When you’re always on the go, it’s difficult to find ways to relax and unwind. Perhaps you’ve turned your apartment into a cozy retreat, but what about your bathroom? This is the perfect space to unwind, rejuvenate, and let your stress fade away. So, what can you do to make your bathroom look and feel like a luxurious spa? It’s easier than you might think!
Elements of a Home Spa Bathroom
Neutral Color Scheme
Since most apartments use a neutral color scheme anyway, your walls and floors are likely already neutral. Whether your bathroom is white, light gray, or beige, look for accessories that blend well with what you have. When choosing décor for your bathroom, look for natural, organic items. Think wood, bamboo, and natural stone.
Touches of Luxury
Creating a spa-like bathroom in your apartment is surprisingly affordable. After all, it’s a very small space and you likely won’t need much to make a big impact. The one place where you’ll want to splurge is on towels. These should be soft, fluffy, and luxurious. After all, you can’t feel pampered if your towels are thin, small, and scratchy. In addition to your beautiful, luxurious towels, find a robe that’s equally indulgent.
If your floor is cold tile, you’ll want to add some thick rugs in a neutral color to the floor. You’ll also want to add small touches of luxury, such as a bath pillow and tray for your tub. If you’re dreaming of sipping wine, sampling chocolates, reading, or playing relaxing music while in the tub, get a tray with a slot for your phone or tablet and a wine glass holder.
Your Favorite Scents
Whether you go with scented candles, an infuser, or incense, fill your bathroom with your favorite scents to engage your senses and make you feel more relaxed. Some scents, such as lavender, rose, and eucalyptus, are known to have a calming effect. If you don’t want to add candles or a diffuser to your bathroom, add scents through your shampoo, body wash, soaps, and bath bombs.
Ambient Light
Harsh overhead lights have no place in a spa, so find ways to add relaxing light sources in your bathroom. A small nightlight, candles, can lights, or even waterproof tub lights can provide the right atmosphere without changing any light fixtures. However, if you want to swap out a light fixture, you should be able to as long as you replace the original when you move out. Check your lease to make sure it isn’t prohibited.
A Touch of Nature
There’s a reason many spas incorporate plants into their design. Plants purify the air and have a calming effect. Some plants, like English ivy and bromeliads, absorb moisture from the air, which can help keep mildew and mold under control. If you don’t have a lot of natural light in your bathroom, choose a low-light plant like pathos. Cut flowers in a vase are also a great touch to your spa bathroom (just remember to swap them out frequently).
Spa-Like Accessories
You’ll want to keep your countertops uncluttered, so make sure you have a place to store items in your bathroom, such as a small cabinet or shelves. If you really want a luxurious touch, consider getting a free-standing towel warmer. A small bench will give you a place to sit while you draw your bath, and a shower bench is a nice touch of luxury (if you have a separate shower and it will fit).
Speaking of the shower, it won’t feel very spa-like if there’s little water pressure or the spray seems to go every direction but at you. If your showerhead is old or it just doesn’t function very well, consider swapping it out. Check your lease first to make sure it’s allowed and save the old showerhead to replace it when you move out.
Pampering Products
A trip to the spa is all about self-care, so don’t overlook the products that pamper your skin: face masks, deep-conditioning hair treatments, homemade body scrubs, and loofah sponges should all be readily available for you to use.
If you’ve never made your own body scrub, it’s easy to do with ingredients you likely already have. For example, oats, brown sugar, olive oil, salt, and coffee grounds are common ingredients in DIY body scrubs. Just search the Internet for a recipe that appeals to you and will be good for your skin (a coffee scrub is great, but not if you have sensitive skin or are allergic to coffee). Be sure you have some beautiful jars on hand to keep your scrub in!
Even a small bathroom can feel like a spa retreat by making a few minor adjustments. Start with a small change and build on it over time. Before you know it, you’ll be relaxing in your spa-like bathroom at the end of a long day.
