Are you staying in a hotel and trying to find ways to make your bathroom feel like a spa to create the perfect self-care bath on your travels? This is my routine to make myself feel like I’m in a spa – right in my hotel room!
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There could be a million reasons you are staying in a hotel – you may be on the best vacation of your life, you may be traveling for work, or… You could be like me and have to stay in a hotel because your house flooded and you’re waiting on repairs (I really hope this last one is not you!! It is not fun!).
Now, don’t get me wrong – I don’t mind a hotel room most of the time – because usually being in a hotel room means I’m on vacation.
But living small hotel room with your significant other for what has already been around two months (and will probably be another two more) can drain the life out of you very quickly.
Luckily, we have a kitchen and living room area as well as the bedroom, of course, but it’s still a pretty small living area for two people to be in – and well, it’s just not home.
So lately, I’ve been trying to find ways to make it feel more homey and, most of all, relaxing. With all the stress of getting everything repaired at the house, I need to make time for a little self-care so I don’t lose my mind!
Although I’ve been putting this into practice more because I’m living in a hotel, I love to implement these anytime I’m traveling, whether it’s for work or a vacation.
So from now on, you never have to splurge to get your spa treatment. You can do it right in the comfort of your hotel. Heck, you can even do these in the comfort of your home if you want! And it’s all super easy and super affordable, so you can spend the money you saved on doing fun adventures around the city you are staying in (or splurge a little on your room service!).
Here’s how to elevate your next hotel soak into a full-on relaxing, pampered experience—using travel-friendly essentials you can pack in your carry-on.
Here’s How to Make Your Bathroom Feel Like A Spa During Your Next Hotel Stay!
How To Make Your Bathroom Feel Like A Spa
If you like elevating your travel experiences, check out my blog post: The Best Airport Hacks: How to Elevate Your Airport Experience
1. Set the Mood with Lighting
First things first in how to make your bathroom feel like a spa! You have to set the mood with the lighting. Most hotel rooms have bright, sterile lighting, which is not really great if you’re going for the spa vibe.
If you’re hotel has lights that dim, bring them down a touch. If they don’t, you could always turn on the lights outside the bathroom and turn them off directly in the bathroom, and keep the door cracked a little bit.
I often put out a candle AND bring my laptop to prop up right outside the bathtub. That typically gives me just enough light as well.
But if you really want to get committed to the spa vibe, pack your spa on the go travel kit with…
🕯️ Travel-sized LED candles or fairy lights
Set them around the tub or sink to create a calming glow.
👉 Flickering LED Tea Lights – Battery Operated & TSA Friendly
2. Turn On A Relaxing Spa Playlist
I like to start the ambience even while I’m setting up the entire bath.
Once you’ve got the lights dimmed, the next step to really setting the mood is playing some relaxing music.
You can just play something on your phone, but I like to bring a Bluetooth speaker to put on some soft instrumentals, nature sounds, or spa music.
I never travel without my Bluetooth speaker – I use it not only for baths but also for showers or when I’m getting ready to go out.
It’s amazing how some calming music can be so therapeutic within itself.
🎵 Try searching Spotify for: “Spa Sounds,” “Chakra Balancing,” or “Calm Vibes”
👉Bluetooth Speaker – Travel-Friendly
3. Rinse Off And/Or Do A Little Dry Brushing or Exfoliation Before You Soak
Some of this is just a personal preference for me, but I like to rinse off in a super quick shower before I get my bath going.
It just helps me relax more knowing my body is already clean and any sweat or dirt from the day is already washed away and won’t be soaking in my bath with me.
But also before hopping into the tub, dry brushing or exfoliating can stimulate circulation and leave your skin feeling so smooth.
For me, I do this all in the shower – but you can easily do a dry brushing before if you would rather not kick off your bath time with a quick rinse off.
🧽 Bring a foldable dry brush or exfoliating glove
They’re super lightweight and totally TSA-approved.
👉 Travel Dry Brush for Glowing Skin
👉 Exfoliating Gloves – Compact and Reusable
4. Upgrade Your Towels & Robe (Optional, But Worth It)
There is nothing I love more than when I realize a hotel has robes in the closet for my stay.
I will LIVE in that robe anytime I am in my hotel room, I promise you.
If you know your hotel won’t have robes in the room, or you just want to make sure your robe is to your liking… you can always bring on a long! It may seem like doing the most, but it really does add so much comfort if you’ve got a little extra room in your bag. And these are good for travel and not super bulky!
If you’re really feeling fancy, you can even bring your own towel – just in case your hotel doesn’t have the softest ones!
👉 Turkish Cotton Travel Towel – Super Soft & Lightweight
👉 Lightweight Spa Robe – Packs Small
5.) Add A Bath Pillow And Full Body Mat
Once again, this one is totally optional, but if you have the extra space, it is SO worth it!
The amount of comfort it adds to have a little cushion for not only your whole body, but to support your head, is out of this world!
6. Sip on Something Fancy
Now it’s time to get started! Plug up the drain and turn the water on. You can finish prepping your bath while you wait for the water to fill up the tub.
It’s time to hydrate (or indulge!!)! You can bring a tea bag ( I keep some in my travel case all the time!), grab a sparkling water (I poured mine into a fancy glass just to make it feel more luxurious), or if you’re anything like me – a little glass of champagne is the perfect addition to your relaxation time.
Whatever you decide to sip on – go ahead and grab it so you have a little something while you’re preparing the rest of the bath 🙂
🍵 Herbal tea favorites: chamomile, mint, or lemon ginger.
👉 Herbal Tea Sampler,
OR
👉 Try these super cute Flower Tea Stick Korean Teas!
7. Make A Little Snack Tray
For this bath that I did, I had been on a little health kick, so I chose to put together a little plate of fruits and veggies.
But I’ve done chocolates before, too! Whatever your mood you’re in, whether you want to be a little healthy or indulge a bit, put together a little snack tray so you have something to munch on while you relax.
8. Bring Travel-Friendly Bath Enhancers
Okay, let’s face it – a regular hotel bath is pretty…meh.
So I always bring along a couple of things to help make it feel more spa-like. Here are some options of items you can easily travel with to spice up your bath time a little bit!
🛁 Foaming bath soak or travel-sized bath bombs
I always try to look for options infused with lavender, eucalyptus, or rose to help relax my mind and body a little bit. It helps me feel like I’m in a real spa!
👉 Dr Teal’s Epsom Salt and Foaming Bath – Travel Size
👉 Mini Bath Bomb Set – Perfect for Travel
🛁 Essential Oils (with a Carrier oil so they are extra safe for your skin)
👉 Fractionated Coconut Oil – Travel Size
9. Use a Nourishing Face Mask And/Or Ice
While you’re soaking, give your face some extra love. Sheet masks or peel-off masks don’t take up much room at all in your bag and add so much to your relaxation!
There’s a spa I’ve gone to a couple of times to do a “soak” (aka a fancy bath), and they always give you a bowl of ice and two cucumbers. I’ve started doing this for myself whenever I take a bath!
There is nothing like the feeling of lying in a warm bath and rubbing ice on your face. It feels amazing and is great for your skin. And best of all, it’s a free addition to your relaxation time!
Most hotels have ice machines or offer to bring you an ice bucket free of charge.
👉 Glow-Boosting Korean Sheet Mask Set (Travel Pack)
10. Apply a Hair Mask While You Soak
Got tired, dried-out travel hair? While you’re taking a soak in the tub, it is the perfect time to do a little deep conditioning mask.
You can also wrap your hair in a microfiber towel to have it up and out of your way as you relax!
👉 Coconut Hydrating Hair Mask – TSA-Friendly Packets
11. Finish With a Luxe Body Lotion or Oil
After soaking, I love to treat my skin to some extra hydration! A really good lotion or a body oil always does the trick and really finishes off the spa-like vibes.
👉 Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion – TSA Size
👉 Bio-Oil Skincare Oil – Travel-Friendly Size
Bonus: Pack It All In a Compact Travel Pouch
And last but not least, you can always just keep your little travel spa bag ready to go, so whenever you head off for a vacation, you know you’ve got everything together to make your perfect in-hotel spa experience.
I love keeping all my travel toiletries bags packed and ready to go, so it makes packing and unpacking way easier for each trip.
🧳 👉 Clear TSA-Approved Toiletry Bag Set
You do not need to have a super luxurious 5-star suite to make your hotel bath feel like you are right in a fancy spa.
You’ll just need a few little travel essentials and to do a little planning before your trip.
Whether you’re traveling for pleasure and want to treat yourself after a day full of sightseeing, or maybe you’re traveling for work and need to relax after a hard day’s work, I hope these tips helped you learn how to find the perfect ways to make your bathroom feel like a spa!
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