Hands on with the Alchemy Bar

Live Naturally

The Alchemy Bar at Six Senses is the place to discover exotic potions of herbs, salts and fruits and essential oils that you can blend up to make aromatic scrubs and masks using fresh, seasonal and 100 percent organic ingredients from our garden. The concept is to turn ordinary ingredients into something extraordinary as part of a highly personalized experience to address your needs in the present moment.

Especially for #AtHomeWithSixSenses, Six Senses Director of Training (Spas) Tammy Dent has put together some of her favorite recipes, which you can use to treat yourself to a spa day at home. This week, she has been focusing on hand and foot care.

GET HANDS ON

Softening Hand Scrub

This scrub will safely return your hands to their original state … the most beautiful and complex pieces of natural engineering in the human body.

¼ cup Sea Salt
¼ cup Unrefined Sugar
1 tbsp Fractionated Coconut Oil
2 tbsp Raw Honey
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
3 drops Grapefruit Essential Oil

Start by mixing the coconut oil with the raw honey. You can then add the other ingredients, choosing an essential oil of your choice. It is important not to overdo the essential oil, as this will worsen your condition. Once mixed, keep your scrub in a dark, glass bottle away from direct sunlight to protect the natural ingredients and use regularly. Your hands will thank you for this treat!

Irish Oat Hand Mask

The backs of our hands can give away our age. Raw oats are known to nourish dry skin, as well as lighten and brighten any pigmentation.

2 tbsp Ground Raw Oats
1 tbsp Honey
1 – 2 tbsp Natural Yoghurt

Begin by grinding the oats before adding the honey and yoghurt. Once applied, try wrapping your hands in a warm, moist towel and leave the ingredients to soften and smooth, before removing with warm water. You can follow this by applying a thick, nourishing moisturizer at bedtime and covering your hands with cotton gloves to reveal a new set of hands in the morning.

It’s important to protect your hands with gloves when washing dishes, gardening or performing certain sports. In sunny climates, apply a good quality, reef friendly SPF to your hands when outdoors – and don’t forget the tops of your feet!

FOOT RITUALS

Especially for #AtHomeWithSixSenses, Tammy is running virtual Alchemy Bar workshops every Friday on Facebook Live @SixSensesSpas at 8:00 am New York time, 1:00 pm UK time and 7:00 pm Bangkok time. In this video, she demonstrates how to treat yourself and your loved ones to a soothing foot scrub, mask and soak.

Soothing Foot Scrub

If you’re home with loved ones, why not perform an indulgent foot bathing ritual for each other? Let’s start with a soothing foot scrub for tired, aching feet …

1 cup Epsom Salts
½ cup Sweet Almond Oil
10 drops Lavender Essential Oil
10 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
1 – 2 tbsp Dried Lavender Flowers

Mix all ingredients together, being careful with essential oils when offering a foot treatment to children or pregnant ladies. Give the feet a good scrub allowing the magnesium in the Epsom salts to relieve any tension, whilst the lavender and peppermint go to work relaxing your loved one and deodorizing the feet. Rinse off with warm water.

Cleansing Foot Mask

The clay will actively draw out any impurities from the feet, offering a good, deep cleanse. Apple cider vinegar and tea tree provide excellent anti-fungal properties, cleaning all the nooks and crannies that we may not regularly get to.

3 tbsp Bentonite Clay
3 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
3 drops Lavender Essential Oil
3 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

Apply the mask all over the feet and wrap with a warm, moist towel for 30 minutes while you sit back and relax. Rinse off with warm water.

Detoxifying Foot Soak

You can combine all the following salts and store them in a beautiful glass container, to be used as a basic bath or foot soak when you need it.

1 cup Magnesium Flakes
1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Himalayan Salt
3 drops Lemongrass Essential Oil
Add Lemon, Rosemary, Ginger, Mint
Add Crystals of choice (for example Rose Quartz)

This mineral rich combination will detoxify, soothe irritated skin, as well as relieve muscle tension. You will only need 3 tablespoons for your footbath. Add the salts to warm water, along with the detoxifying fresh herbs, stimulating essential oil and healing crystals. Dip your feet in and bathe for at least 20 minutes for maximum benefit. You can then wrap your feet in a cool, damp towel, to complete your experience.

Afterwards, you can lather your feet with a deeply nourishing moisturizer paying extra attention to the heels, before slipping them into cotton socks and falling sound asleep …

Try out these simple and indulgent recipes for your hair and face too!

What are essential oils? Learn more from Farida Irani, founder of Subtle Energies.

Tree therapy

Don’t let the endless to-do lists and daily juggling acts send you into a downward spiral. Wander, wonder and enjoy a regular health reboot with Shinrin-yoku, also known as forest bathing.

Read the story

Sound good?

From chanting to singing bowls, gongs and bells, sound has an ancient kinship with meditation and healing. Our spa treatments and wellness experiences are a great way to capture the good vibrations and improve your brain health too.