So yesterday, I promised I was going to be sharing some spa recipes this week leading up to my spa party. I actually think I should officially call this week: Spa Week! I am trying to make many of the products we will be using at the party. Not only will this save me money but it is fun to do. Plus, you can use the recipes I will be sharing to relax during the holidays and make extras to give as homemade Christmas gifts! One of the ingredients I am using to make some of the products is baking soda Yep, the stuff in the orange box that everyone has in their cupboard can be used for more than baking and cleaning!
The first thing I made was a Peppermint Tea Foot Soak. Not only does peppermint add a wonderful smell to the foot soak, it also refreshes tired feet. I used 1 cup of baking soda, 1/2 cups of espom salt and the contents of 4 peppermint tea bags.
Put the baking soda, epsom salt and peppermint tea into a bowl and combine with a whisk. At this point, it can be stored into an air tight container. When ready to use the foot soak, add 2 tablespoons to a basin of warm water.
Since we are having a party, we put the foot soak into individual containers that are ready to use. I don’t have a funnel so I just made one out of paper. I purchased the containers in the beading section of a craft store and used a 40% off coupon. If you are going to be giving the foot soak as a gift, you could put it in a larger container with directions to add 2 tablespoons to a basin of water.
**Update ~ KarenB asked for more information about the size of these jars so I thought I would update the post for everyone. These plastic containers are actually for beads so the volume size isn’t written on the package. They are 1 7/8″ tall and 1 1/2″ in diameter. Each jar held 2 tablespoons which is enough for 1 foot soak. You can find them (affiliate link) HERE.
I made some vintage looking “foot soak” labels using Pixlr and PixMonkey. After cutting out the labels, I attached them to the containers using craft glue.
You can download this free foot soak printable HERE. I made it so that it is printable on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper but feel free to resize as necessary.
Then, we had to test the recipe…I know, I know…it’s a hard job but someone’s got to do it!
Looks wonderful doesn’t it? Yes, it felt as good as it looks!
After the foot soak came the foot scrub! We combined 3 tablespoons of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda with 1 tablespoon of scented body wash and 1 tablespoon of water. Gently rub this mixture onto your feet and rinse well.
Peppermint Tea Foot Soak Recipe
by The Gunny Sack
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup epsom salt
Contents of 4 peppermint tea bags (can substitute with your favorite tea)
Whisk ingredients together in a bowl and store in an airtight container. To use, add 2 tablespoons of peppermint tea foot soak mixture to a basin of warm water and soak feet in it.
Scented Foot Scrub
by The Gunny Sack
3 tablespoons baking soda
1 tablespoon body wash
1 tablespoon water
Combine ingredients in a small bowl. After soaking your feet, gently rub the mixture over both feet before rinsing well.
Elizabeth says
Thank you so much! This will make the perfect present for my mum.
Ally says
Can you use different types of tea? I do not have peppermint tea.
Tonia says
Yes! You can use any tea you have available. Enjoy! ~Tonia
Yazmeen says
Hey love the blog but is the foot soak ok for young users as in 6-11 along with the other scrubs my little cousin is 9 and her birthday is in a week so I wanted to have a spa party thank you in advance.
Tonia says
While I can never legally say that anything is safe for anyone, especially for kids, I can tell you that I’ve allowed my kids to use the foot soaks and scrubs. Also, remember that everyone’s skin is different and can be sensitive to various things. My oldest child has to be careful about what she uses on her skin but my middle child has never had an issue. Best of luck with the party! ~Tonia
ShanDee Welling says
Hi Tonia,
I love love love your blog. Thank you for this awesome ideas and recipes. I am trying to do Christmas gifts for my girls at work and I thought a spa basket would be cute!!! Is there anyway I can get a label for the FOOT SCRUB? I saw one for the foot soak and printed that but would like a FOOT SCRUB label.
Also, could you make a label that says “Spa in a Bin” or something like that? I just am doing being portions so it wont fit in the jar.
Thanks so much again for sharing!!!
Tonia says
Hi ShanDee! Unfortunately I don’t have either of those labels available. I would suggest using a free design program like Canva https://www.canva.com/ to make some. Best of luck! ~Tonia
Clove says
Hi,
Can i substitute epsom salt with sea salt? Its hard to get epsom salt over here.
Tonia says
Hi Clove,
Yes, you can! Enjoy!
~Tonia
Allie - Aching Foot says
This is great! I have tried the commercially-bought foot soak but does not do anything at all. This is 100% natural and pure and environmentally friendly, definitely worth a try.
Freddie says
Hi there, The Joann link expired but for all interested those jars are Darice´s Bead organizers and go wit the following UPC 652695890031.
Thanks for the tutorial
Erin says
I believe that for a single cup of tea (loose leaf, which would be equivalent to 1 tea bag) you would use 1 tbsp. I know that for my pot of tea I use between 4 and 5 tbsp of tea. However I don’t like SUPER strong tea, I like it at a happy medium and this is what achieves that. Usually gets me 4 cups of tea.
Anonymous says
Do you think it’s okay to substitute tea bags with loose leaf tea? If so, would around 3 tablespoons be the same amount? Thanks in advance!
Tonia says
Yes, you can substitute loose leaf tea. I’m not familiar with it so I’m not sure what the exact measurements would be.
Anonomous says
does any baking soda work?
Tonia says
As far as I know, all brands of baking soda work the same. Have fun!
maggie says
Hi There, Love your blog!! Can you tell me about how long your scrubs will stay fresh in the jars? I want to be able to tell my friends if they have to use it immediately or if it will last if it sits for a couple of months.
thanks.
Tonia says
Hi Maggie,
I am not sure how long they will stay fresh. I would suggest to your friends that they use them within a month. Thanks!
~Tonia
Michelle says
Hi – About how many containers does one recipe make with 2 TBSP in each small container?
Tonia says
Hi Michelle,
One recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups which is 24 tablespoons so that would be about 12 containers. Thanks for stopping by!
~Tonia
anna says
Good idea Might do that with sisters and nieces when I go visit them . And of course for my self
Tonia says
Thanks, Anna! I need to do this to my feet right now! I’ve been wearing sandals and my feet need some pampering!
Jen says
Tonia,
What container did you put the foot scrub in? I am going to make these as thank you gifts for my female den leader!
Thank you!
Tonia says
Hi Jen! I didn’t put the foot scrub in a container. We just mixed it up and use it right away. But if you wanted to put it in a container, you could use a small mason jar like I did for the sugar hand scrub: http://www.thegunnysack.com/2012/11/spa-party-sugar-hand-scrub-recipe.html or you could use a small plastic container like I used for the maple brown sugar scrub: http://www.thegunnysack.com/2012/11/spa-party-maple-brown-sugar-scrub-recipe.html Good luck and I hope they enjoy the gift!
Siddy Says says
http://www.siddysays.com/blog/2012/11/beauty-homemade-foot-scrub-recipe.html
Hiya,
Featured your blogpost in my blogpost lol.
Best,
Sadaf
Anne @ Domesblissity says
Gosh Tonia. I need a whole lot of this stuff. My feet always get neglected in winter and now that its Spring and its time to wear open footware, my feet are shocking. I’ll need to spend a few days with some of this stuff bringing my feet back to normal! LOL
xx
Lyuba @ Will Cook For Smiles says
I bet that foot soak felt so good!! I will put it on my to do list!
MKercado says
Cool, thanks. My husband could use this, he really takes care of feet. This man uses lotions, creams, rub-on rub -off, soaks, he can spend some money on them. Anything u can think of for his feet. LOL. He loves his feet. Wait til I tell him he can make his own.
keri @ shaken together says
These spa recipes are so fun!! Thinking about a ladies pampering party SOON!
Gwen says
YUM! This sounds incredible, Tonia!!!
Lesleyanne Smith says
What fantastic idea – amazing gifts. I would make vanilla or cinnamon scented. I am putting baking soda on my shopping list for tomorrow. Another great idea – love it.
Tonia L says
Both of those sound wonderful! It would be fun to make up a bunch of different foot soaks in various varieties so you could grab whichever one you were in the mood for! Thanks Lesleyanne!
KarenB says
Love the idea! What size jars did you use?
Tonia L says
The jars I used are for bead storage so they don’t have a volume size on them. They are 1 7/8″ tall and 1 1/2″ in diameter. Each jar held 2 tablespoons which is enough for 1 foot soak. Here is a link to what they look like: http://www.joann.com/bead-organizer-6-3-x4-8-/zprd_09035874a/