Top 5 At-Home Spa Treatments under S$50

Be it pre- or post-COVID 19 pandemic, many of us have been looking for ways replicate high-end salon treatments at home. Read below for a list of top five at-home spa treatments that will save you both money and time.

Facial Steamer

Cost: Cost ranges from as low as S$15 for POPO Face Steaming Device at Lazada to S$67 for Pure Daily Care Ionic Nano Facial Steamer on Amazon.
Tip: Shopee offers a wide range of facial steamers (portable and at home use) for as low as S$7. Use your DBS credit card to get S$8 off with min spend of S$16 (Promo code: DBSNEW8).
Benefits: Promotes circulation, hydrates and opens up pores helping absorb skin care products.

While still not as well-known as many traditional beauty treatments, facial steamers should undoubtedly be part of your beauty routine. Previously only accessible at high-end spas, now you can have a facial steamer with you at all times. Options include portable usb rechargeable steamers, which are great for travel, or slightly larger at home steamers.

Benefits of a facial steamer go beyond relaxation. It helps open up your pores for deeper hydration, allowing the sebum and other acne-causing bacteria to be released and improve blood flow which promotes collagen. This will also result in your skin being more receptive to the skincare products you will apply afterwards.

LED Mask

Cost: While the cost ranges from as low as S$20 to as high as S$500, Shopee offers several great LED masks for as low as S$50.
Benefits: Stimulates collagen production, reduces inflammation, treats signs of aging.

LED Light therapy is perhaps the one at-home tool most worth investing in. Thanks to the fact that most masks on the market are equipped with different color LED lights, it can treat multiple skin conditions and concerns, ranging from acne, dermatitis to eczema and aging.

Each LED light has its own benefit for the skin. Red light, which is most often used, promotes anti-aging and collagen production, while blue LED light is used to calm sensitive skin. For those who want to get rid of sun spots, green light is the way to go. If you're looking to relax after a stressful week, then white light will be of most use. Frequent puffiness and swelling can often be a sign of a poorly working lymphatic system, which prevents fluids from properly moving around the body. Purple light can help with that as it stimulates lymphatic drainage and increases cell regeneration.

Gua Sha

Cost: Prices start as low as S$10 on Shopee, but we recommend Herbivore Botanicals Gua Sha for S$36 (available on sephora.sg)
Benefits: Stimulates circulation, helps relieve facial tension and puffiness.

Gua Sha is by no means a newly invented tool. Part of traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, this tool, which translates to 'scraping for redness,' is now part of the mainstream skincare culture. The practice involves using the tool to apply pressure and to scape the skin in long, downward strokes. It can be used on both face and body. Key benefits of the tool include reduced inflammation and puffiness, and improved lymphatic drainage which helps remove waste and toxins from your body.

The tool itself is most often made of rose quartz, jade or amethyst. Rose quartz is known for its ability to retain temperature effectively, and help soothe and relax your skin. Jade promotes balance, calm and positivity. The crystal itself has more resistance than the rose quartz, making it a better choice for firming and lifting. Amethyst is used to fight off stress and promote clarity. The crystal also helps increase circulation and calm inflammation and redness.

Spa Bath

Cost: Prices for bath salts range from S$10 to S$40. Great options are available for S$12 on Shopee (Purest Dead Sea Bath Salts) and Herbivore Soaking Salts on sephora.sg for S$38.
Benefits: Helps relieve stress, improves circulation and sleep.

While we all know the benefits of taking a bath, not much is said about the benefits of using bath salts. A few popular bath salts to consider are: epsom, dead sea and himalayan bath salt. Epsom salt, which is actually a pure mineral compound of magnesium sulfate, helps relieve gout pain, inflammation, stiff joints and itching caused by poison ivy. Dead sea salts are known for helping reduce eczema and psoriasis, reduce pain and inflammation from arthritis and rheumatism and help detoxify your skin. Similar to dead sea salt, himalayan salt also helps deliver magnesium to your skin,treat eczema and acne as well as soothe insect bites.

Essential Oil Diffuser

Cost: Essential oil diffusers retail for as low as S$20 on Shopee, including color-changing LED lights and a remote control.
Benefits: Helps with relaxation, improves sleep and can help minimize effects of seasonal changes.

The great thing about an essential oil diffuser is that it can serve as many purposes as the essential oil that you put in it. Essential oils not only help with relaxation, but they can be used to improve focus, boost your mood, improve breathing, sleeping and help with your digestive system. In addition, the oil diffuser can also be used without an oil, essentially making it a humidifier, which is also essential if you get frequent allergies, caught, sinus headaches and dry eyes.