I didn’t understand why my husband kept saying, “Good luck with that,” whenever I listed our at-home spa day as one of the remaining forty goals I had yet to do. I had successfully had such days before, and I didn’t see how it could be that difficult to acquire some face masks and the like, then use them. Unfortunately, it hit me today that he likely wasn’t thinking of that aspect, but rather the likelihood of me being able to find a relaxing moment. Given my multiple failed attempts to have a stress-free spa time, I now get it.
This goal was met, albeit imperfectly. In the past, the kids were on board with face masks, foot soaks and relaxing, but it seems those days are behind us. I could deal with that disappointment, though, so long as I still got to do some restorative activities myself. My daughter has, in her defense, been willing to participate with me each time, even if she isn’t keen on every product I bought. It’s been…stressful distractions that have put a damper on our spa-day attempts.
All four of us were part of the wedding party when my brother-in-law and his fiancee got married in March, so in preparation for the big day I thought it would be a perfect time to do some pampering. My daughter and I got set up in her room with lotions, face masks and a manicure set. We chatted about the wedding and other things while we did our nails, and moisturized our faces. It wasn’t a bad time, thankfully, but it was not a long activity and I have a faint recollection of feeling a tad rushed.
~I prefer the clay masks but these were sheet masks were given to me, so we put them to good use! (March 18, 2026)~
~She humored me by putting a sheet mask on as well. (March 18, 2026)~
~Looking like we know what we’re doing with our manicure sets. (March 18, 2026)~
My other attempt, whether it was before or after this one I don’t quite remember, but it was disastrous. Suffice it to say, I had to deal with some major behavioral issues with my son and the resulting stress of the interactions actually triggered a flare. My daughter and I were disappointed, because we had enjoyed soaking our feet in our respective foot baths, and were looking forward to the next phase of relaxation.
~The nail polish I got was a dud, but I’m hoping the device itself will be useful in future polish ventures. (March 18, 2026)~
Today’s attempt was not without stress as well. My kids decided to argue with one another while we were setting up the cozy “pillow nests” (as inspired by one of the Finch app challenges for this month). It was stressful dealing with this, and then there was another incident after this. I did get a solid fifteen minutes where I got to quietly lay down next to my daughter in our pillow nests, while we enjoyed the cooling cucumber slices on our tired eyes. My son had taken one look at the plate of cucumber and declined, uncertain why I was offering him food to put on his face. I’m not very good at relaxing, though, because fifteen minutes of just lying there made me antsy toward the end. I sat up when the timer went off and looked over to find my daughter had fallen asleep. She’s been doing online classes through the driving school all week, so she definitely needed a rest.
~My family is pretty anti-cucumber, but my daughter requests it for her eyes on spa days. (July 10, 2026)~
~Our Sleeping Beauty getting some much needed rest after a busy week. (July 10, 2026)~
I ended up being the only one to try out the silly animal face masks I’d purchased for the occasion. I chose the pig mask because the watermelon scent sounded like it would be pleasant. These sheet masks never fit quite right, but as soon as I saw myself in my camera, I barked out a laugh. I looked like a melty, clown pig! The packaging made me laugh even more, as I checked the instructions to see how long I should keep it on. The graphics breaking it down make the process seem a lot smoother than it really was. I’m not sure if I looked radiant when it was done, but I daresay it was bound to be an improvement when I took the mask off, regardless. My daughter woke up long enough to discuss the masks, before drifting off again and my son decided to go grab a shower.
~Oink? Oh my goodness, this is horrifying! (July 10, 2026)~
~The illustration of what the mask looks like on made me giggle too. (July 10, 2026)~
~Supposedly glowing after my piggy mask. (July 10, 2026)~
My Mom typically chats with us on Fridays, so I connected with her and warned her up the jump scare before I appeared on the camera. She and my father got amusement out of my piggy mask too, while I continued to giggle about how ridiculous I looked whenever I caught a glimpse of myself. I tried out the Burt’s Bees set of products I’d bought for my latest spa day attempt, and was pleasantly surprised by how my hands looked afterward. It wasn’t quite what I had envisioned, chatting with my Mom, while my daughter slept next to me curled up in a bundle of pillows, plushies and blankets, but it was still nice. I still felt refreshed with a nice chat about books, whilst “12 Hours of Relaxing Piano Music” played on YouTube. I also got to sip my Ginger Peach Tumeric tea, and try the cucumber water I’d set out for myself (since no one else was interested in trying some).
~Sipping beverages from pretty cups and mugs makes it more fun! (July 10, 2026)~
Now, after reading all of that you’re probably wondering why I didn’t plan to go to a spa instead. That’s a valid question! It would have eliminated one of the causes of a lot of the stress that disrupted the peace. It also would have saved several cucumbers that were purchased, then forgotten about, as they turned to mush in my produce drawer, because life didn’t slow down or sickness or flares or stress etc. etc. dashed any spa-day plans. Going to a spa, where their aim is to create an atmosphere for rest would make sense, given the issues I’ve had. However…
I’ve never been to a spa. It sounds nice in theory, but ultimately the idea of a bunch of strangers touching me does not make me feel very relaxed. I remember how uncomfortable I was when the gentleman doing my manicure one time began to rub lotion into my hands, and up my arms. He was friendly and there wasn’t a weird vibe, it wasn’t that, I just didn’t enjoy it. The other reason I don’t think a spa would be the best place for me is: my body. There have been times when my husband has barely grazed my back with a loving touch but it has felt like someone pressed their thumb into my bruised skin. There’s also a good chance that something like a massage would trigger a bad flare. I have also had bad reactions to a lot of skincare items*. My body, inside and out, is not a good candidate for spas. However, even if I could be assured of the care and gentleness needed to provide a safe environment for me to be pampered, I still don’t think I can get over the weirdness of having strangers touching me.
~My happy feet all moisturized and clad in comfy socks. (July 10, 2026)~
Future spa days will just have to be planned for days at home without the children, or with only one of them present. They’re teenagers now, but they can get on one another’s nerves so it causes friction that is not conducive to rest and there has also been a struggle in teaching them how to deal with big emotions in a healthy manner. (Parenting can be rough.) Despite feeling like this was somewhat of a lackluster “I did it” compared to some of my other accomplishments, I am still glad that I kept pushing to make this happen. I am grateful that I got a bit of a spa-day this afternoon. It wasn’t the ideal scenario, but I did get to check out for a bit, and I feel like I smell fresh, so mission accomplished. I’m very much looking forward to trying out the shower bomb I got for today as well, because my body is very sore right now and a hot shower is the closest I get to having a full body heat pack.
~My daughter claimed the lavender one, but I haven’t decided which of the other two I want to try. (July 10, 2026)~
~I knew the masks would probably be silly looking, but I was wholly unprepared for just how silly! My skin does feel softer, though. (July 10, 2026)~
*In case you’re wondering how this mask worked for me, I’ve had a subtle but persistent itchiness all over my face ever since I took the mask off, and cleaned it off with a wet wash cloth. My skin has definitely done worse in response to a mask before.
Goal Accomplished: July 10, 2026
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