub. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for her scrub recipes.

DIY Chocolate Spa Treatments (Better than a Mud Mask!)

Located in St. Lucia, the Anse Chastanet Resort makes its own signature line of chocolate, including a DIY Chocolate Facial Mask. Rich dark chocolate is a mood booster and has a soothing effect when consumed or applied directly to the skin.

Here’s how to make Anse’s chocolate facial recipe at home: Cleanse with cocoa powder and aloe vera gel mix (1 tbsp. of cocoa powder with 2 tbsp. of aloe vera gel). Next, scrub away dead skin cells with a mixture of sugar, cocoa, and coconut oil. Mix chocolate and honey to make a face mask, apply liberally to skin. After 15 minutes, rinse with warm water. Repeat as desired.

Read More: 30+ Dreamy Babymoon Ideas

At-Home Spa DIY Rosewater Toner

Chocolate and roses go hand-in-hand, right? Make your own rosewater for an aromatherapy experience. You’ll need 20 grams of rinsed rosebuds, 300 ml distilled pure water (boiled), a strainer, funnel and spray bottle. Place rosebuds in a teapot. Pour boiling water over the rosebuds, cover teapot with a lid and let the tea infuse for one to two hours. Strain the tea and transfer rose water to a spray bottle. Voila! DIY rosewater toner for all skin types. Store in the fridge for about one week.

Coconut and Honey Hair Mask

Coconut oil is a great hydrating and conditioning treatment.  It’s good for your skin too. For this easy hair mask, you’ll need one to two teaspoons virgin coconut oil, and one teaspoon honey. Add about five drops of peppermint essential oil.

Combine the oil with honey in a small dish. Mix the ingredients until you get a smooth paste. Smooth it through damp hair and keep the mask on for about 20-30 minutes. Shampoo.

At-Home Spa Manicure

Set up a spa environment with essential oils, a diffuser, and calming music. Use cuticle oil to heal cracked nails and soften cuticles.

Recreate Favorite Resort Experiences at Home 

Virgin Pina Coladas for a DIY Spa Day

Channel Puerto Rican tropical island vibes with Caribe Hilton’s original virgin Piña Colada recipe. Caribe bartender Ramón “Monchito” Marrero created the drink in 1954 as a refreshing welcome drink for hotel guests. Using the recipe below, make your own Piña Colada (hold the rum for the kids) and visualize sunshine, sand, and palm trees.

Read More: Recipe to Make Doubletree’s Yummy Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies at Home

At-Home Spa: Caribe Hilton’s Original Piña Colada

1 oz. coconut cream
1 oz. heavy cream
6 oz. pineapple juice
½ cup crushed ice.

Directions: Mix cream of coconut, heavy cream and pineapple juice in a blender. Add ice and mix for 15 seconds. Serve in a 12-oz. glass and garnish with fresh pineapple and a cherry. Parents can add 2 oz. of rum to create the signature libation.

Club Med at Home

From “Crazy Signs” to Mini Club activities, tune into “Club Med at Home” for a relaxing yoga class in Italy or a strenuous workout on the beach.

Club Med at Home for Kids

For a low-key activity, download coloring pages of beachscapes. But nothing says Club Med like Mini Club, known for energetic GOs (guest organizers) and creative activities. For example, kids can create their own Club Med show. Give kids a box filled with clothes, fun accessories and props. Encourage them to use their imagination to bring a show to life, such as a musical performance, a special dance, or acting out their favorite movie.

While they’re practicing, mix a tropical drink (pina colada anyone?) and transport yourself to over 30 Club Med resorts around the globe on 360-degree virtual resort tours.

If you’ve been to Club Med, you probably crave some of that delictable resort food. For example, consisting of just four ingredients, the white chocolate bread is among favorite Club Med recipes. And there’s no better way to end the evening than with a “Crazy Signs” virtual dance party jamming to Club Med’s“Crazy Signs” Spotify playlist.

More At Home Resort Activities for Kids

The JW Marriott Cancun and Marriott Cancun Resorts offer classes on making mini pinatas that celebrate the vibrant Mexican culture. You can, too, from home:

Grab a pair of scissors, glue, paperboard, colorful tissue paper, and some candy. First, cut two equal parts from the paperboard in the shape of a cactus, as well as a 1.5-inch long strip. Next, attach front and back together with a strip of tape. Then cut another strip of tape from the paperboard and paste it at the top. Cut additional tissue paper in small strips, and cut small slits along them. Glue the strips around your pinata until it’s covered. The last step, make a trap door for the candy.

If you need visual aids,here’s the video.

Resort-Style Cooking Lessons 

Gnocchi from Italy

Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort & Spa chef Alessandro Manfredini takes guests on a walking tour through his hometown. The Barga-born and bred chef shares stories and makes several stops at local shops to buy ingredients for a cooking lesson back on the property. There, families learn to make pasta from scratch from cheesy ravioli to pillowy gnocchi. In the meantime, you can make his tasty gnocchi from home. Recipe (see below) courtesy of Chef Alessandro.

Yodo Cookies and Lightsabers

Take the kids on a Galactic Getaway, courtesy of Cape Cod’s Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club.

This Baby Yoda cookie is easy to make and fun for the kids to decorates. You’ll need an angle cookie-cutter, parchment paper, colored icing, sugar cookie dough, M&Ms, and utensils. Roll out the dough, create the Yoda shape by using an angel cookie cutter minus the head, bake, and let the kids decorate with the icing and M&Ms.

The resort’s DIY pretzel rod lightsaber is even easier. For this, you’ll need pretzel rods, melted red, blue or green colored chocolate and parchment paper. Dip the pretzels three-quarters of the way into the melted colored chocolate & rotate to get full coverage. next, place in the fridge to harden for a tad. Add sprinkles for a finishing touch (optional).

At-Home Spa Resort Recipes

Chef Alessandro’s Tuscan Gnocchi

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of potatoes
• 1 egg
• 10 oz of flour
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large pot with just enough water to cover them, boil potatoes with their skins on. Boil for about 20 minutes or until fork-tender.
2. Once cooked and cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and mash them. Mix in the egg and salt, followed by the flour. Mix until you reach a dough-like consistency.
3. Shape small portions of the dough into long “snakes”. On a floured surface, cut snakes into cube pieces. Use a fork to gently imprint lines (TIP: this helps the gnocchi hold more sauce).
4. Gently shake away any excess flour and place gnocchi in a large pot of salted, boiling water. Cook gnocchi until they float to the top, about 2-4 minutes. Gently remove them with a slotted spoon, drain very well. Toss them in a saucepan with your favorite Italian sauce and cook together for about 2 minutes. Buon appetito!

At-Home Spa Scrubs

Cinnamon Vanilla Latte Scrub (boosts circulation)

• 1 cup natural raw sugar cane, and 1 cup unrefined extra virgin coconut oil or almond oil.
• 1 cup coffee grinds
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Dash of cinnamon
• A few drops of vitamin E oil

Detox + Refresh Salt Scrub (naturally detox & purify the skin)