Foot spa is great for the health and beauty of feet. It relaxes and strengthens your feet. But, it is time-consuming and costly to go to a spa center every time when you need a foot spa. That’s why many people want to know how to do a foot spa at home.
If you are one of them, this post is for you. Here you can know the effective but easiest way to do a foot spa at home with a very low cost.
Let see…
Benefits of Foot Spa on Feet
01. Improves Blood Circulation
It is the most claimed benefits of foot spa. The circulation in our feet is hampered by improper footwear or the habit of prolonged standing or sitting. Foot spa is a great way to improve circulation in the foot and overall body. The cooling sensation of foot spa and the massage after spa relax the tendons and muscles of your feet and boost blood circulation. A 10 minutes massage right after foot spa not only improves the blood circulation of your feet but also the entire body and brain.
02. Relieves Pain of Plantar Fasciitis and Flat Feet
A foot spa once a week can provide great benefit to the common foot pain. The most occurred foot pains are ball of foot pain, plantar fasciitis, and flat feet. Plantar fasciitis occurs due to the inflammation or injury in the plantar fascia. And flat feet occurs due to weak arches, foot and ankle injuries, arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, and the damages of the posterior tibial tendon. With an effective foot spa, you can get benefitted from these foot problems. It improves blood circulation to the infected area to heal ASAP. Foot spa also relaxes muscles and tendons, and strengthens them.
Read Also: Best Foot Pads for Ball of Foot Pain.
03. Great for Corns, Callused Skin, and Cracked Heels
You will get awesome benefits from a foot spa for these foot problems. Foot spa softens the thick skin of your feet. It helps you to remove the hard-thick skin, corns, callused skin, and cracks with a foot scrub or pumice stone. Regular scrubbing after foot spa gives you a soft baby like feet once again. Be gentle while exfoliation and don’t try to remove all the problems on the first day. They come slowly and will go slowly.
04. Fights Bacterial and Fungal Infections
A good foot spa helps you to get a fresh foot. It also keeps your feet problem free by removing the strains of bacteria and fungi. It removes the dirt and buildups from your feet. And everyone knows that clean feet contain fewer microbes than nasty feet. Certain foot spa recipe is specially made to fight the bacterial and fungal attack.
05. Improves Nail Health
You know nail care or pedicure is a part of foot spa. A great foot spa not only nourishes nails but also strengthen it. It also helps to prevent fungal and bacterial infection of your nails. Pedicure after foot spa contains nail trimming, cleaning, filing, cutting & pushing cuticles, and more. All these procedures help to get a fresh, healthy, and attractive nail. It also protects you from ingrown toenail infections.
06. Improves Tone and Texture of Feet’s Skin
It is the great benefits of a foot spa. If you want to get a healthy and gorgeous foot, you should do foot spa regularly. A great foot spa gives essential nutrients to the skin of your feet. The exfoliation process of foot spa removes dead skin cells and promote cell regeneration. And all these improve the tone and texture of your feet. Definitely, you will love it.
07. Deodorizes Feet
Feet with odor is too embarrassing. You can get relief from it with a foot spa. You know the main factor behind foot odor is bacteria. Certain foot bath effectively kills bacteria and fungi. Thus, the foot bath protects your feet from nasty odor.
08. Elevates Foot Irritation
Foot irritation is very much disturbing and painful. It is most common in women. You can get quick relief from irritation by using a foot spa. And for cooling sensation, you should put a few drops of peppermint essential oil in the foot spa basin.
09. Reduces the Edema of Pregnant Women
Edema is most common in pregnant women, especially in the last trimester. It happens due to the retention of fluid in the ankle and feet. A foot spa can help you in elevating this problem. It improves the blood circulation of your feet and the massage after foot bath reduces the edema. Remember, in case of edema, foot spa once a week is enough, you should continue the massaging of your feet every day.
Health Benefits of Foot Spa
01. Relieves Stress
Relieving stress is a great benefit of the foot spa. Foot spa reduces the tension of your feet and provides a refreshing feeling all over the body. And the massaging after foot bath gives reflexology benefits. It triggers some pressure point of the feet and reduces your stress, sadness, and fatigue.
02. Helps in reducing Headache and Migraine
Foot spa can reduce your headache and migraine significantly. It improves circulation and delivers relaxation to the entire body. Besides this, the pressure while massaging gives reflexology benefits to your feet and body. It also activates some spots of your feet that help to reduce the effect of migraine and headache.
03. Reduces the Symptoms of Menopause and PMS
Foot spa not only cares your feet but also works on some internal discomfort. Every woman is to pass through discomfort during menopause and post-menopause. A foot spa can be a great relief from them. It helps to reduce the irritation caused by menopause. And it works instantly. And the massage during the spa gives quick relief from irritability, fatigue, mood swings, and sadness. For better result, massaging should continue every day.
04. Great for Insomnia
Foot spa can provide great relaxation to your entire body. It also boosts the energy level of your body and mind. A regular foot spa ensures a sound sleep by relieving stress and anxiety. Thus, it effectively reduces the symptoms of insomnia.
05. Improves Sex Life
A relaxed mind and body give a good feeling to everyone. If you and your partner take foot spa, it improves both of your mental conditions. A relaxed mind and body are the best criteria for better sex life. After taking foot spa, you will enjoy your private moment better than any other day.
Creating Environment
Environment is very much important for an effective foot spa. You should choose a place that is noiseless, clam, and the temperature is in control. You can do a foot spa anywhere you want like a bathroom, living room, or bedroom. Make sure the room is well ventilated and the intensity of light should be medium.
You can put on some candle to give your foot spa a professional look. Use a mild room spray or essential oil diffuser to boosts your mood with a pleasant aroma. Put some fresh flower in the flower vase and keep it in the corner of the room. Keep a washcloth and foot scrub beside your foot basin. And finally, play relaxing music that calms your mind and body. That’s it. I think this is enough to create a positive environment for a foot spa.
What You Need
A foot spa contains 4 parts. It includes a foot bath, exfoliation and scrubbing, pedicure, and moisturization. Every part needs different types of tools and materials to complete.
For foot bath you need and foot basin, ingredients for a foot soak, and some flowers and rose petals for a nice visual appearance. Next, you need foot scrub or pumice stone to exfoliate your feet. You can use either homemade foot scrub or commercial foot scrub. For nail care, you need a full set of pedicure kit. And finally, your regular moisturizer is enough to moisturize your feet after scrubbing.
All things are ready. Now it is time for real action…
Step 1: Foot Soak
Take the foot basin and fill it up with lukewarm water. Pour as much water so that it can cover your feet and ankle. Now you need to put salt (such as Epsom salt or sea salt), essential oils, herbs, and some other ingredients that are used for a foot soak. For an effective foot spa, I also share some foot spa recipes and their benefits at the end of this post. Additionally, you can add some bubble bath solution if you like bubbles.
Now it is time for relaxation. You need to wait for 15-20 minutes to let the foot soak work on your feet. In this time, you can read a book, listen music, or simply close your eye and relax.
You can also give some relaxing care to your feet. For this, put some small stone into the basin to get a relaxing massage while foot bath. For this, you should move your feet back and forth.
Step 2: Scrubbing
After soaking, now it is time to exfoliate feet. Take foot scrub and gently massage on your feet. It removes the dead skin cells and impurities from your feet. Some foot scrub also gives you antibacterial and anti-fungal benefits.
If you have corns, callused skin, or crack heels, you should use a pumice stone or foot file to remove them. I prefer a natural pumice stone. Be gentle, otherwise, it will hurt you. And don’t try to remove all of them on the first day. Regular exfoliation with pumice stone helps you to bring back the soft feet. It also removes cracks from your heels.
Step 3: Pedicure
If you do foot spa at home weekly, you don’t need to pedicure your nail every session. But, if you do once in a month, then you can. Pedicure is a process of caring for your nails.
At first, take a nail cutter from your pedicure kit and trim your nails. Don’t cut your nails too deep. It may cause ingrown nail infections. Then file down the nails to erase the sharp edge. Check your nails closely. If there any dirt inside your nails, remove them. You can also remove excess cuticle with a cuticle cutter. For the nice nail shape, you can push back cuticles with a cuticle pusher. If you see any sign of fungal nail infection then treat them ASAP.
Step 4: Moisturization
It is a simple finishing step. But never ever forget to do it. Yes, it is moisturization. For the last 30 minutes, your feet have gone through several processes like soaking, scrubbing, and pedicure. Due to the exfoliation and scrubbing, the inner layer of your feet’s skin comes in the front. And it has more tendency to lose moisture, which makes your skin dry and prone to cracking.
To avoid this, you should use a moisturizer. You can use your regular body moisturizer for this purpose. But, I suggest using one that not only moisturizes your skin but also protects from moisture loss.
Now, I hope you get the answer of your question, “How to do foot spa at home?”. Now I will share some foot spa recipes with benefit so that you can make your homemade foot spa highly effective.
Some Effective but Easy Foot Bath Recipes
01. Kitchen Salt or Epsom Salt Foot Bath
It is a basic foot bath. When you are in a hurry but really need a foot spa, you can try this.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of kitchen salt or ½ cup of Epsom salt.
Procedure:
Just pour and stir to dilute then soak your feet.
Benefits:
- Saves time.
- Kitchen salt kills bacteria and fungi.
- Epsom salt reduces foot muscle tension, pain, inflammation, and sour feet.
02. Glycerin and Rose Water Foot Spa
It is a hydrating and toning foot spa recipe. Easy to prepare and provide lots of benefits.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of glycerin and 5 tablespoons of rosewater.
Procedure:
Just put into the water and stir to mix.
Benefits:
- Provides essential moisture to the skin.
- Tones skin with rosewater.
- Balances pH of the skin.
- Gives anti-inflammatory benefits.
03. Apple Cider Vinegar and Epsom Salt Foot Soak
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and ¼ cup of Epsom salt.
Procedure:
Fill the foot basin with warm water then mix the apple cider vinegar and Epsom salt into it.
Benefits:
- Great for inflamed, achy, and sour feet.
- Relaxes the tired muscle of your feet.
- Softens and disinfect feet’s skin.
04. Milk Foot Soak for Glowing Feet
Ingredients:
2-3 cups of milk.
Procedure:
Pour the milk into the water and mix the same amount of lukewarm water into it and soak your feet.
Benefits:
- Provides essential nutrient of milk to the feet.
- Ensures exfoliation with lactic acid.
- Gives a nice glow to your feet.
05. Baking Soda and Epsom Salt Foot Spa
Ingredients:
1 cup of baking soda and ½ cup of Epsom salt.
Procedure:
Pour them into the water and stir properly to mix them well.
Benefits:
- Deodorizes your feet.
- Relieves from muscle tension, cramp, and tired feet.
- Gives antibacterial and anti-inflammatory benefit.
06. Coconut Oil, Sugar, and Peppermint Foot Soak
Ingredients:
1 cup of sugar, 1/3 cup coconut oil, and few drops of peppermint essential oil.
Procedure:
Pour all of them into the water and mix properly.
Benefits:
- Ensures optimum moisturization to your feet.
- Gives cooling sensation to your feet with peppermint essential oil.
07. Lemon Foot Soak
Ingredients:
½ cup of lemon juice and two tablespoons of sea salt.
Procedure:
Pour these two ingredients and stir to dilute, then soak your feet.
Benefits:
- Gives Fresh Feet and deodorizes.
- Ensures antibacterial and anti-fungal properties.
08. Cooked Rice Water with Baking Soda foot Soak
Ingredients:
4-5 cups of rice water and 1 tablespoon of baking soda.
Procedure:
First, boil 1 lb rice water and separate the water from rice after boiling. Now pour this boil water (starch) into the foot basin and mix the baking soda. It is ready for doing a foot spa at home.
Benefits:
- Rice water contains folate, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin C, A, and E.
- Deodorizes your feet.
- Keeps your feet soft and smooth.
09. Neem Leaves and Turmeric Foot Soak
Ingredients:
2 handful of neem (Indian lilac) and 2-3 turmeric root.
Procedure:
Chop the turmeric root into pieces. Now, put all the neem leaves and turmeric slice into a blender. Blend them well and put the puree into the water of the foot basin.
Benefits:
- Great for the foot with bacterial and fungal infection.
- Gives a natural glow to your feet.
10. Foot Bath with Herbs
Ingredients:
This foot bath just takes a handful of dried herbs. Great herbs for foot bath are calendula, lavender, chamomile, thyme, peppermint, rosemary, and basil. You can also add some salt to make this foot bath luxurious.
Procedure:
Take the dried herbs and boil it with 3-4 cups of water. After boiling, let it cool down. And let the beneficial elements of the herb mix into the water. It takes 20-30 minutes to cool down completely. Now steep the water and put into the foot basin and soak your feet. You can add the desired amount of water and some salts into it.
Benefits:
The benefits depend on which herb you use for a foot bath. Some give you relaxation and some provide nutritional benefits.
The Last Words
That’s all for today. Hope, now you can do a tremendous foot spa at your home. Enjoy your every step with healthy and relaxed feet.