Sparties are all the rage now. And why shouldn't they be? Who wouldn't want to enjoy some relaxing spa treatments while hanging with the girls and throwing back a few drinks? Feeling inspired to have your own home sparty? Here's some ideas for thought:
What Kind of Spa Party Do you Want to Have? This is the very first question that should be answered before you begin planning your event. Once you have this figured out, everything else should fall right into place. Here are some ideas for your home spa party:
Hire a professional to come to your home to give facials, massages, manicures and/or pedicures.
Hire a mobile spa company
For the budget conscience, have a do-it-yourself:
Mani / pedi party
Facials party
Makeover party
Massage party
Hot tub soak
Color Scheme: When we think of the spa we automatically think of relaxation. So, of course you’ll want to choose a relaxing color scheme for your spa party. The most prominent spa colors are seafoam green, aqua blue, dark brown, white and beige.
Dark Brown ~ Gives us a connection to the earth and provides us with a feeling of completeness.
Seafoam Green ~ Reminiscent of the sea, seafoam green leaves us with a cooling and calming effect.
White ~ Considered to be a neutral color, white leaves us with the feeling of fresh beginnings, peace and innocence.
Aqua Blue ~ A calming color that can help release anger and therefore offer emotional and mental balance.
Beige ~ A friendly, non-offensive and safe color.
Invitations: Of course, when deciding what will be the perfect invitations for your event, you’ll want to make sure they are spa related. The great thing about this type of party is that you can easily make your own spa party invitations with card stock and stamps or you can purchase them printed for your event. Either way, the ideas are endless when it comes to invitations.
Here’s a great video we found on YouTube that walks you through creating invitations for a spa party. They used a bathtub stamp on their invitations but you can choose any stamp that fits your needs. So, if you decide you are having a mani / pedi party, you could stamp your cards with a bottle of nail polish, etc. The great thing about creating your own invitation is that with all the scrapbooking stores out there, you are bound to find the perfect supplies and colors to match your event.
When doing our research for printed spa party invitations we stumbled upon the “Spa Day Invitation” from Polka Dot Designs. We love this invitation!! Plus, they have a ton more for spa parties. Check them out. Another great website for spa party invitations is The Invitation Box (http://www.invitationbox.com/spaparty.html). Whatever way you decide to do your invitations, remember to keep your party invitees to a small number. The whole point of the spa party is relaxation and with too many people you are defeating the whole point of the party.
Decorations – The most important thing is to set the tone for the spa party ~ treat your home spa like you would a day spa. The first rule here . . .NO cell phones (or at least put them on silent).
Drape your furniture with white or beige sheets and incorporate your color scheme with comfy pillows and different textured fabrics placed on the floor and furniture. Or, simply (or maybe not quite so simply) move all or most of the furniture out of the room and create a flowing, open atmosphere with small intimate seating areas. Create stations in the room for the specific spa activities you have chosen. Try not to mix and match here though. If you are having a mani / pedi / massage party, you probably are not going to want to have those going on in the same room for obvious reasons. So, just plan accordingly.
Set out green plants and fresh flowers (but be careful with how strong the scent is, remember, relaxing atmosphere here, we don’t want anyone going home with a headache). Choose warm, soothing colors. No bright pinks, etcetera, and keep with your color scheme here. It’ll help everything come together.
Light candles (in all shapes and sizes and in your color scheme) and place them throughout the room(s) that has been designated as the spa area(s). Be careful here too. You don’t want to overpower the room with scented candles, although a light scent, such as lavender or eucalyptus would be nice. And / or you can use white Christmas lights throughout the room to create the same soft lighting effect that the candles would create.
Play soothing music in the background (check out your local library for CD’s instead of purchasing new ones or find a station on Pandora to play over the internet). An electronic waterfall would be another great idea for a relaxing background sound effect.
Now, depending on how much money you really want to put into your party, you can supply the robes and slippers for your guests or put it on the invitation for them to bring their own. (Oh, don’t forget, if you are having a pedicure station you will also want to put on the invitation for your guests to bring flip flops and if you are having a hot tub soak they will need to bring their bathing suits.) Towels, washcloths, hair ties, magazines, robes and slippers (if you are supplying them) should be arranged around the room. Make sure that you have enough of these items for each guest (and extras wouldn’t hurt either). If possible, choose towels and washcloths in your color scheme.
Treatments: Each spa treatment should have its own “station.” Remember what we mentioned above, use caution when deciding the location for each treatment. You don’t want someone getting a massage next to someone getting a pedicure, both for privacy and scent related reasons. Who wants to get a massage while smelling nail polish? Not me.
Now, to keep things relaxing and less chaotic, try to keep the number of treatments to no more than three. Create a “spa rotation” by having your guests sign up for each treatment they would like or by dividing them up into groups.
Mani / Pedi ~ Use disposable tools for hygiene reasons or have guests bring their own tools. Other items you may need include:
- Fingerbowl or a large bowl to soak the nails and finger tips
- Liquid antibacterial soap (for finger bowl)
- Orangewood sticks
- Cotton balls or pads
- Nail polish remover
- Base coat
- Nail polish
- Top coat
- Liquid or spray nail dry
- Hand / foot moisturizers
- Nail files or emery boards
- Disposable pumice stones
- Foot soaker / tub
- Towels
- Plastic (disposable) pusher with soft tip for pushing back cuticles
- Cuticle nipper
- Cuticle oil
- Nail brush
- Chamois buffer
- Pumice powder or cream
- Nail clippers
Need help with giving a manicure or pedicure. Click here.
Facials ~ Make sure that you purchase products for sensitive skin. You would hate to have a guest have an allergic reaction to a product you have chosen for your facials. The list below lists some items you may want to consider purchasing for facials.
- Face masks
- Cucumber slices for the eyes
- Spatulas (to dip into jars)
- Face and body scrubbers
- Loofahs
- Cotton balls, pads and swabs
- Facial moisturizers
- Bowls and jars
- Eye mask brushes
- Facial brush
- Tweezers
- Eye mask
- Sponges
- Warm water
- Steamer
- Face massaging cream
- Face pack
- Hair ties
- Washcloth
- Towels
- Face wash
- Toner
Here is a great video series on doing home facials.
Makeover ~ Items you may need for hair and make-up makeover parties:
- Shine treatment for hair
- Cotton balls, pads and swabs
- Facial moisturizers
- Beauty supplies
- Hair styling products (hairspray, gel, etc.)
- Hair dryer
- Curling iron / straightener
- Disposable applicators
- Washcloths
- Towels
- Combs, brushes, etc.
- Shampoo / condition
- Facial cleaner
- Tweezers
- Hair ties
Here’s a link for How to Have a Makeover Party.
Massage ~ Now, this list is short and sweet. Gotta love that!
- Massage oils or Solid massage bars
- And / or, purchase a home massage kit. Click here for an example.
Click here for some great Homemade Spa Party Recipes from SpaIndex.com.
Food: When planning the perfect menu for your spa party keep in mind that you want to keep it light and healthy. Some great examples are bowls of fresh fruit, fresh salads with a variety of gourmet dressings, fresh vegetables with a hummus dip and several types of zesty dips, cheese and cracker trays, shrimp, mini sandwiches such as cucumber sandwiches, veggie wraps, mini muffins, gourmet pizzas, a chocolate fountain with fresh fruit to dip and / or whole wheat pasta dishes. Check out SnackPicks.com for some more ideas.
Drinks: Fresh chilled bottled water, Mimosas, Bellinis, Bloody Mary’s, several varieties of herbal teas, smoothies, gourmet flavored coffees, hot chocolate and fruit punches are some drink ideas for your spa party.
Party Favors: With such a large selection of party favors out there, how do you decide which ones are perfect for your sparty? Well, base your party favor on the theme of your party. For a mani / pedi party consider giving out manicure or pedicure sets, hand lotions or even hand sanitizers. For facial parties try lip balm favors, cosmetic bags or even compact mirror favors. For massage parties try bath salts, tea drink favors, slippers or even bath wraps. For more ideas, check out our spa party theme on our website.
