A Spa of Your Own; Escape the World Without Leaving Your Home

For Wauwatosa photographer Stephanie Bartz, it's important to get away from it all after a frenetic shoot on location. So she heads for a "destination spa."

The one she's created in her own home.

"I think it's very important to relax at the end of the day. I need relaxed, comfortable surroundings at home. I use low lighting especially in the fall and springtime. I put on mood music. I light candles in the bathroom when soaking in the tub. I go with comfy slippers and lotion up my feet. It makes me feel relaxed and ready for bed."

A home spa can become a safety vent for the pressures of 21st- century life.

It also can be a place to warm up, relax and soothe yourself after a day of fighting the crowds or the elements.

"It all boils down to we're so busy and committed to work and there's no loyalty and the world is a dangerous place and people just want to feel better," says Carol Schalla, Midwest Living senior home editor. "The bathroom is one place to go that makes me feel good."

The spa can be what Schalla calls "a retreat within a retreat."

Milwaukeean Mary Lou Schwab always prepares a spa experience for guests at her Door County home.

"I have baskets of foaming bath gels, the little sponge things guests can lay back on in the bath, perfumed candles and spiral racks of luxurious towels on the walls. I do it whenever guests come. They all seem to enjoy it."

Creating a home spa can mean a demanding remodeling or design project, or it can be as simple as gathering a few products and dedicating a corner of your bathroom to your spa experience.

"People just need to create a space that speaks to them, a place that's right for you. You need to have an energy to that space, something that's warm and open and Zen," says Barbara Purcell, wellness coach and founder of the Urbanrapturenyc.com site.

The creation of a special spa space starts with a Zen-like notion: Get rid of the clutter.

"Get rid of all that stuff on the countertop. Add some additional cabinetry or a piece of furniture to store it in.

Have drawers where you can keep your curling iron and drawers for your makeup.

People want to be organized.

If you can contain all that, it's calming," says Schalla.

Design experts also stress that a home spa shouldn't rise from the bathroom mists in just one day.

Creating a special retreat is a process that must start with some self-evaluation.

"You want to think about what kind of person you are. What colors are yours. Some people just want something very simple: chrome, white wall, white wicker. Some people want to keep it kind of basic. Other people are more funky about it," says Purcell. "It's OK to put some thought into it. Sit with any new furniture you're looking at before you start adding it to the space."

And you don't want your comfort zone to produce uncomfortable thoughts about how much it cost.

Decide from the beginning how valuable a home spa is to you and make plans from there.

"People have the option of a complete bathroom makeover or the option of just enjoying details they've pulled together," says Mar Jennings, lifestyle expert and author of "Life on Mar's."

He also warns against trying to pull together a spa from only one store. "It looks like a showroom. The fun is in the hunt. Pick up things from all over."

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