Staycation Sundays: DIY Spa Night

Strawberry flavored banana ice cream

Kate Deng, Design Editor

After a long week, it’s time to unwind with a great DIY Spa Night. These four DIYs are perfect treats for a relaxing summer night.

 

1. DIY Back Massage

Here’s what you need:

  • Ball (of any size)
  • Foam roller (if you don’t have any foam rollers, use a towel, blanket, or yoga mat instead).

Directions:

  • Place the ball of your choice on a wall and keep it up with pressure from your back.
  • Move your back in circular motions to release any tension.
  • Place a foam roller on the ground (if you’re using a towel, blanket, or yoga mat, roll it up and then place it on the ground).
  • Lay down so that the roller or towel is directly under your back so that your shoulders and butt can still touch the ground.
  • Put your feet directly on the ground and use your feet to roll yourself up and down the roller.

 

2. DIY Healthy Banana Ice Cream

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 bananas (more or less depending on how much you’d like to make)
  • ¼ cup of milk of your choice (¼ cup for every 2 bananas)
  • Food processor
  • Bowl

Directions:

  • Put your bananas in the freezer and freeze for more than 2 hours (WARNING: put the bananas whole into the freezer, otherwise it is very hard to separate the frozen bananas) (TIP: for best substance, freeze overnight).
  • Cut up your frozen bananas into small pieces.
  • Put frozen bananas into a food processor or blender and blend for a couple of seconds.
  • Stop blending to add in ¼ cup milk.
  • Add different fruits or flavors of your choice for different flavored ice cream.
  • Blend until an ice cream substance.
  • Put in a bowl to serve.

Recipe credits to Lauren Riihimaki.

 

3. DIY Bath Bomb

Here’s what you need:

  • ½ cup of baking soda
  • ⅛ cup of cream of tartar
  • Spray bottle with water
  • Food coloring of your choice
  • Cookie cutter
  • Non-stick tin foil

Directions:

  • Add the baking soda and cream of tartar into a mixing bowl.
  • Add any food coloring of your choice to create the color you want.
  • Careful spray water and stir until you get a fairly hard texture in which the mixture will stick together but not crumble (WARNING: do not put too much water. I accidentally added too much water for one mixture and I had to restart because the bath bomb would not stay together).
  • Place a cookie cutter on a table with tin foil underneath it.
  • Take parts of the mixture and pack it tight into the cookie cutter so that there are no air pockets.
  • Let the mixture sit in the cookie cutter for about half an hour.
  • Remove the cookie cutter.
  • Let the bath bomb sit overnight until it is hardened and ready to be used.

Recipe credits to Lauren Riihimaki.

 

4. DIY Face Mask

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 tbsp of honey
  • 1 tsp of cinnamon
  • 1 tsp of nutmeg

Directions:

  • Add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl.
  • Mix all the ingredients until it’s an even honey texture.
  • Pull all your hair back using a headband or shower cap.
  • Use any brush (paintbrush, makeup brush, cooking brush) to apply the substance all over your face.
  • If your skin is easily irritated, make sure to avoid areas close to the eyes or other sensitive areas.
  • Let it soak into your skin for about 15-20 minutes (start your movie, prepare your bath, etc).
  • Gentle remove the mask using a wet towel.
  • Moisturize your skin to make sure it doesn’t get dry from the mask.

Recipe credits to Lauren Riihimaki.