Step by Step Guide to An At-Home Foot Spa
At Therafit, we’re obviously into feet (okay, get your laughs out now). We spend all day innovating around how we can better support feet, and the bodies that carry them. Feet are our bodies’ support system -- they’re what ground us and move us through our days, carrying the weight of it all. It’s easy to take them for granted and forget that they exist until they start hurting or giving us pain.
Now that most of us are spending our entire days at home, while others of us are spending our entire days on the front lines, it’s kind of the perfect time to give our feet the attention they deserve and give back -- whether they’re hard at work during this pandemic, or hardly moving from home.
A foot spa isn’t just great for #selfcare and calm alone time during quarantine, it’s truly great for your feet. Regular foot spas can help get rid of cracked heels and any callused skin, keeping your feet consistently moisturized and feeling young and soft. Soaking them in warm water with salts and oils can reduce any muscle soreness by loosening the tension through the water temperature, which also improves blood circulation. Playing around with adding different ingredients to the soak can also mix up added benefits.
So, at home foot spa it is! Here are the basic materials you’ll need:
- A plastic tub big enough to soak your feet
- Warm water
- Cool water to rinse
- A jar of marbles ( for foot massage)
- Salts (a tablespoon of Epsom or sea salts)
- Essential oils (lavender, peppermint, or lemongrass oils)
- Powdered milk (2-3 tablespoons)
- Almond oil (1 tablespoon)
- A handful of rose petals (if you’re feelin’ fancy)
- A foot scrubbing brush or a foot scrub
- Towel
- Moisturizer
- Socks for post-soak
To take your foot soak to the next level, choose a foot soak here.
For an easy-breezy pedicure post-soak, you’ll need:
- Nail clippers
- Cuticle pusher
- Nail polish remover
- Nail polish
Time: 20-60 minutes
1. Set the mood
It isn’t just about the love your feet are gettin’. Make this a pleasurable experience. Lower the lights. Bring out some candles. Put on some soft music. Set up in your favorite spot of your home.
2. Set Up Your Soak
Put the marbles in the tub and fill it with warm water. Add the salts and 10-15 drops of essential oil to it. (Note: If you’re using a mix of oils, make sure to use 10-15 drops in total) Mix the powdered milk and almond oil, and add the rose petals for decadence if you choose.
3. Soak
Dip your feet in, close your eyes, and let the warm water do its magic.
4. Exfoliate
After about 15 minutes, your skin will be softer and it’s time to bring out the exfoliation brush. Scrub your feet gently, including the heels. You’re not cleaning the tub, after all -- you're giving love back to your body! If your feet are especially hard and callused, you can bring out a pumice stone, and if you’re using a foot scrubbing cream for this part, apply it all over your feet and scrub thoroughly for 5 minutes. Wash it off with the warm foot spa water in the tub.
5. Exfoliate
Remember the marbles at the bottom of the tub? Place your feet gently over them and roll ‘em back and forth. You’ll feel the little balls lightly pressing into the bottoms of your feet and releasing pressure, creating more space. If you don’t happen to have marbles just lying around the house because the kids just use iPads (no shame, there are no rules in quarantine!), just use your hands for this part and give yourself a little massage.
6. Moisturize
Once you’re done with the foot massage, wash your feet and rinse them in cool water, patting them dry with the towel. Take your moisturizer and gently massage it all over your feet. If you’re not going on to the pedicure, put on your socks and go relax.
7. Pedicure
Remove any lingering nail polish you have on your toes and clip your nails to your desired length. Use the cuticle pusher to push away the cuticles. Apply a base coat of transparent nail polish, and once it dries apply two coats of whichever colored nail polish you chose. Let them dry completely before you put on your socks.
