Spa Day Check List

When Zoom isn’t just about work meetings

Spa Day is a ritual my friends and I have stuck in our vocabulary right to next to words like Work and Play. It is a day where we would all get together and just .. relax.

** Spa Day Friend Disclaimer ** While I would be the first to admit that some days I’d like to ideally put cucumber on my eyes, sip spa water, and eat cakes, more often than not Zoom Spa Days tend to devolve into drinking White Claws, eating a bag of potato chips and hunkering down on the bathroom floor while positioning the Zoom call on the ledge of the bathtub. Spa Days in real life could mean many things, but the only official rule of Zoom Spa Day’s truly is Wear A [Moisturizing Face] Mask. It’s a choose your own Spa adventure with your friends, and I’m simply here to incite inspiration for your (and most definitely my) crew.

Spa Day is not just a day for self-care.. it is a day for friends, social well-being, and slowing down, regardless of how you go about it. While this list below is a quintessential idea of what I’d like our Spa Days to look like, it is by no means exactly to be abided by. I will leave that to when we finally can see each other again, and then I will force everyone into plush terry robes, digging into fruit & nut platters, no matter how much they miss their greasy chips and spiked seltzers.

No. 1 - Spa Water

You cannot do Spa Day without Spa Water.

Spa Water is the glue that holds the day in place, a constant reminder for you to stop and smell the cucumbers, and to literally replenish yourself from the inside. Throw in any (or all) of the following for the best water upgrade of your life.

Cucumber Slices - A secondary base for any Spa Water concoction, water being the primary, slice cucumbers thinly and place in the largest glass pitcher you can find.
Lemon Slices & Zest - Especially nice in the summertime, lemons add a zingy freshness to your water that evoke feelings of sunshine and carefree vibes. Do not skimp on the lemon, invest in a Meyer Lemon for an extra burst of flavor.
Fresh Basil - Cut from the garden is best, but purchased fresh works just as well. Basil adds depth to any Spa Water, and a little goes a long way.
Fresh Mint - is a gift sent straight down from spa heaven. Mint is one of those earthy scents that liven your entire being when you smell it, there is something so magical when you place mint in water - if you have it, I highly recommend it.
Frozen Cranberries - While I’m not sure if these do anything for your water except spruce up the color, these lovely frozen pebbles of tartness liven you up when you bite into them, and are a perfectly acceptable substitution to ice in your Spa Water.

No. 2 - Candles

Spa Days are all about sensory gratification. Setting the mood with a luxurious candle is of the utmost importance. Treat yourself to that $20 Anthropologie candle, you will absolutely not regret it.

No. 3 - Face Masks

When it comes to face masks, any will do - see my list below for my summer spa day recommendations.

Funny story: while everyone was off hoarding toilet paper and Clorox wipes, I went ahead and casually ordered a set of 100 hundred Korean face masks from Amazon. You heard that right. I figured this would be a good idea and really solidify the idea of a weekly Spa Day between my crew - and who knows, maybe down the line I would give them away as Christmas gifts. It felt like a win-win. I have since come to the realization that I should have ordered less than that - as 100 face masks is way too many face masks.

That being said, I highly recommend the 50 pack version of these Korean face masks. They are so fun, leave your face glowing, tight, and feeling like you just spent the last hour soaking it in water - which is to say that they are jam-packed with Hyaluronic Acid goodness.

A close second - My current favorite peel off mask, Hey Honey’s Take Away The Drama, is the perfect on-the-nose addition to a Spa Day with the crew. Its copper-hued mask packs a punch of skin loving nutrients that invigorate your senses and exfoliate your skin all at the same time. I love it for its long list of good-for-you ingredients like honeysuckle, shea butter, and how the entire line features honey as the predominant solution to all of your skin’s woes.

No. 4 Hardware

Jade rollers, gel masks, and warm water hot towels all feel like extra additions to your day, but do not forget about them! At the end of the day, they are the items you find yourself reaching for the most.

I take Spa Day seriously. And if you’re serious about Spa Day you will understand the need for a good jade roller. While I have yet to conquer the proper rolling technique on my face with this contraption, I am fully and blissfully aware of the wonderful effects it has on my face when I take it out of the freezer. You cannot have a Spa Day without a facial self-massage.

Top on the list of hardware as well would be gel masks, either disposable or reusable, and a Gua Sha facial lifting tool. One of the best parts of Zoom Chatting Spa Days are observing each others jade rolling techniques - it’s a whole level of friendship unlocked.

No. 4 Proper Attire

Spa Day attire only has one uniform, and that is a plush white terry robe.

No. 5 Fruit & Nut Platter

Maybe it’s the Russian in me who spent way too much time in the datcha sauna, but -

a platter of fruits, nuts, cheese, freshly sliced vegetables and crackers is not out of place with a Spa Day. While it is not obligatory to spend half the day in a bath or a sauna (disclaimer: I am not rich and do not have a sauna), it definitely helps your case for this platter. There is something about a good snack spread that heightens your senses and stimulates a sensory experience of texture, smell, and taste. My favorite platter treasures are an assortment of cheeses (ricotta, brie, cheddar and jarlsberg), dates, figs (dried or fresh), almonds, walnuts, apple and orange slices (or whatever fruit is in season) prosciutto, and finally honey to drizzle over all of it.

Zoom Spa Day Check List