How to Have a Spa Bachelorette Parties

Weddings are mind -shatteringly stressful affairs. The planning that goes into a wedding is something akin to a full out declaration of war. There are dress fittings, shoes that will not come out the right color and that miserable five pounds that will just not leave the bride's body no matter what she tries. By the time the week of the wedding rolls around, nobody is speaking to anybody else and the mood is less than jubilant. Traditionally, a Bachelorette party entailed going out and getting liquored up the night before the wedding, but how bright can that be? The day that you want to look your very best you will be hung over, with blood shot eyes and a slight dizzy feeling as you snap your way through your entire family. Perfect.

More and more brides are opting for a spa day as a their Bachelorette party, and I say brava, girls, brava! The bride and her wedding party should all gather at a spa and have a few treatments, but they should do it the week before the wedding rather than the night before. ( In case of allergic reaction to a lotion or scrub.) What could make you feel more pampered, more special than a day at a spa?

If there is not a spa in your local area, or a spa day is not in your budget, you can recreate some of the same effects at your own home. You just need a few household items, some privacy and ambient music and lighting to give that full spa feeling. There are companies that perform spa parties- they demo all of their products on you and then offer their catalogs and specially priced items that you can buy on the spot. The benefit here is that you will not have to try to rack your brain for spa treatments, the drawback is that your friends may think you only invited them to buy things from you. Although some of this stuff is really fabulous, it can be a bit pricey, so your friends might be right to complain a bit. Assure them that you do not expect anyone to buy anything at all.

Prefer not to turn the Bachelorette party into a sales pitch? You can still do the self spa: gently warm thick cotton socks, one pair for each guest. Have them remove their shoes as soon as they arrive and have them soak their feet in a basin of warm water. To each basin, add several drops of essential oil, or bottled foot soak. After the water cools off, have each person scrub her feet with a specially made salt scrub (sea salt mixed with a little bit of olive oil or body wash, just enough to make a paste) and then rinse well. Towel off the feet and then slip on the warmed socks. Anyone who is still uptight after that has to leave- right now.

The salt scrub can be used on the hands as well; put a good amount in the palm of your hand, rub briskly together, over the tops of both and along each fingernail. Rinse off and marvel at how soft and silky your hands have become. Research your local library or on the Internet for more recipes for spa treatments.

Okay, here is a bonus one that always gets rave reviews at my house: 1/2 cup baker's cocoa, 1/2 cup brown sugar, add just enough olive oil to make a good workable paste. Scrub onto your body, allow it to sit for a moment and then rinse really well. Your skin will be gently exfoliated, revealing softer, silkier skin. And you will smell so yummy!