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Pampering Party Ideas: How To Throw A Fabulous Party For You & Your Girlfriends

Pampering parties are a great opportunity to get together with your girlfriends. A time to catch up on old times, talk about your families and jobs, and just engage in good old girl talk. It is also a great way to relax and pamper yourself with your girlfriends. 

Some women prefer to go as a group to a Spa or Health Center for day treatments. There is nothing wrong with that. Spas can be a lot of fun. But the focus in this article is how to arrange a pampering party from the confines of your own home. Although the overall options may not be as extensive as those offered at a fancy day spa,  a pampering party at your house has advantages. 

For one, it is considerably cheaper. Secondly, in many ways, it can be a lot more comfortable and intimate setting to hang out with your friends.

People often throw these kinds of parties for their friends when they become engaged or when a friend is pregnant and in need of a little extra pampering. 

But they are also great for busy moms and working women to spend some leisure down-time with their friends.

For those with a larger budget, there are many businesses that specialize in bringing the spa to you. They will arrange the day’s events and send professionals to administer their treatments. 

Some companies will attend the whole event, supplying and preparing the food, music, and overall decor. These companies usually have party packages providing different kinds of services. 

If that’s an option, it will certainly make things easier. But for reasons other than practicality (they can be expensive) you may enjoy creating your own creative itinerary yourself.

Pamper Party Ideas For Adults

pampering party ideas

Pampering Stations

Some people recommend setting up individual pampering stations around the house. 

A pampering party should offer different types of treatments for your guests, either for health, beauty, or relaxation. Depending on the type of treatment, you may even want to hire a professional to come to your home. 

Certain treatments involving body and facial lotions can be done yourselves with the proper equipment and accessories. Other treatments, such as manicures or pedicures would be best left to professionals. Cuticles can become infected if they are not attended to properly by professionals. 

Facial Masks/Treatments

Nothing beats a good facial treatment/mask for deep cleaning the facial pores. Such a treatment will leave your face tingling with a renewed sense of health. Mud and clay treatments and masks are made of unique minerals that are designed to rid your skin of impurities.

Most facial treatments work along with the same principles. They include a cleaning process, an exfoliation of the dead skin, and a moisturizing component. 

There are many different types of masks. In addition to mud masks, there are masks made from unique plant-based/vegetable components. These botanical-based products include essential oils which are considered beneficial for the skin. Many masks or face peels do not require a professional.

Nail/Manicures or Pedicures

As noted above, manicures and pedicures are usually best left to professionals. Many of them will come to your home at a relatively reasonable rate. You and your friends can relax from the confines of your living room while the professional works on your hands and feet.

Skin/Hand Treatments

There are so many different types of hand and body lotions on the market today.  Many are wonderful products and they can treat dry/irritated or damaged skin. 

Eyebrow Shaping

This is another treatment best left to a licensed professional. While you may fancy yourself creative with a tweezer, even your best friends won’t be happy if you mess up their eyebrows. A professional reshaping, on the other hand, will enhance their overall beauty.

Makeovers

You can give each other makeovers. Have fun trying new looks, as you paint each other up. Experiment with different colors, looks, and hair designs.

Massages

Consider hiring a professional masseuse who can give proper treatments to you and your guests. There are so many types of interesting messages that can really relax your guests. Find out the kind of massages you want to offer. You may want to consider:

  • Swedish massage: This is a common massage offered at gyms, spas, etc. This is probably the most ideal type of massage for your group.
  • Deep tissue massage: These massages require a bit more pressure, and they penetrate deeper into the belly of the muscles. These may be somewhat uncomfortable and are not ideal for everybody.
  • Hot stone massage: This is a unique form of massage which uses heated river rocks or basalt stones that are placed on various parts of the body.
  • Reiki: This is an alternative form of “energy healing”.
  • Reflexology: This is a unique form of ancient massage that focuses primarily on the hands and feet. The advantage of this massage is that you can remain clothed while receiving the treatment.
  • Shiatsu: This is a sophisticated form of Japanese body massage that has become popular in recent years.

Alternatively, you can just give each other friendly messages during the overall activities. Nothing fancy or serious, just some shoulders and arms, and head massages.

Healthy Foods/Drinks/Smoothies/Snacks

Your pampering day is designed for overall health and wellness. But you should have lots of yummy food and it shouldn’t all be healthy. Think of a nice combination of yummy guilt-free food to complement some naughtier types of foods, like chocolate-covered fruits, bouquet cookies or gourmet ice-cream, etc.  

Think of preparing a section where you can serve nice little tuna or vegetable sandwiches, healthy fruit juices, smoothies, and lots of fruits and vegetables. 

Snack stations should include fun, finger-type foods, or munchies. Exotic cheeses, rice snacks, fresh fruits and vegetables, and plenty of bottled water. Make sure that food and drink are plentiful and readily available for your guests.

Foodie Festival

Rather than just let you (the hostess) cook and prepare all of the food, everyone can participate in the fun by creating their personal favorite dish. It can be an old family secret or just something they love to make. Depending on the amount of time you will be together, you can either instruct your guests to come with a pre-made dish, or you can all do the cooking together at the house.

Wine Tasting Party

For dessert, you and your girlfriends can treat yourself to some light white wine. Or you can be more daring and have a proper wine-tasting party with your girlfriends. Purchase several bottles of different vintage, and get those wine goblets ready! Let the wine-tasting begin. The only way to become a connoisseur is to try some yourself!

Scented Candles/Aromatherapy

There are many wonderful scented candles that are known to have therapeutic qualities to create healthy feelings and sensations. 

Consider lighting fresh-scented candles such as vanilla, citrus, jasmine, lavender, green apple, and many others to give your party a relaxing aroma. At the same time, you may want to use low-level lighting to add to the serene environment.

pampering party ideas

Tranquil/Relaxing Music

Consider playing nice natural music to complement the theme of your party. There are many excellent New Age sounds, indigenous/aboriginal flute/pipe music, or general sounds of nature (the forest, beach, the rain). Natural sounds can be very soothing.

Dance Party

At some point (perhaps after the wine party) you may get tired of relaxation. Why not throw a dance party with your sisters? Get up and dance girlfriend! Why not throw on some oldies and have a dance-off? You can also start a karaoke contest to see who can belt out their favorite tunes.

Yoga Session

If you are working on your wellness, why not schedule an easy Yoga session to work on your overall health. Consider having a certified Yoga trainer come to your house and instruct your group. If the group is interested, and there is someone who wants to guide the group, you can also have a mediation session. 

Games

There are a lot of fun party games you can play together. Are you still keeping secrets from your friends? Find out with a game of truth and dare. Other fun party games you can play are Twister, the limbo, or you can just have a good old fashioned pillow fight.

Sign In Book

If you want to really preserve the memories, have everyone sign into The Pampering Party book, where they can write comments and leave silly little doodles and drawings throughout the day. You will be glad you did years later when you can recount a great time with your friends.

Chick Flicks

This is your day for you and your girlfriends! Have a marathon session where you watch a couple of chick flicks. Make sure you have plenty of chocolates, sugary popcorn, and champagne for the movie. You can go with the ’80s and 90’s with Dirty Dancing, When Harry Met Sally, or Pretty Woman. Or you can opt for something more recent like The Notebook.

Pampering Kit

At the end of the party, you can send everyone home with their very own pampering kit. A parting gift to take home with the memories. You can include cosmetics, lip balms, manicure kits, nail polish, body lotions, candles, bath bombs, and bath salts. Or you can just send everyone home with a simple gift to go, such as an exfoliating grapefruit body scrub, or a body massage bar.

If you are feeling ambitious, you can research how to make your own homemade body scrub. They are surprisingly easy to make, and it will give a special personalized touch to your parting gift.

Decor

Peruse the aisles at your local Bed, Bath, & Beyond or similar outlet to look for the kind of things that will give your home a spa-like feel. There are many great ways to create this effect. Consider using natural items such as bamboo, orchids, bonsai, and other plants to enhance the overall decor. Wood (either real or artificial) offers a relaxing natural component to any room. Other natural elements you can include are natural stones, pinecones, acorns, sea-shells, fallen leaves, and rose petals.

These are just a few suggestions for some interesting pampering party ideas. We hope that we have inspired you to think out of the box and think of new ideas of your own. Remember, that the most important part of any pampering party is to have fun with your guests and relax.

We trust that by incorporating some of these suggestions, your upcoming party will be an absolutely smashing success. It really isn’t about how much money you spend. You can find many examples online of women who hosted fantastic pampering parties on a shoestring budget.

Pampering Party 101

Here are a few ideas to ensure that your pampering party runs both smoothly and efficiently.

  • Send out invitations well in advance so that you can properly prepare for the party. Try to get an estimate of who will be coming early on so that you can better arrange things. Some of your guests will only be able to come for part of the time, so remember to consider that people have different schedules.

  • Let everyone know what the day/night’s activities will be. When is it called for? How many hours will it be? Do they need to bring anything with them? If they will need to prepare a food dish let them know well in advance.

  • Remind your guests to wear comfortable clothing, such as leggings, sweat pants, or even to come wearing their pajamas. The goal of the party is to have fun, so dress up to relax and not to impress. Many women enjoy turning the party into a pajama party event. If it includes a sleepover party you can even have an impromptu pillow fight.

  • Depending on the treatments you have planned that will not require a professional, make sure that you have plenty of spa supplies such as manicure kits, lipsticks, pumice stones, makeup kits, lotions, and essential oils. Consider the kinds of scented candles or incense you want to light, and the music you want to play in the background.

  • Stock up on a lot of cucumbers. They will go great in little sandwiches, salads, and just to munch on with some Italian dip. But you can also slice them to place on your eyes during the facial treatments.

  • Make sure that your guests arrive on time. A well-organized party will be more fun. It will allow adequate time for all of the fun activities you’ve arranged.

  • A well-structured schedule will consider the times allotted for any therapists or professionals you may have arranged to provide treatments for your guests.

  • Depending on the season, make sure that the temperature inside your home is comfortable for the entire group.

  • Try to take plenty of pictures and videos over the course of your party in order to preserve your memories. Everyone has a smartphone today so you should have lots of fun pictures to capture the moments.

  • Phone Basket: Other than taking pictures or making emergency calls, why not have a basket at the door where everyone leaves their cellphones. Try to agree as a group that you will only use the phones if absolutely necessary. It will add to the fun. Sometimes it’s important to shut off the outside world. Having said that, don’t be a bully and demand that no one make calls. Your friends have families so take that into consideration.

We have researched a list of pampering ideas you may want to consider for your next party. With a little preparation, you can ensure that your home spa is just as fun (perhaps more so!) as a day at an expensive spa. 

Pamper parties usually offer some form of beauty treatments. But a pampering party can be so much more than just sitting around and relaxing. If it is a whole day event or a night you can include beautiful treatments and activities that you may enjoy with your girlfriends.

We hope that your home spa will be so much fun that you will want to host many more of these pampering days in the future.

Pamper Pack: Here’s a fun idea to start the party right. Why not distribute a pampering kit when your guests arrive? Use your imagination. You might even include a set of comfy house slippers and a robe. Another suggestion is to have a warm rolled-up towel prepared for each of your guests when they arrive.

Pampering Party Ideas: The Bottom Line

Be creative. Think of the kind of things that usually relax you, that your friends might enjoy as well. The point is to relax. After all, doesn’t everyone deserve to be pampered sometimes?