Written by Sara Fender

As winter is coming, maybe consider turning your bathroom into a spa.

It’s been a tough year. Even if you’ve made positive life changes and have used the time to better yourself, and perhaps others, adjusting to a new way of life comes with its own set of challenges. And now, winter is coming. Back inside, back to isolating, back to early darkness (damn you daylight savings time!) and back to seasonal depression. 

But fear not, dear TS readers! Turning a negative into a positive and looking for the silver lining is what I do best, and for me, that extra hour of darkness and the extra chill I can feel in the air just means I now have extra time to have a spa night, several nights a week. 

Let me break down my routine for you: after a day of working and running around town doing who knows what, I get home, eat my dinner, and settle in to watch the latest instalment of The Real Housewives. One episode later, I put on my comfy clothes to get ready for bed, when I realize it’s only 6:30 pm. Son of a *!*!

And that’s where spa night comes in. I start off with a sheet mask (the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Face Mask and anything by Charlotte Tilbury or Tatcha are my go-tos). While my skin is soaking up all the goodness the sheet mask has to offer, I start getting my bath ready. Personally, I’m a fan of lavender Epsom salts and then anything that makes bubbles. I’m lazy in that department so I just use my body wash under the running water and it works like a charm. For those of you without a bathtub, first of all, I’m sorry. Second, you can use essential oils, such as eucalyptus or jasmine, in the shower for an equally delightful stand-up experience.

When the time comes to submerge myself in the hot water (if my skin isn’t steaming from the heat, then it is not hot enough) mood lighting is essential. Lighting a candle or two or ten, will do the trick. 

Now, it’s up to you how you decide to relax while you bathe – whether you choose to listen to music, watch Netflix or just enjoy the blissful sounds of silence – it’s not wrong if it works for you. 

After 20-30 minutes I reluctantly get out of the bath, careful not to step on my cat that has decided to take a nap on the bathroom floor exactly where I need to stand.

Before slipping back into something soft and comfortable (I’m looking at you Naeem Khan pajamas) I replace the moisture my skin has lost with a lightweight lotion such as Dry-Bye Body Lotion by billie or even some jojoba oil to with its natural healing properties, which can be used on your body as well as your face. Slipping back into my nighttime attire, my Tuesday night spa night is complete! 

I prefer to finish off my evening on the couch with another terrible reality show (and by terrible, I mean fantastic!) before I spritz my pillowcase with thisworks deep sleep pillow spray and snuggle into bed with a good book  that puts me to sleep faster than the Pat McGrath x Supreme lipsticks sold out (which was pretty much immediately, if you were curious). 

Next time, at 6:30pm on a Wednesday when you feel like you’re supposed to be in bed, implement some of these ideas for your own private spa night and relax the way that you deserve. It’s been a stressful year and you do work hard, after all. And in the words of Tom and Donna of Parks & Rec … “Treat Yo Self!”