Does your ideal vacation involve lounging on the beach, sipping on piña coladas, and poolside spa treatments? Until your next getaway, we’re here to help you create a tranquil exotic-inspired retreat at home.

Out of Office: Vacation-Inspired Products to Satisfy Your Wanderlust

These DIY spa treatments from amazing tropical spa destinations feature natural household ingredients and are even edible! Learn how to create your own scrubs, face masks, hair treatments, and more with tips from five fabulous resorts.

Coco Collection, Maldives

Coco Bodu Hithi and Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu, two islands in the Maldives, offer guests of their islands an Edible Spa menu. All treatments in this menu use homemade spa products created entirely using edible ingredients such as coconut, papaya, kiwi, turmeric, avocado, honey, and yoghurt, to name a few. 

CHOCOLATE CAKE SCRUB

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 Tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp essential oil of your choice (e.g. lavender, rosemary, lemongrass)

Method

This particular treatment is good for rough and very dry skin. Add the cocoa powder, coconut oil, and sugar into a bowl and stir together.

Benefits

Cocoa powder is rich in antioxidants and helps to reduce inflammation and redness. In this scrub recipe, cocoa powder is combined with sugar to help gently exfoliate, making skin appear brighter and clearer. Nourishing coconut oil is full of saturated fats which help to soften the skin, while vitamin E and amino acids help to strengthen skin’s natural barriers.

MANGO SMOOTHIE MASK

Ingredients

1/2 mango, peeled

2 kiwi, peeled

1 Tbsp pure honey

Method

Puree the fruits together in a blender into a creamy paste. Add the honey and stir until well combined. 

Benefits

Anti-aging and good for normal skin. 

The Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort, Panama

The Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort, located in the Riviera Pacifica area, offers a truly authentic Panamanian vacation experience that highlights the art and culture of the destination with fine food, local experiences, and beach/rainforest adventures. 

Highlights include an on-site museum with local art workshops, Nicklaus-design golf course, and a wildlife center, to name a few. For ultimate relaxation, their on-site Corotú Spa provides a variety of ancestral treatments from body scrubs and wraps to facials and manicures/pedicures.

COROTÚ SPA COFFEE FACE SCRUB

Ingredients

3 tablespoons ground coffee

1 tablespoon oil (olive, coconut or almonds)

1 tablespoon of sugar (best with brown sugar / white sugar will work as well) 

Mix together all the dry ingredients (coffee and sugar) and then gradually add the oil. Mix until well combined (until it forms a paste). Gently apply the mixture to the face in circular motions. Leave it on for 10 minutes and then remove with warm water.

Benefits of coffee 

The sand-like texture of coffee grounds makes a great exfoliant in homemade scrubs. The coffee grounds work to gently remove dead skin cells, which helps to rejuvenate and boost circulation. It also has anti-inflammatory agents and increases skin collagen levels.  

RICE WATER FACE TONIC

Ingredients

1 cup of rice

1 cup of water

Cover the cup of rice with water and stir, then rinse. This is the first step to clean the rice. Next, place the rinsed rice in a bowl and cover it with a couple of cups of water, stirring for a few minutes. Next, leave it to rest for 24 hours at room temperature. Strain the rice away from the rice water and set aside. Pour the rice water into a spray bottle or facial toner bottle. The rice toner should last for at least four facial applications. 

Benefits 

Rice is a powerful antioxidant that prevents premature aging.

Grand Residences Riviera Cancun, Mexico

Nestled in what was once a small fisherman village about half an hour outside of Cancun, Grand Residences Riviera Cancun is a hidden coastal treasure full of incredible cuisine, luxurious amenities, and breathtaking views of the coastal waters. An onsite spa and incredible chef also add to an unforgettable experience. The resort takes comfort and convenience to a new level, including providing roundtrip car service to and from the airport. The following instructions outline how future guests can create the resort’s Honey & Sugar Exfoliant at home while they wait on day to once again travel to Grand Residences.

HOMEMADE EXFOLIATION WITH HONEY AND SUGAR

Recipe:

• ½ cup brown sugar

• 3 tablespoons of honey

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (it provides deeper hydration for skin, it can also be replaced by almond oil or coconut oil).

 Once all the ingredients are gathered:

1. Mix the sugar and honey in a bowl with the help of a spoon until you get a thick paste.

2. Add the oil of your choice until it integrates with the paste and makes it a little lighter.

Application:

• Thoroughly wash your face, removing all traces of makeup.

• Spread the scrub all over your face in gentle movements without exercising too much. pressure on the entire face (avoiding the eye contour area), neck and décolleté.

• Leave the paste in pose time of 5 to 10 min.

• Remove by rinsing with plenty of warm water.

You will notice softer, hydrated and revitalized skin. Tip: Use the scrub on the rest of the body and get the same results. 

Harbour Village Bonaire’s Essential Oil Salt Scrub

Harbour Village Bonaire sits on four acres of tropical paradise from the comfort of its own exclusive beach on the lesser-known Dutch Caribbean island. Guests can virtually travel to the hidden gem resort by recreating and enjoying this locally-inspired Essential Oil Salt Scrub—Bonaire is known for its salt mining and salt mountains. Harbour Village Bonaire shares how to create the locally-inspired scrub at home.  

ESSENTIAL OIL SALT SCRUB

Recipe:

• 2 cups unrefined sea salt (fine)

• ¾ cup olive oil or fractionated coconut oil

• 8-10 drops essential oil

 Instructions:

1. Combine sea salt, oil, and essential oil in a clean, dry glass bowl until well combined. Transfer to an airtight glass jar.

2. Simply massage gently into the skin while in the shower, giving yourself a wonderfully invigorating body scrub. Wash off with warm water. Be careful as this salt scrub may make your shower slippery.

*Use uplifting lime, grapefruit essential oil or passion fruit oil to nourish the skin—or lavender for stress relief and relaxation.

Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Nestled in the heart of Riviera Maya, Mexico, the 401-room Fairmont Mayakoba is a AAA-Five Diamond resort set on 45 acres within a private, luxury community. Surrounded by a lush mangrove forest intersected by water canals, the property offers over 46,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor meeting space, an energizing Willow Stream spa featuring 20 treatment rooms and El Camaleón Golf Course, host to the only official PGA TOUR event in Mexico. A dedication to a green philosophy has earned Fairmont Mayakoba the Rainforest Alliance Verification among other eco-accolades. Fairmont Maykoba shares how to create resort-inspired treatments at home.

HOMEMADE SCRUBS

Mix a tablespoon of honey (done with exclusive melipona honey at the resort) and a tablespoon of sugar and apply to the face! The sugar will help you exfoliate and the honey will disinfect and purify your face. Leave this mixture for 5 minutes, rinse with water and you will feel the difference!

For the body, reuse the coffee from your coffee maker! Just add 3 tablespoons of coffee and 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, it can be coconut, almonds, olive ... the one you have at home! Mix and when you are bathing, apply it all over your body! It will leave your skin smooth and clean.

SOOTHING SPLIT ENDS TREATMENT

Make a mask with 1 ripe banana, avocado, two tablespoons of honey, one tablespoon of milk and one tablespoon of olive oil. Stir everything, apply from ends to ends in your hair. and let it act for 30 minutes. Lastly, rinse!

LIP EXFOLIATION

Apply petroleum jelly to your lips and with a clean toothbrush, brush your lips in a circular motion. It will serve to remove dead skin and also to reactivate circulation!

[Images courtesy of resorts]

Lizzy Sherman is an award-winning digital content writer/editor. She has been a featured guest speaker at Cal State University Northridge, Digital LA and The National Association of Audience Marketing Professionals. When she's not writing, Lizzy enjoys yoga and playing guitar. Follow her on Instagram: @zillizy