Bring home the spa

The best way to relax is by visiting a spa and the best place to relax is at home. Combine the two and you have the ultimate spa experience, writes Bindu Gopal Rao.

If you wish to have a spa at home, there are certain aspects that you must keep in mind to ensure that you can relax, rejuvenate and refresh. Here’s how.  Creating a spa at home can be quite a task, so start with the simple basics first. Place incense holders or aromatic oil burners, pierced or hanging tealight holders and small boxes or containers to keep powdery and clay-like substances dry and safe in your bathroom.

“Ideally, a spa-environ comprises a well-cleansed spot, soft light, mellow flavours, slow-paced movements and essentially either moisture or oil-spill coupled with steamy heat. Keeping the place dry and devoid of stains could be the most challenging task,” says Deepak Whorra, a spa product expert.

Depending on your preference, you can go for a theme that appeals the most to you. Says Rubina Guleria, a mobile spa owner, “If you like the Mediterranean...sea blues combined with bright whites, shells, candles, fragrances of the sea and wispy linen are advisable. Bring in warm shades that are regal like warm burgundy combined with deep browns.

“Use embossed candles with lace patterns, silk effects in trimmings for the towels or robes and small artwork. Big glassware could be used as candlestands or jars. A coat of arms embossing on towels and fragrances of lavender or geranium will add to the ambience.”

You can also add candles in varying heights. For effect, add a corner piece of some river stones and some dry lavender flowers, use fresh flowers like rose petals, horseshoe, frangipani, gerberas or jasmine and use a pleasant aroma like rose, lemongrass, tea tree and jasmine to create a personalised space.

Dr Apoorva Shah, a spa owner, advises, “You can add elements like a water body, aroma diffusers for fragrance, potpourri, dry flowers, pastel curtains, light instrumental music, low dim lights and also add a few drops of aroma oil in the bathtub to have a spa experience. The most important aspect is to have a quiet and peaceful place in the house away from the maddening crowd and noise.” The serenity itself will help in detoxifying the body and, along with other elements, leave you more relaxed and rejuvenated.

Personal space

Today’s bathrooms are evolving into relaxing rooms, borrowing many aspects from spas. One of the key aspects to create a spa-like experience is the right kind of lighting.
“Windows that let natural light fall into the bathroom space can dramatically transform an ordinary bathroom into an extraordinary experience. Ceramic tiles, bamboo baskets, natural fibre mats and towels create a calm atmosphere. A fresh pair of brightly coloured towels adds charm to the bathroom space.

Do not stack a lot of products in the bathroom space; utilise them by bringing in a ornate holder that is functional and decorative,” says Jason Aupperle Russell, a product expert.
Bath fittings set the ‘mood’ of your bathroom and careful selection of the right elements will give you many years of inspiration for dressing your bathroom to suit your own style and personality. In a continuous search for a meeting point between functional requirements and modernity combined with aesthetics, the use of ‘wellness products’ has become essential – overhead rain or waterfall showers, shower-side panels and jets and Jacuzzi tubs are some of the elements.

Budget factor

You need not burn a hole in your pocket for a spa ambience. One can get a spa feel by adding small details like flowers, fragrances, candles, river stones, shells, decorative glassware and organising the place neatly with thoughtful artistic pieces. “Getting a tub for a soak and an absolute spa feel is a great idea, but it’s use could be limited as it uses up a lot of water; it may not be worth the expense. One needs to be careful with live flames and so, ensure that candles are on fire-proof surfaces, away from curtains, towels and anything inflammable,” says Guleria.

Re-doing a spot in your home could be expensive and the price range would depend on one’s preferences and priorities.

“One should first decide which elements to include in one’s spa and then spend judiciously, as required, to keep the spending under control. Anyway, however inexpensive one may decide to make one’s home-spa, the spending would not be less than a few thousand,” advices Whorra.

As with any living space, or for that matter any complex composition of many individual elements, you can put together a solution which allocates a limited budget towards a few elements with high-user engagement while saving money on other elements which are purely functional and make less contribution to the ambience or the experience of pampering yourself.

“Bathrooms are usually the smallest rooms of the house, but also the most frequently used, which is why developing this space into a spa-like setting is a good idea. Home owners can economically bring glamour into their bathrooms with a play of colour, patterns, textures, fixtures, lighting and accessories. Calm colours like shades of blue, chrome yellow and white should be a part of the bathroom – in any fixtures around. It helps breathe new life into your bathroom. Acid green has also become a very popular colour, but more energising than your blue spectrums,” advises Russell.

Elements of design add a lot of elegance to smaller spaces like bathrooms. You can incorporate designs into the decor in many ways, including the linens, the floor decoration or even the shower door patterns.

New vistas

People are working out now more than ever and a refreshing spa experience post workout could be rejuvenating. Although most homes do not have any spa accessories, many are consulting professionals to add a few spa elements to their bathrooms. Hamams and Japanese bathtubs are very popular today. Bath salts, body scrubs, Jacuzzi and steam have also become a part of people’s regular bathing routine.

There is no sense in installing several major water features if you do not have the necessary pressure system for them to perform according to their design and function. There are many options in the market to meet your expectations for a home spa even with low water pressure, but you must speak with your plumbing professional to make the right choice.

Natural design elements like using earthy tones, nature-inspired patterns, wood and stone materials, sustainable products and energy-efficient fixtures are staples of today’s top trends. “Metallic finish, royal and elegant faucet designs that give warmth and style to the bathrooms will be the highlight of the season. Nature-inspired neutral tones and patterns are going to be big, while a matt gold finish has become the new reference of luxury,” says Russell. Incorporating elements of these factors into your bathroom will help enhance its comfort and quality, bringing you the perfect spa setting that you can enjoy day and night.

As you settle into your renovated bathroom, you'll discover you'll never want to leave the luxury of it again.