DIY Spa

Like a trainer who whips your butt into shape, spas push your skin to the next level of gorgeousness. After a treatment (or two), you leave amazed at how silky you feel. Just as you might expect, spas use some special tricks to make you glow, including combinations of certain ingredients and tested techniques. What's surprising is that you can actually get the same results at home. We asked a range of skin experts to reveal their secret moves so you can learn to buff your body like a pro. And hey, no appointment necessary!

1. Buff Like You Were Born To Do It	First things first: Using a body scrub for a few seconds in the shower is as effective as meditating while yakking on the phone. That's why aestheticians get truly Zen about exfoliating. Cornelia Zicu, owner of Cornelia Day Resort in the US, spends a full five to 10 minutes on each body part, starting at the shoulders and ending at the toes. 'It may seem excessive,' she says, 'but it takes that long to get noticeably smoother skin.' The pros also have a unique way of rubbing to remove flakes. 'I use slow, circular motions and apply pressure with my thumbs until the skin ripples,' says spa owner, Gretchen Monahan. (And to really silkify yourself, apply your exfoliator on dry skin to create more friction and blast away dull layers.)
2. Double The Size Of What You Apply
3. Skip The High-Tech Supplies
4. Masks Should Go All Over
5. Lounging In That Robe Is Crucial

Author: COSMOPOLITAN