By Mikayla Mlynarczyk
Spring break—a time to re-coup from classes and midterms. Some of us planned an escape to a tropical destination, are back home for the break, or are simply catching up on school work and papers. Whatever your plans are, it is important to take this time to treat yourself a little, after all, you deserve it.
Whether you are on a tight budget, or willing to splurge a little, below are a list of great ways to treat yourself, mind, body and soul.
1. Spa Day
There is probably no better way to treat yourself than going to the spa. For those staying in Ottawa for the break, Nordik Spa (10 minute drive from downtown) is a great way to treat yourself for the day with their 8 unique saunas and salt water infinity pool, restaurant and lounge! This is a great opportunity to take your friends, mom or significant other and relax for the day. For only $50.00 Monday-Thursday and Friday-Sunday $59.00 you will have access to all the pools and saunas for a full day of relaxation. If you don’t mind splurging and want a little more, they also have great body treatments, massages and much more!
Benefits of the Spa:1) Great stress reducer: Massages can reduce levels of stress hormones.2) Boosts your immunity3) Relives pain: A massage or a relaxation in the sauna and salt water pools are a great way to loosen up any tight muscles or pain you may have, and of course, relax you from all the school stress.4) It boosts your mood: Treatments such as massages and saunas increase your brain’s neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin (your ‘feel good hormones’).5) Relieves symptoms of PMS! – That’s right girls—now you have an excuse to actually treat yourself on your time of the month!
On a budget or can’t make it to the spa? Not a problem! Here is a list of other great ways to treat yourself and create your own DIY spa day:
- Cozy up and RelaxTime to cozy up and relax. Hot chocolate, marshmallows, a robe and fuzzy slippers, you name it. Put on a relaxing 8tracks playlist while you’re at it.
- Epsom salt and a hot bath.Epsom salts and a hot bath are my favourite relaxer and de-stressor. My favourite is Dr. Teals Epsom salts in lavender. If you want, add a couple tea lights or candles around the bath for added scents and spa-feel therapy. Not only does Epsom salts help relax your mind, but they have also proven to help with sore muscles. These salts are a great way to relax after a hard workout or any aches and pains from being sick.
- Facial and nails!My favourite facemasks are from Lush! Try ‘BB Seaweed’ and ‘Brazened Honey’ for normal skin in need of a cleanse, or ‘Oatifix’ for that dry winter skin. If you don’t want to splurge too much on a facial mask, Shoppers and Walmart carry great ones like ‘FREEMAN’s in a great clay avocado mask or cucumber peel-off mask. The best part of facials is that you can multitask while having them on! Painting your nails a nice bright colour while you’re waiting for your facial mask to dry always brightens the mood.
- Treat yourself to some tea!Along with any spa-day treatment always goes great with a large cup of tea! For those who like loose-leave teas, David’s Tea has the best selection with great flavours like mango madness white tea, ‘pom springs’ green tea, ‘espresso yourself’ and ‘love tea’ black tea.
For those that don’t like loose-leaf, or don’t want to treck it all the way down to David’s tea, try Tazo tea found at your local grocery store, Shoppers or Walmart.
My favourite Tazo Tea is their ‘Chai tea’ or ‘awake’ English breakfast when I want enough caffeine to keep me awake, or their ‘calm chamomile tea’ when I want to relax or fall asleep.
Enjoy the rest of your break, lovely ladies!
Sources:
http://susanbiali.com/5-reasons-spa/
http://www.yorkvillerun.com/the-box/
http://models-illuminati.tumblr.com/
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2011/11/davids_tea_bleecker_street.php
http://www.polyvore.com/victorias_secret_satin_robe/thing?id=44599773
http://www.ottawafamilyliving.com/category/directory/hair-salon-spa/