A wellness day sounds wonderfully simple: book a few treatments, put the phone away and relax. Yet getting the most from the experience often starts well before slipping into a robe or settling onto a massage table.
Preparing your body for a relaxing wellness day can make treatments more comfortable while helping the entire day feel less rushed. From what you eat to how you treat your skin, a few small decisions can set the stage for a restorative experience.
Hydrate Before the Day Begins
Hydration is an easy place to start. Instead of trying to drink a large amount of water immediately before an appointment, keep up normal, steady hydration throughout the day.
This can be particularly useful when a wellness itinerary includes heat, physical activity or time outdoors. Staying hydrated is an important part of preventing heat-related illness, making hydration worth considering before activities that may leave you warm or sweaty.
There is no need to turn water intake into another wellness challenge. Simply drink regularly and pay attention to thirst.
Choose a Comfortable Meal
A giant brunch followed immediately by a massage may not create the peaceful afternoon you pictured. Lying down while overly full can be uncomfortable, while skipping food entirely might leave you distracted by hunger.
A moderate meal or snack before the day gets underway is often the more comfortable choice. Consider building balanced meals around fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods and dairy or fortified soy alternatives.
Timing matters, too. If a massage is on the schedule, leave enough time after eating to feel comfortable. It is sensible to understand what not to do before a massage, particularly when deciding whether to eat a heavy meal.
Be Kind to Your Skin
It is tempting to turn the hours before a wellness appointment into a full beauty marathon. More treatments, however, are not necessarily better.
Avoid experimenting with aggressive exfoliation, unfamiliar products or anything else likely to leave skin irritated right before a hands-on treatment. This is especially relevant if the day includes massage, a facial, waxing or another service involving direct skin contact.
Sun exposure deserves similar consideration. Skin care measures should include shade, protective clothing and broad-spectrum, water-resistant SPF 30 or higher sunscreen to protect skin from the sun. If skin is already burned, inflamed or unusually sensitive, tell the treatment provider before the session begins.
Match Your Routine to Your Treatments
Wellness days can include much more than massages. Facials, body treatments, manicures and other beauty services can all find their way onto an itinerary. Reviewing beauty treatments salons offer besides haircare shows how varied a salon visit can become.
That variety makes planning important. Consider what will happen to your skin, hair and body during each appointment before deciding what to do at home.
For example, applying multiple layers of cosmetics shortly before a facial may simply mean removing them again at the appointment. Likewise, an intense workout immediately before a quiet spa visit may leave you feeling hot and rushed rather than settled.
Keep Movement Gentle
Exercise is certainly part of a healthy lifestyle, but a wellness day does not have to double as the day you attempt a personal record at the gym. If relaxation is the goal, gentle movement may fit the mood better. A comfortable walk or your usual light mobility routine can help you transition from a busy schedule without arriving exhausted.
More importantly, listen to your body. Pain, a recent injury or an unusual physical symptom should not be ignored simply because a treatment is already booked.
Mention Injuries and Health Concerns
A wellness appointment should not require pretending everything feels fine. Before a massage or other hands-on treatment, tell the practitioner about injuries, painful areas, skin irritation or other relevant concerns.
Massage therapists and other professionals may need to modify or avoid certain techniques depending on the circumstances. If you are unsure whether a treatment is appropriate because of an injury, medical condition, recent procedure or medication, consult an appropriate health professional and the treatment provider before the appointment.
Leave Breathing Room in Your Schedule
One of the easiest ways to undermine a relaxing day is to schedule it like a business trip. Back-to-back appointments, errands and a stressful drive across town can turn relaxation into another item on a checklist. Build in enough time to arrive, check in and settle down without watching the clock.
Reducing interruptions can help, too. Stress can adversely affect the body and behavior, reinforcing why a wellness day is a good opportunity to reduce unnecessary demands rather than cram more into the schedule. Set your phone to silent when appropriate, handle urgent responsibilities beforehand and resist the temptation to squeeze in just one more thing between treatments.
Dress for Comfort
A wellness day is a good time to prioritize clothing that is easy to change in and out of. Soft, loose-fitting pieces are especially welcome after massage, body treatments or a long stretch of relaxation.
Consider practical details as well. Complicated jewelry, restrictive clothing and shoes that take time to put on may feel less charming by the end of the day.
Comfort can also extend to temperature. Bring a light layer if you tend to get chilly in air-conditioned treatment rooms or relaxation areas.
Give Yourself Time Afterward
Good wellness day preparation includes thinking about what happens when the appointments end. Rather than racing immediately into a packed evening, leave some flexibility afterward when possible.
Continue normal hydration, eat when hungry and follow any aftercare instructions provided for specific beauty or wellness treatments. If a treatment involves the skin, those instructions may include temporary limits on particular products, exercise, heat or sun exposure. Most importantly, avoid turning relaxation into another performance metric. A wellness day does not have to contain every trending treatment or self-care ritual to be worthwhile.
Learning how to prepare your body for a relaxing wellness day is ultimately about removing avoidable sources of discomfort. Eat sensibly, stay hydrated, protect your skin, communicate with treatment professionals and give yourself enough time to enjoy the experience. A little planning makes it much easier for the relaxing part to live up to its name.
Kelly Schoessling is a Publishing Coordinator at Logical Position, a digital marketing agency that writes dynamic web articles to create measurable growth.
