Getting Started

The best spas in the world strive to create an intimate, soothing atmosphere, where you can relax and enjoy treatments that help nourish body, mind and spirit.

What could be more intimate and comfortable than close friends in your own home? It's one of the reasons Home Spa parties have become so popular.

A personal opinion: although many successful parties are "product sales" driven, I personally enjoy parties that create a wonderful experience for an intimate group of friends or family, without a focus on selling.

There are two ways to organize a home spa party. The first involves hiring a spa professional to come and provide treatments to your guests in turn, such as a massage therapist. If hiring someone is not in your budget, the alternative is to have guests take turns giving each other treatments.

Be aware that not every guest will be comfortable with every treatment, but with a little gentle encouragement, trying something new can be a lot of fun for everyone.
Two to three weeks ahead:

Send out invitations, asking guests to bring open-toed slippers & a robe, or at least to dress comfortably. If you are lucky enough to be able to hire a spa professional, be sure to schedule him or her first. Your spa professional will be able to guide you as to the setup he or she requires. Many of these steps will be the same for either kind of party.
The day before:

Arrange as big and open a space as possible, leaving only very comfortable chairs and a few tables. Create "stations" where guests will give each other manicures, pedicures and facials, or create portable stations on large trays, that you will rotate through the party.

Your bathroom will see heavy traffic, so be sure it's clean and stocked with plenty of towels, cotton balls, nail polish remover and makeup remover.

Create a soothing atmosphere, with soft, appropriate music, soft lighting, fresh flowers and lots of candles twinkling here and there.

For each treatment station, make a note card with simple instructions for the treatment. You can also include a topic to meditate/share, such as a wellness goal you'd like to work towards.

Set up a refreshment area with healthy beverages, such as hot tea, iced water in a beautiful jug with fresh cut fruit in it, or whatever matches the theme of your party.

If you'll be serving lunch or dinner, be sure to have everything prepared ahead of time, so you won't be busy in the kitchen away from guests. Food should be fairly simple and healthy - with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. If you can afford it, many caterers offer fresh, healthy choices.

Determine which treatments you will be sharing. Most common are pedicures, manicures and facials. Massages are also very popular, but frankly, much more enjoyable when given by a professional. (You can purchase a hand massager, and then provide simple instructions for back and shoulder massages.)
Assemble your tools:

General Supplies:

* Footbaths and plastic bowls for soaking hands.
* Inexpensive headbands.
* Several hand towels, and washcloths. If you don't have enough washcloths, buy really good quality paper towels, tear them off the roll and stack them neatly in baskets.
* Thermoses are great for keeping water nice and warm, but you can also use pitchers for warm water at the stations, which you will refill as needed.
* Somewhere to empty out footbaths and to throw liners, and a basket for soiled towels.

For pedicures and manicures:

* Footbaths and plastic bowls for soaking.
* River stones for massage.
* New nail files, orange sticks, and inexpensive pumice stones (one per guest).
It's best to ask each guest to bring her own clippers for sanitary reasons.

Click here for a 6-person pedicure/manicure kit.

For facials:

* Headbands.

Click here for a 6-person facial kit.

For massage:

If the massage therapist brings a table, be sure to ask him or her to bring clean sheets for each guest. Or they may have a portable chair for head neck and back massage.
Assemble your products:

It's best to use good quality products with natural ingredients. In general, you'll need products to cleanse, moisturize and protect. Try to limit the number of scents in the products you use - some scents really do not mix well, especially when used at the same time!

For pedicures:

* Soak, scrub, moisturizer and balm.
* Exfoliating tool - such as pumice stones or Footscrubbers.
* Nail polish.

You can ask guests to bring their own to share.

Click here for a 6-person pedicure supplies kit.

For manicures:

* Soak, scrub, moisturizer and balm.
* Nail polish.

You can ask guests to bring their own to share.

Click here for a 6-person manicure supplies kit.

For facials:

* Gentle cleansing gel, a masque, eye treatment (such as chamomile teabags or sliced cucumbers) and moisturizer.

For massage:

The massage therapist will usually bring massage oil.
The schedule:

Plan to allow at least 15-20 minutes for each treatment, with each guest taking a turn giving and receiving. Probably 3-4 treatments will be all you can handle, and 2-3 makes for a more relaxed evening. When guests arrive, show them to a room to change in, and offer them a beverage. Once all guests are changed and ready, you'll need to explain how the stations work. If you have enough supplies, either you can have everyone take turns at the same treatment, or if not, they can rotate through the stations. If you have a spa professional, be sure to talk about the length of time you can allow for each treatment.
Your job:

Your job is to make sure that there are plenty of warm towels, with used towels and washcloths whisked away. You'll also need to keep an eye on the stations to make sure they stay neat and clean, with plenty of warm water. Refresh guests' beverages from time to time as well. Healthy snacks can be offered throughout. It's more relaxing to enjoy a meal after treatments are concluded, but if you must offer it in the middle, you'll need to announce it 20 minutes ahead of time, so that treatments can be completed.

You may want to enjoy a treatment, but resist the temptation to do them all - you really need to be keeping an eye on the big picture.
When guests leave:

When guests are finished, you may want to offer a little "goodie" bag to take home. Great ideas are an inexpensive CD of meditation music, product samples and small candles. Large plastic shopping bags are nice to offer if guests have brought their own robes. Don't forget to tip the Spa professional if they've done a good job. Click here to see a selection of "Take Home Treats" from us.
A final thought:

Don’t worry too much the first time you host a party, if not everyone gets to try a treatment, or if people get through early. Even professional spas have a hard time scheduling everything smoothly, and the main reason to have your party is to enjoy being together! Everyone will have a great time just doing something different, so relax, let it happen and enjoy!